UTMB training plan
Train for the UTMB: a block built on 174 km and 9,900 m of vert
A loop from Chamonix around the Mont Blanc massif, through France, Italy and Switzerland.
- Distance
- ≈ 174 km
- Elevation gain
- ≈ 9,900 m
- Density
- ≈ 57 m/km
- When
- late August
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition, rounded. Courses change: enter your edition's numbers, the plan is built on them.
What this course asks of you
Close to 10,000 m of climbing and as much descending, over one or two nights for most runners. Kilometres are not what stops people on the UTMB: it is quads wrecked by the long descents, and legs that still have to climb after thirty hours on their feet.
What the plan does for this profile
Climbing builds up to the race's
Your weekly vert rises from base to peak, capped at your race. On the last loading week your trail runs aim for the UTMB's density, about 57 m per km, within the climbing available where you train.
Back-to-back weekends
The engine treats races of 80 km and more as ultras: the long run is followed by a supporting run on tired legs, and advanced athletes get a second long run every other week.
Descending, if your course calls for it
Enter your edition's elevation loss: eccentric work is only scheduled when the descent really matters, always away from the key session, and never during an injury.
Questions about training for the UTMB
What runners ask before they commit.
Count in months rather than weeks, on top of an existing aerobic base. Uptrail sizes the block from your race date and your current training, and tells you honestly what remains achievable in the time available rather than compressing the preparation.
Train for another race
Uptrail is not affiliated with the organisers of the UTMB. The race name belongs to its organisers.
The UTMB is prepared week by week.
Enter your race, its elevation and the days you can run. The block is built, then rebuilt after every run.
