Ultra Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB® 2026

Do you know Kosciuszko? No? That’s normal! 🤪 It’s the best-kept secret in the trail-running world, and that’s exactly why we need to talk about it 🌏.

While everyone is fighting for a spot in Chamonix, on the other side of the world, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, a trail festival has quietly set up on the roof of Oceania 🌊. Forests of wind-twisted snow gums 🌲, flowering alpine meadows, crystal-clear streams 💦, wombats strolling casually along the trail edge… 🐨 and runners moving through it all with a smile glued to their faces. Welcome to the Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB® 🤓.

One detail worth pausing on for two seconds: Mount Kosciuszko owes its name to Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish general who fought for the independence of the United States AND the freedom of Poland in the 18th century 🇵🇱. It was a Polish explorer, Paweł Strzelecki, who named the peak in 1840 in tribute to his compatriot 🫡. So when you cross the finish line, you can legitimately say you ran under the patronage of a hero of two continents 🇵🇱.

The race comes in four formats so everyone can find a trail that fits their shoe 👟. The "Kosci30", 32 km with 610 mD+, is the perfect gateway to discover this unique terrain without spending your life training for the next six months 🏃‍♂️. The "Kosci50" goes up to 50 km and 1,300 mD+, with two UTMB Running Stones at stake to boost your chances in the Chamonix lottery 🤑. Then comes the "Kosci100": 102 km and 3,196 mD+, with landscapes so beautiful you might stop mid-effort to take a photo—and forget to start running again 😂. At the top of the pyramid, the "KosciMiler": 161 km, 5,074 mD+, 4 Running Stones, and a good reason not to sleep for two days 😆. The festivities kick off at the end of November, but no need to pull out the thermal gear or use the layering technique to get dressed, because the temperatures are more than pleasant 🥰.

What really makes this trail stand out is its environment. Kosciuszko National Park is the largest national park in Australia, bigger than all of Switzerland 🤯. The snow gums, those twisted eucalyptus with bark speckled white, orange and green, create absolutely mind-blowing natural tunnels. It’s November, the start of the Australian summer: the meadows are in bloom 🌸, the mountain air is cool and crisp, and if you run at night, the southern hemisphere sky brings the Milky Way to life 🌌. The waterways you cross come straight from melted snow—water so pure it deserves to be bottled 🍶.

An ultra with an unpronounceable name that will leave you speechless! 😮