Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB® 2026
- Next event : 25 Fri ➜ September 27, 2026Date confirmed
- Last event : 26 Fri ➜ September 28, 2025
The event in a few words
At the beginning of October, we take you not far from the Mediterranean, for a UTMB-labeled race (yes, nothing less): the Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB®. The French Riviera awaits you with open arms 🤗 and offers you 4 events, qualifying for the UTMB World Series Finals. On the schedule of THE trail running event, a short trail of 22 km with 700 mD+, a long trail of 54 km with 2,100 mD+, and two ultra trails, an ultra of 107 km with 4,500 mD+, and to finish in style, one of 159 km with 8,200 mD+ 🥵. Rest assured, for this last ultra-trail, you will have 48 hours to complete it, so prepare well and remember your headlamp 🔦. As night falls, it would be a shame not to see anything 🫣. As you’ve gathered, it’s going to be quite a climb! 📈
And regarding the course? What should you expect? 🤨 The organizers of the Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB® have ensured that this magical region is discovered (or rediscovered) from top to bottom, from north to south and east to west. Starting respectively from Auron, Roubion, Eze and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, we swap the peak of Mont Blanc🏔, the snowy cliffs of the Alps, and crossing Italian and Swiss borders for the highest peaks of the Southern Alps, in the heart of the Mercantour National Park🌳. This will be an opportunity to run in the midst of this unique natural setting in the world, possessing extraordinary biodiversity 😍. Notably, glacial lakes like Lac Nègre or the Lacs des Bresses, where you can take a dip to refresh yourself 🏊. You’ll take beautiful trails lined with Scots pines and oak trees and even have the chance to see the Cime du Gélas, the highest point of the massif, rising 3,143 meters above sea level 😱. On your long descent to the finish, stunning panoramic views, postcard-worthy 🖼️, of the Côte d’Azur with the Mediterranean Sea stretching endlessly will unveil 🔭. You'll see, it will literally take your breath away 🫢. As for the finish, it will take place on the iconic Promenade des Anglais 💂♀️ in the heart of Nice, a chance to stroll on the region's most famous avenue 🤩. Indeed, the Champs-Elysées better watch out. In short, you'll see that nothing has been left to chance regarding the course!
After all these efforts, you’ve well earned a visit to the Alpes Maritimes and the surrounding towns near Nice ☀️. Beautiful villages located just a few kilometers from Nissa la Bella, Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Èze will offer you unforgettable memories 💭. To fill your stomach, likely quite empty after all these efforts, a good Niçoise salad 🥗 or a pan-bagnat should do the trick 😋.
A distance for every taste
165 kmTOP
109 km
50 km
23 km
- Friday, September 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM
- Elevation gain : 8900mD+
- 1 loopx165 km
A few more words
As the saying goes, we save the best for last. Here, the main event of the Nice Côte-d’Azur by UTMB®, is undoubtedly the longest distance, the ultra trail of 159 km. To make you aware of the difficulty of the event, 159 km is also the distance as the crow flies between Nice and Marseille! 😱 All with a positive elevation gain of 8,200 meters 🤯. An event that will literally take your breath away 🥵.
You will start from Auron and quickly reach the highest point of the course at over 2,650 meters above sea level 🤯. After crossing chestnut forests and the meanders of the Tinée several times, you will skirt the Mercantour massif, then pass over beautiful ridges halfway through at over 2,000 m altitude 📈. Then, head due south through more Mediterranean landscapes. One last effort to cross the 4 mountains: Mont Leuze, Mont Vinaigrier, Mont Alban, and Mont Boron ⛰️. At the turn of a steep staircase, you will quickly find yourself at the seaside, a postcard landscape 🖼️. You will then make a grand entrance onto the Promenade des Anglais! 💂♀️
109 km : Nice 100K
Trail- Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 8:00 AM
- Elevation gain : 5400mD+
- 1 loopx109 km
A few more words
Here, we get into the thick of things with an ultra trail of over 100 kilometers! Wow… 🤩 You've got it right, this distance is reserved for the elite of trail runners, the cream of the crop, the Zinédine Zidane of running 👨🦲.
The variety of landscapes encountered on this 107 km route with 4,500 meters of positive elevation will leave you with unforgettable memories. Roubion, a small village south of the Mercantour National Park built on the edge of a cliff, will be the starting point ⛰️. After the first kilometers on the Vignols track, you'll reach the ridges straddling the Tinée valleys and the Vésubie, offering superb views of the Alps and the main summits of the Mercantour ⛰️. You will then head straight south towards the Mediterranean across the 4 mountains and you will follow the seaside 🌊 to celebrate your arrival on the legendary Promenade des Anglais, under well-deserved applause 👏.
50 km : Nice 50K
Trail- Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 7:30 AM
- Elevation gain : 2000mD+
- 1 loopx50 km
A few more words
Your 50K journey will start at the Parc départemental de la Grande Corniche, winding around the Fort de la Revère, and rising above La Turbie to the Cime de Cabanelle, at an altitude of 1,090 m. You will be able to admire the Mercantour, the French Riviera, the Mediterranean, and the high Niçois country, when you reach "l’Epaule de la Cime du Baudon" at 1,200 m altitude.
You will then descend to the perched villages of Peille and Peillon, and along an old irrigation canal. At the base of Mont Leuze ⛰️, you will find your last refreshment 🥤 at the plateau Saint-Michel, overlooking the bay of Villefranche-sur-mer and Cap Ferrat.
To finish your journey, the exhilarating arrival on the Promenade des Anglais should delight you 😍.
23 km : Nice 20K
Trail- Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 7:30 AM
- Elevation gain : 680mD+
- 1 loopx23 km
A few more words
A UTMB race of 22 km, with 700 mD+? No, you're not dreaming! 😉
The organizers of Nice Côte-d’Azur by UTMB® aimed to make this event a race accessible to everyone and for everyone through a route between land and sea. Starting from the port of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 🚣, you will embark on an almost complete tour of the peninsula before heading up towards the Chapelle St Grat ⛪. From there, on the left, head towards the Plateau St Michel with its breathtaking view of Cap Ferrat and then the Col des 4 Chemins. After a beautiful passage on Mediterranean trails, you will descend towards the coast 🌊. A final small ascent of the Château hill will allow you to admire the Bay of Angels 👼 before crossing the finish line on the famous Promenade des Anglais 💂♀️.
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