Ultra Trail Grand Colombier 2026

It’s Christmas before Christmas! 🎅 Want to know why? Because in your exceptional runner advent calendar, there’s a new challenge that will make you drool 🤤 as much as a good Kinder Bueno! 🍫 Let us introduce the Ultra Trail Grand Colombier! 💪 To make its mark in the highly sought-after world of sporting challenges, the event offers no fewer than 6 distances 🤩. And all of that for absolutely all levels, so let yourself be tempted by a new getaway! It will also be a chance to visit the Ain department, as the event has set up camp in Culoz in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region ⛰️. So it’s a nature escape in the heart of the mountains, with the highlight being the Grand Colombier pass 🔥.

Across the 6 routes on offer, their differences are their strengths! The Ultra Trail Grand Colombier lets you start small, with a 10 km trail designed as a little guided tour of the town of Culoz! 🏘️ The race levels up slightly with the 16 km course, while still staying accessible thanks to a flat route along the Rhône. Next comes a 30 km, which starts to require a bit more experience to take part! 🎽 It will introduce you to the famous Grand Colombier, while exploring the breathtaking scenery of the surrounding area. But now let’s move on to distances only experienced runners will be able to aim for! 👣 The marathon distance—45 km—in the heart of the Bugey, located on the Jura border 🏞️. Wait, wait—passionate runners can try to take on the challenge too! 🤠 But avoid showing up for this kind of challenge without training—we can see the tourists coming! 😉 Now, adventure-hungry runners are going to feel concerned 😅. It’s the Ultra 80 km that kicks off the big trails! A whopping 3,000 meters of elevation gain 🤯 on this demanding race through dizzying valleys! 🌿 If you’re dying to take part but feel that 80 km might be a bit too tough for you, you can always sign up in a 3-person relay! 🤝 To crown the event 👑, the Ultra Trail Grand Colombier truly lives up to its name with the impressive 120 km Ultra! 🔝 Along ridgelines, forests 🌲, lakes and waterfalls 🛶, if you take this path, it’s a true mix of all the region’s most beautiful scenery! With a total of 5,000 mD+, you’ll need determination, patience, and courage! 🤓 This adventure is also offered as a 5-person relay, giving less experienced runners the chance to enjoy such a spectacle 😇.

So yes, honestly, if you can’t find what you’re looking for with the Ultra Trail Grand Colombier, at Finishers we’re going to start running out of ideas... 💡 But if we can keep convincing you that this event is made for you, we can give you a little taste of what happens after the race! Because if you like the effort, you also like the comfort 😏. For the 120 km and 80 km runners (excluding relays), a nice little dish awaits them at the finish to help them regain some strength! 🥘 They’ll need it! Once everyone has recovered a bit ⚡, a little evening party is organized to celebrate these great achievements! 🎊

If you’re planning a short stay, then treat yourself to a few activities. You could, for example, take a little recovery dip in Lake Bourget 🏊‍♀️, only 30 minutes away by car ⏱️, which is also ideal for a family stroll, with friends (on your own too, don’t worry!) 🤪. If you want to enjoy a moment of calm and relaxation right away, we strongly recommend a visit to Belley 🥰, a charming historic town with a rich architectural heritage 🙌. If your thirst for adventure still isn’t satisfied, then hop in your ride 🏎️ (or carpool) and head to the Grottes de La Balme to explore this impressive natural site—you might even discover traces of the past (come on, we’ve all dreamed of being an archaeologist)! 📜

So what do you think of all this? The only thing missing is you to make everything perfect, right? 😎