KAT100 Austria by UTMB® 2026

Hear ye, hear ye, lovers of mountains and steep trails! 📣

We’ve got a race for you 🫵. Off to Austria for a challenge that’ll send your heart rate into the red zone! 🇦🇹 Right in the middle of August, when ordinary mortals hesitate between a nap and the pool, the charming resort of Fieberbrunn turns into a huge playground for trail runners 💥. Welcome to the KAT100 by UTMB, a trail race on the UTMB World Series sketched across the most vertigo-inducing peaks of the famous Kitzbühel Alps ⛰️.

The main event, the legendary 100-mile course, offers a full loop of a titanic 169 km that takes off from and finishes in Fieberbrunn 📍. This extraordinary route racks up no less than 9,000 m D+, crossing wild areas and featuring, in particular, the major climb of the famous Kitzbüheler Horn, a monument of the local landscape that offers an exceptional panorama over the entire surrounding Alpine range for ultra-trailers with nerves of steel 🧠. For those who prefer a point-to-point format that’s just as spicy, the Endurance trail lays down its own rules with 81 km and 4,100 m D+ 🥵. This city-to-city route sets off from Kitzbühel to reach the finish in Fieberbrunn. The adventure begins at midnight sharp in total darkness with the legendary ascent of the Hahnenkamm, home to the most famous downhill ski race on the planet, the Streif, which you’ll climb here powered by pure calf strength 💥. Runners then follow picturesque panoramic trails through lush green mountains, cross the wild sector of Jochberger Wildalm and tread the magnificent Fieberbrunner Höhenweg before celebrating their arrival at sunrise. 💛

If you’re looking for a mid-distance format that’s still seriously tough, the Marathon trail takes over with its loop course of 51 km and 3,250 m D+ that starts and finishes in Fieberbrunn 🙌. The first big climb of the course shoots runners straight up to the summit of the Wildseeloder, offering a breathtaking view over its lake, before chaining into a technical and particularly bone-jarring descent. Panoramic trails then guide the pack for a second pass near Wildseelodersee before the final drop toward the finish 🏁. In a more explosive format, the Speed trail offers a punchy alpine loop of 24 km with 1,650 m D+ from the center of Fieberbrunn 😍. The trail climbs steeply and continuously past the magnificent Wildseelodersee up to the panoramic summit of the Wildseeloder, while the return delivers fast descents over technical terrain that will put your downhill skills to the test for a pure shot of adrenaline 🤩. Finally, the Easy trail offers an accessible option for everyone: 8 km with 250 m D+ . This short route uses wide, rolling paths with low elevation gain, which is ideal for discovering the Alpine landscapes of Kitzbühel at a relaxed pace and without any technical difficulty—perfect for getting a taste of the joys of trail running without risking your knees imploding on day one 📆.

What to do after such an outpouring of energy in the Austrian Alps ? 🏔️ Once you’ve crossed the finish line and have the medal around your neck, the Kitzbühel region is packed with options to recover and celebrate the feat 🏆. You’ve more than earned the right to swap your suspicious-tasting energy gels for the gems of local gastronomy 😋. It’s the perfect moment to settle onto a mountain hut terrace and order an authentic Kaiserschmarrn, that caramelized Emperor’s pancake cut into pieces, or a Tiroler Gröstl, the potato-and-meat dish that’s perfect for bringing your tired muscles back to life 😴. If your legs—now turned into concrete posts—are still willing to move, go explore the colorful historic center of Kitzbühel 🔎. Its cobbled lanes and pastel facades make the ideal setting for a relaxing stroll, far from the stress of the stopwatch ⏱️. Those who love the cold will head instead to the valley lakes for an improvised cryogenic foot bath amid the mountains 💦.

And don’t forget the rule: Austria, no way!! ✋