Ultra-trails in Occitanie

From a historical point of view, the name was born from the merger of the two former territories of « Languedoc-Roussillon » and « Midi-Pyrénées ». After several months of debate, the term « Occitanie » stands out and is completed by a red 🔴 and yellow 🟡 logo, with a cross drawn right in the center. Geographically, it’s a mix 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 have a wide choice of tastings 🦆. But all that is very theoretical, and we’re more into concrete than duck breast. Let’s talk ultra-trail 😈 

Trail running, yes, but harder... 🥵 Here’s a quick recap, just in case you have a little memory lapse 🧠. Ultra-trail is a label generally given to trail races of more than 80 km. Generally, they also feature a lot of elevation gain (because otherwise it would be too easy 😅). Suffice it to say that if you’re just getting into trail running, ultra isn’t for you yet ❌. Just like trail running, the race takes place in a natural environment (forest, plains & mountains) and lets you discover a region with only your legs for support 🦵. The sport grew a lot in the 2000-2010 years, and more and more athletes are now positioning themselves on this kind of distance. Names like Kilian Jornet, Baptiste Chassagne, Mathieu Blanchard or Courtney Dauwalter are among the most famous. The 4 most recognized races of the kind 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 looking more at 160 km than 80 km (and yes, your math is right, that’s 2x more 😓). We don’t know about you, but we’re tired just talking about it 🛌. The worst part is that 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 precise 🧐) 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 choice when it comes to routes. If you want to run along the Mediterranean coast for a bunch of kilometers: that’s possible ✅. If you want to go and take on the Pyrenean massifs, in the West or the East: that’s also possible. And if you want to combine both by bounding around in the mountains, with a sea view 🌊: of course that’s possible! All of it, in a unique Occitan vibe. You’ll discover why people say that southerners are warm and party-lovers. Between the start and the finish, you’ll stride over the kilometers 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 picked out three iconic places that you have to visit if you want to say you’ve toured Occitanie 😉.

• The famous City of Carcassonne 🏰. This site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1990s, will take you back in time. Like Marty McFly, you’ll swap the DeLorean 🏎️ for a good pair of sneakers 👟. This medieval village has now developed a lot 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 spot located near the Corbières Natural Park. So you can easily go there if you want to extend your stay with a bit of hiking or a nature walk 🌱.
• Montpellier and its seaside surroundings. For lovers of the beach and sunshine, it’s the go-to destination. The Occitan coast stretches from Montpellier to Argelès-sur-Mer and its famous Côte Vermeille. Suffice it to say you’ll have more than enough to stroll around, enjoy the sun ☀️, and plenty of space to lay down your towel 🏖️.
• Toulouse and its student life 🧑‍🎓. You’ve definitely heard of this small modern city in the south of France. Not so small after all, in 2025 it became the third most populous city in France 🥉, ahead of the splendid capital of the Gauls (Lyon). Perpetually bathed in sunshine, life is good there and the locals take it easy all year round 😎. Join them for a weekend or a week, and take the opportunity to explore its many historical and cultural spaces 🏛️. The Capitole, the Pont-Neuf or the Jacobins Convent—you’ll come back enriched by those few days in the region. And if you want to blend in perfectly, don’t forget the most important thing: Toulouse is the land of the chocolatine 🥐.

Ideal for trail running, ultra-trail, and outdoor sports in general 💨 (road cycling, gravel, triathlon 🏊, hiking, climbing...), Occitanie brings together grand landscapes and significant elevation gain. The rivers 💦 and waterways that flow slowly through it have carved the rock over the centuries, giving birth to natural wonders such as the Tarn Gorges, the Hérault Gorges, and the Gardon Gorges 🪨. The organizers of the Tour de France discovered the region’s environmental potential a long time ago, 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 throughout the area 👌.

Whatever you’re looking for (well, especially if you want to run more than 80 km 🔥), you’ll find what you need in beautiful Occitan country. What’s more, most of the ultra-trails highlighted on this page offer other shorter distances, varying by event, so you can 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 adventure. 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 offered (more than 10 courses ranging from 4 km to 106 km) lets you come every year and each time aim a little higher 😎. 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 look into the Grand Raid des Cathares and Festatrail, which offer 6 and 7 routes respectively, right in nature, ranging from around ten to more than a hundred kilometers (and even 161 km for the longest course 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 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 show you 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 well-known distance, the 100 Miles Sud de France is made for you 🫵.

To finish, and to make the effort less repetitive, ultra-trail can also be combined with other sports: paddleboarding 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 paddleboarding 🛶 route, with a small run section of 1.5 km. So yes, that’s not a lot of running, but if you want to mix things up and take on an ultra-paddle, you’re in the right place. The advantage of paddleboarding is that you can even cool off during the effort 🧊. The second challenge, fairly extreme, is that of the Ultra Trail Causses et Vallées. Rightly so, the organizers have 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 of 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 have it—we think we’ve provided a nice overview of the very best that Occitanie has to offer when it comes to ultra-trail. And if you still have questions, the best thing is to go see for yourself—we promise you won’t be disappointed 😝.