Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB® 2026

Get your finest cowboy hat ready 🤠, because we’re taking you straight to the Great American West for a legendary challenge 🇺🇸.

Head to Utah, and more specifically the resort of Snowbird just near Alta in Salt Lake County, to take on the mythical Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB® 🏃‍♂️. Every year in July, the mountain trembles beneath the strides of trail runners from all over the world, coming to test themselves against this monument of running at altitude ⬆️. If you’re wondering where this slightly crazy name comes from, know that it’s not a reference to how fast goats are 🐐. It’s actually a direct tribute to Karl Meltzer, nicknamed “Speedgoat”. This true legend of ultra-trail, holder of mythical records on American trails ⏱️, designed this course with his own hands to make it one of the most formidable and demanding 50Ks in the United States. Historically, the Snowbird resort and the Alta Valley are world-famous for their mining past linked to the 19th-century silver rush, before becoming a paradise for powder ⛷️ and trail running. Forget gentle lowland paths—here we’re talking pure mountain with rocky summits rising above 3,300 meters in elevation, unstable technical scree fields, and steep slopes that will set your quads on fire 🥵.

The menu for this crazy weekend is generous and suits every type of mountain runner, with three flagship distances: the 10K, the 28K, and the crown jewel, the 50K 👑. Don’t be fooled by the stated distances, because the ratio of elevation gain is simply stratospheric, with respectively 500, 2,000 and 3,450 mD+. Enough to make you dizzy! 😵‍💫 But you’ll quickly forget your grand ambitions, because the on-site vibe is pretty down-to-earth 👏, blending the fervor and prestige of an international event on the UTMB World Series circuit with typically American laid-back camaraderie 😎. You run through dense fir forests, pass through tunnels carved into alpine rock, and climb toward razor-sharp ridgelines offering breathtaking panoramas of the surrounding peaks 🤩. You set off from the heart of the resort before tackling legendary sections like the “Chips Switchbacks” or the vertical, dizzying ascent of Mount Baldy ⛰️.

Once you’ve crossed the finish line on the Snowbird Plaza and celebrated your finisher status with your medal around your neck 🥇, the adventure is far from over. The region is packed with gems to discover as you unwind. You can head off to explore vibrant Salt Lake City 🧂, visit its temple, or wander its streets to try to shake off your soreness 🦵. For a quirky experience, go float in the ultra-salty waters of the Great Salt Lake. Lovers of wide-open spaces who still haven’t had their fill of wild landscapes will prefer a trip to Big Cottonwood Canyon for a well-earned picnic by the water 🥪. Finally, history buffs will love visiting the Park City Museum to soak up the gold rush era, old mines, and cowboys 🐪.

Become as fast as a goat! 💨