Races near waterfalls

What makes a race near a waterfall so special is that feeling of a well-earned reward. A waterfall is never found right around the corner on the sidewalk: you have to climb, descend, sometimes scramble a bit to reach it, which almost always makes it the emotional high point of the route. In France, the Trail de la Cascade d'Ars, in Aulus-les-Bains in Ariège, climbs straight up toward one of the highest falls in the Pyrenees, a triple leap of water plunging more than 250 meters down a cliff. Further north, in Doubs, the Trail du Saut du Doubs follows the border river to its spectacular waterfall on the Franco-Swiss boundary, a site known since the 19th century for already attracting the first tourists by boat ⛵️.

The sensations change radically depending on the power of the waterfall you’re approaching. A small fall in the woods offers a welcome cool mist in the middle of a summer effort, while a powerful waterfall literally makes the ground tremble underfoot as you get closer 💨. In Normandy, the Trail des Cascades in Mortain-Bocage crosses the highest waterfall in western France, nestled deep in a forest in a valley so steep-sided that the temperature drops noticeably there, even in midsummer.

The conditions and specific features tied to this theme often come down to ground moisture. Slippery rocks right next to the water, muddy trails maintained by constant spray, suspension bridges sometimes needed to cross the river downstream: caution remains essential, even on terrain that is otherwise runnable. In Jura, the Trail du Morbier, in Frasnois, runs through a karst region dotted with small waterfalls that appear and disappear with the seasons, swollen by snowmelt in spring.

Head to the Vosges with Le Trail des Marcaires, in Muhlbach-sur-Munster, which winds between high pastures and glacial valleys punctuated by waterfalls fed by ancient cirques carved by glaciers. In the Cévennes, the Trail du Mont-Aigoual crosses a region known for its record rainfall in France, which explains the density of waterfalls flowing year-round. Further south, the Trail des Gorges de l'Ardèche follows limestone cliffs carved by the river over millions of years, with a few falls punctuating the canyon.

Some iconic places go far beyond the national scale. Head to Canada for the Niagara Falls International Marathon, which runs alongside one of the most famous waterfalls on the planet: Niagara Falls pour out an average of 2,800 cubic meters of water per second, a flow so immense that hydroelectric plants had to be built as early as the end of the 19th century to harness its power. Even more impressive in terms of scale, the Victoria Falls Marathon, in Zimbabwe, runs along Victoria Falls, which local populations nickname Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders": a cloud of spray visible for miles around, created by a waterfall twice as high as Niagara.

In Asia, the Guizhou Zhenning Huangguoshu Half Marathon, in China, takes place near the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest waterfall in China, made world-famous by the classic novel Journey to the West. In Italy, the Saint Valentine Marathon, in Terni, passes near the Marmore Falls, the highest artificial waterfall in Europe, created as early as 271 BC by the Romans to drain nearby marshlands.

In Oceania and South America, the format takes on an entirely different dimension. In New Zealand, the Tarawera Ultra-Trail, in Rotorua, owes its name to the Tarawera Falls, unique in the world because their underground course emerges directly from a volcanic lake before plunging into the forest. In Australia, the Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB®, in Katoomba, crosses the Blue Mountains and runs along the Wentworth Falls, 187 meters high, a bluish setting due to eucalyptus oil vapors that give the range its name. In Chile, in Torres del Paine National Park, the Ultra Fiord and the Ultra Paine cross Patagonian landscapes punctuated by glacial waterfalls, fed by meltwater from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third-largest freshwater reserve in the world after the poles.

The United States is also full of curiosities: in Wyoming, the Yellowstone Half Marathon, in West Yellowstone, takes place not far from the Yellowstone Falls, twice as high as Niagara, carved into a canyon whose walls are tinted yellow and ochre by the geothermal activity of the world’s first national park, created in 1872. In Oregon, the Trail of Ten Falls, in Silverton, takes its name from the famous Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park, which links ten waterfalls along a single route, including several you can experience by literally walking behind the curtain of water. Still in Oregon, the Wy'East 28K and 50K Trail Fest, at Mount Hood, uses the Indigenous name given by Native American peoples to this volcano, whose glaciers feed waterfalls throughout the surrounding valley.

In Brazil, X-Treme Run Gramado runs through the Serra Gaúcha, a mountainous region famed for its waterfalls tucked between vineyards and subtropical forests, while in Portugal, the Trail Fisgas de Ermelo, in Mondim de Basto, follows the country’s highest waterfall, a site so rugged that it long discouraged any human exploitation nearby. Finally, in Réunion, La Salazienne crosses the Cirque de Salazie, where the Voile de la Mariée waterfall cascades down the cirque wall in an almost continuous curtain, fed by one of the highest rainfalls in the world.

After the effort, the refreshing comfort takes on a literal meaning here: many of these races offer an impromptu swim in a natural pool at the end of the route, or a refreshment station served in the damp shade of a waterfall. Hard to find anything more effective against overheating in the middle of a trail 🥤.

Want to stay up high, but without the water that comes with it? Head to cliff races 🧗, to keep scrambling along the edge, this time without the roar of the waterfall in the background.