Ultratrails in Occitanie

From a historical standpoint, the name was born from the merger of the two former territories of “ Languedoc-Roussillon ” and “ Midi-Pyrénées ”. After several months of deliberation, the term “ Occitanie ” stood out from the rest and was completed with a red 🔴 and yellow 🟡 logo, with a cross drawn right in the center. Geographically, it’s a blend of rolling landscapes, mountains, and a large Mediterranean coastline. You’ll find an entire floral ecosystem gathered in one place and switch between sunbathing and hiking. Located between the Southwest and the Southeast of France, it benefits from the culinary influences 🍝 of these two neighboring regions, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in addition to having its own specialties. Halfway between duck and aïoli, you’ll therefore have a wide range of tastings 🦆. But all of that is very theoretical, and we’re more into the practical than duck breast. Let’s talk ultra-trail 😈 

Trail running, yes, but tougher... 🥵 Here’s a quick recap, just in case you’ve got a little memory lapse 🧠. Ultra-trail is a term generally given to trail races of more than 80 km. Generally, they also include a significant elevation gain (because otherwise it would be too easy 😅). Needless to say, if you’re just getting started in trail running, ultra isn’t for you yet ❌. Just like trail running, the race takes place in a natural environment (forest, plains & mountains) and allows you to discover a territory with your legs as your only support 🦵. The sport developed a lot in the 2000s-2010s, and more and more athletes are now positioning themselves on these kinds of distances. Names like Kilian Jornet, Baptiste Chassagne, Mathieu Blanchard or Courtney Dauwalter are among the most famous. The four most renowned races of the genre are the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), the Grand Raid de la Réunion, the Western States 100 and the Hardrock 100. Those races are the Holy Grail of ultra-trail, and we’re talking 160 km rather than 80 km (and yes, your math is right, that’s 2x more 😓). We don’t know about you, but over here we’re tired just talking about it 🛌. The worst part is they take less than 48 hours to finish ⚔️... But let’s stop getting sidetracked and see what ultra-trail looks like in Occitanie.

With its many departments (13 to be exact 🧐) listed in alphabetical order right here: 👉 Ariège (09), Aude (11), Aveyron (12), Gard (30), Haute-Garonne (31), Gers (32), Hérault (34), Lot (46), Lozère (48), Hautes-Pyrénées (65), Pyrénées-Orientales (66), Tarn (81) and Tarn-et-Garonne (82); Occitanie has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to routes. If you want to follow the Mediterranean coast for a lot of miles: that’s possible ✅. If you want to take on the Pyrenean massifs, in the West or the East: that’s also possible. And if you want to combine both by frolicking in the mountains, with a sea view 🌊: of course that’s possible! All of it, in a unique Occitan atmosphere. You’ll discover why people say that southerners are warm and party-loving. Between the start and the finish, you’ll rack up the miles to the cheers of locals going wild 🤪.

Discover the 3 must-see places 🌅. The second-largest region in metropolitan France 🇫🇷, it’s packed with tons of wonders just waiting to be discovered. As good buddies, we’ve got your back and we’ve picked out three iconic spots that you simply have to check out if you want to say you’ve made the rounds of Occitanie 😉.

• The famous Cité de Carcassonne 🏰. This site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1990s, will take you back in time. Like Marty McFly, you’ll trade the DeLorean 🏎️ for a good pair of sneakers 👟. This medieval village has now developed heavily around tourism, and you’ll be able to see fortifications featuring 3 km of ramparts and more than fifty perfectly maintained towers 🧽. It’s also a strategic point located near the Corbières Natural Park. So you can easily head there if you want to extend your stay with a bit of hiking or a stroll in nature 🌱.
• Montpellier and its seaside surroundings. For fans of the beach and sunshine, it’s the go-to destination. The Occitan coast stretches from Montpellier all the way to Argelès-sur-Mer and its famous Côte Vermeille. Needless to say, that leaves you plenty of room to stroll, soak up the sun ☀️, and find space to lay down your towel 🏖️.
• Toulouse and its student life 🧑‍🎓. You’ve definitely already heard of this small modern city in the south of France. Not that small, it became in 2025 the third most populated city in France 🥉, ahead of the splendid capital of the Gauls (Lyon). Constantly bathed in sunshine, it’s a great place to live, and residents take it easy all year long 😎. Join them for a weekend or a week, and take the opportunity to explore its many historic and cultural spaces 🏛️. The Capitole, the Pont-Neuf or the Jacobins Convent—you’ll come back enriched from those few days in the region. And if you want to blend perfectly into the scenery, don’t forget the most important thing: Toulouse is the land of the chocolatine 🥐.

