Quito Trail Ecuador by UTMB® 2026

Apparently, the Earth has a belly button. And that belly button is in Quito 🌍.

The capital of Ecuador is one of the few cities in the world built in the immediate vicinity of the Equator line, at 2,850 meters above sea level, which officially makes it the highest capital city in the world after La Paz ⬆️. Good news: the organizers of the Quito Trail by UTMB decided to make it the perfect playground for runners who think normal races are really way too easy 🤪. In August, six race formats start from and return to the heart of Quito, a city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site 🌍. In other words, you finish your race by running down into one of the best-preserved old colonial towns in Latin America. Imagine finishing an 80 km while passing 17th-century Baroque façades with your legs completely shot—hard to make an arrival more epic than that 🤩. And for the record: Quito is nicknamed "La Carita de Dios" (the little face of God), because its landscapes are so beautiful that even your sore muscles won't hurt quite as much! 😅

What really makes this race unique is its route. The trails leave the tropical jungle to climb into the Andes, crossing a mind-blowing biodiversity 🌿. Specifically, during your race, you might run into a giant hummingbird. Or a spectacled bear. Or both at the same time (no guarantees, but keep your eyes peeled anyway) 🐻. The six races are all named after emblematic animals of the region: the "80K Oso" (the Bear) is the ultra of 76 km for 4,400 m D+, with 3 UTMB Running Stones at the finish 🤯. The "50K Nutria" (the Otter) offers 53 km and 2,800 m D+ 🦦, plenty of distance without ending up limping for a week 😬. The "30K Tucán" and the "20K Quinde" (the Hummingbird 🐦) offer a shorter adventure for those who want to enjoy it without burning out 😎. And if you want to ease into it, the "12K Humboldt", in tribute to Alexander von Humboldt, the Prussian scientist who explored these lands in the 19th century and literally fell in love with them, and the "6K Rana" (the Frog 🐸) welcome everyone with open arms 🤗.

Running at 2,850 meters above sea level means one very concrete thing: the air is thinner 🫧. The available oxygen is about 25 to 30% lower than at sea level. In other words, your heart works harder, your breathing speeds up, and what felt like a small climb suddenly becomes worthy of a survival episode 🥵. That's why runners coming from abroad are strongly encouraged to arrive a few days early to acclimatize 🤓. Quito, an extraordinary city, is also worth hanging around in for a bit—between local markets, volcanoes within sight (the Pichincha towers right above the city 🌋) and Ecuadorian cuisine that really delivers 🌮.

Being part of the UTMB World Series is no small thing. It means that runners lining up here collect Running Stones, the precious key that then lets you try your luck in the lottery to take part in the UTMB Mont-Blanc, the most legendary trail race in the world 🌍. Every stride in Quito is therefore a stride toward Chamonix. For the ambitious, it's a great way to turn a trip to South America into a strategic step in a project that goes far beyond borders 😌.

Quit chasing animals—might as well do it at the Quito Trail by UTMB ✨.