UTMB® 2025

It will be ULTRA hard, ULTRA long, ULTRA demanding but above all ULTRA good! Welcome to the ULTRA-Trail du Mont-Blanc!

The station of Chamonix welcomes you in August for one of the most intense moments of the year in the running world: a week of trail races around the Mont-Blanc, the most mythical peak (and the highest) in France! Be aware, the qualification system to participate has evolved since the 2021 edition. Even though the principle of drawing lots is still in place, you can find more information on the new features right here. So if you are one of the lucky ones, the next step for you is to arrive in Haute-Savoie late summer in optimal shape to attain the status of finisher, which will not be an easy feat at the UTMB Mont-Blanc 🙃.

Even the most experienced finishers will find bliss here: a crazy schedule spanning the whole week (and yes, as the saying goes: the longer, the better 😅) will be offered to you. Tempting races across borders, alpine forests, and mountain lakes at altitude. No less than seven distances are on the program! Let's explain: first, three trail races, the first connecting Martigny-Combe and Chamonix (MCC of 40 km), the second brings you to Chamonix from Orsières, via Champex (OCC of 57 km), and finally the ETC (the Trail Experience Courmayeur) of 15 km which will take place in Courmayeur and its surroundings. Then, there are three Ultra races where you will really need to fight to finish: the CCC (Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix) of 101 km, the TDS (on the Traces of the Dukes of Savoy) of 148 km, and of course the one and only UTMB of 176 km, which record holder François d'Haene has completed in just 19h 01min. Last but not least, you can embark on the PTL (La Petite Trotte à Léon), but don't be fooled by its name, the course is (a bit) long at 300 km with a cumulative elevation gain of 25,000 mD+ (about 90 times the 1665 steps of the Eiffel Tower to give you an idea 🥵). A trail that will force you and your companions to tap into your most unsuspected resources to overcome this challenge! Note that in addition the paths will not be marked, it will be up to you to find your way, we hope you're a pro at orientation 💪.

Whatever race you sign up for, you'll certainly have your eyes full! Between the panoramas of Mont Blanc from Le Beaufortain, the passage through Switzerland 🇨🇭(at Col de Balme) and Italy 🇮🇹 (in Courmayeur), your trail running heart will be won over. You'll see this stunning environment by day and by night, and you can enjoy, at dawn, a sunrise over Lake Combal with the Grandes Jorasses and the Mont Blanc in the background 😆. The diversity of landscapes is in harmony with the frequent cheers from spectators and the meticulously organized event. However, in terms of effort, it's you who will endure the thousands and thousands of meters of elevation gain at the heart of the Mont Blanc massif 😬. We hope that altitude doesn't go to your head because back-to-back ascents and descents, sometimes exhausting, might challenge your motivation (and your legs), but you'll hold on until the end to arrive in the heart of Chamonix in an unmatched festive mountain atmosphere. There is no way that rain, cold, wind, night, and even snow (yes, yes, the eternal snows of the Mont-Blanc massif persist even during summer! ❄️) or fatigue stop you in your quest for the highest peaks of the Alps 🏔.

Under the applause of a delirious crowd and the sound of drums, the final descent on Chamonix will give you time to reflect on your journey and realize the effort made to reach the famous finish line. You can enjoy the post-race with 10,000 participants including 60% foreigners, which will allow you to brush up on your rusty English 😅 and share an unforgettable moment in the heart of Haute-Savoie. After your hours of racing, you'll likely indulge in the typical mountain dishes, accompanied by a beer from the Mont Blanc brewery 🍻. If you tell us you're still not convinced, we'd have a hard time believing you, but here's one last argument for you: the world's summit of trail running is not just a race, it's also a unique atmosphere that never disappoints and you'll find hard to forget. The roof of Europe is waiting for you!

Ps: if you're worried about the tough courses of the UTMB, we can offer races in the same area to prepare yourself and do the Tour du Mont Blanc ahead of time. We're thinking of the Maxi-Race in May, the Trail des Hauts Forts at the beginning of August, or the Trail du Petit-Saint-Bernard later in the year, in October 📆.