Ideal for trail, ultra-trail, and all outdoor sports in general 💨 (road cycling, gravel, triathlon 🏊, hiking, climbing...), Occitanie brings together grandiose landscapes and significant elevation gains. The rivers 💦 and waterways that flow slowly through it have carved the rock over the centuries and created natural wonders such as the Tarn Gorges, the Hérault Gorges or the Gardon Gorges 🪨. The organizers of the Tour de France have in fact long since discovered the region’s environmental potential and regularly host several stages there. But here, it’s not about pedaling 🚴, and as everywhere in the world, trail running is also growing in France. Our flagship region is no exception, and hiking trails have multiplied across the area 👌.

Whatever you’re looking for (well, especially if you want to run more than 80 km 🔥), you’ll find what you’re after in beautiful Occitan country. What’s more, most of the ultra-trails highlighted on this page offer other shorter distances, varying by event, which makes it possible to sign up the rest of the family or your buddies who are a bit hesitant to take on an ultra 🤝. No one will have an excuse not to join you on your journey. To start, we can tell you about the very famous Festival des Templiers, which finishes in Millau, in Aveyron 🌉. In its category, it’s a must. The variety of routes on offer (more than 10 courses ranging from 4 km to 106 km) lets you come every year and aim a little higher each time 😎. If you start at the very bottom, the ramp-up can take a good 10 years, so make sure you’ve got time ahead of you 😬. In the same vein, you can also check out the Grand Raid des Cathares and the Festatrail, which offer 6 and 7 routes respectively, out in nature, ranging from around ten to over a hundred kilometers (and even 161 km for the longest route of the Grand Raid des Cathares 😳). If you’re looking for distances with round numbers (for example for Strava stats, let’s call it that 👀), the Grand Raid des Pyrénées, held every year in August in the Hautes-Pyrénées, has what you need. Routes of 40 km, 50 km, 60 km, 80 km, 120 km and 160 km will welcome you, solo or in relay, and will introduce you to the famous Tourmalet, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre and the Néouvielle Massif. Finally, if you’re looking to challenge yourself against the best international athletes 🌍 and set a record over a known distance, the 100 Miles Sud de France is made for you 🫵.

To wrap up, and to make the effort less repetitive, ultra-trail can also be combined with other sports: paddle or mountain biking, pick your pair 🃏. In the first case, it’s the Tarn Water Race that offers this rather original challenge. You can choose between a run & paddle course (the one with paddles, not snowshoes 🤦), or an 80 km paddle 🛶 course, with a small run segment of 1.5 km. So yes, that’s not much running, but if you want to mix things up and take on an ultra-paddle, you’re in the right place. The advantage of paddle is that you can even cool off during the effort 🧊. The second challenge, relatively extreme, is the Ultra Trail Causses et Vallées. Quite rightly, the organizers even named it the “Xtrem Challenge”. More than 90 km of running is already huge, but add 200 km of mountain biking and you get the route for this crazy trail 😤. By the end of the weekend, you’ll know Cahors and its surroundings like the back of your hand 👍.

And there you go—we think we’ve taken a nice tour of the very best of what Occitanie has to offer when it comes to ultra-trail. And if you’re still wondering about anything, the best thing is to go see for yourself—we promise you won’t be disappointed 😝.