Chamonix, France · August
UTMB Training Plan
What the UTMB Mont-Blanc asks of your training, and how to build for it. The coach writes the 174k plan around the course, the climb, and the fitness you have now.
- Distances
- 174K
- Course
- Hilly
- Usually held
- Each August
The UTMB course
A loop of the Mont-Blanc massif through France, Italy, and Switzerland: 174 kilometres with about 9,700 metres of elevation gain, starting and finishing in Chamonix. Entry runs through a running-stones and lottery system rather than open registration. The cutoff is 45 and a half hours and most finishers are out for well over thirty, which means two nights on the mountain for a large part of the field.
Weather on race day
Late August in the Alps spans everything from hot valley afternoons to snow, wind, and near-freezing temperatures on the high cols after dark. The mandatory kit list exists because the weather at 2,500 metres has repeatedly justified it.
What to train for
Vertical volume and sleep. Nearly ten thousand metres of gain rewards climbing-specific training over speed, and the second night is a separate problem from the fitness one. Build long mountain days, train the descents hard enough to survive them, and rehearse eating and moving while genuinely sleep-deprived.
Registration and official details: UTMB official site
UTMB training questions
How long should I train for the UTMB?
Most runners give a 174k race twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of a season of consistent aerobic mileage. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the UTMB course hilly?
Hilly. A loop of the Mont-Blanc massif through France, Italy, and Switzerland: 174 kilometres with about 9,700 metres of elevation gain, starting and finishing in Chamonix. Entry runs through a running-stones and lottery system rather than open registration. The cutoff is 45 and a half hours and most finishers are out for well over thirty, which means two nights on the mountain for a large part of the field.
What is the weather usually like at the UTMB?
Late August in the Alps spans everything from hot valley afternoons to snow, wind, and near-freezing temperatures on the high cols after dark. The mandatory kit list exists because the weather at 2,500 metres has repeatedly justified it.
Do I need an account to get a UTMB training plan?
For this one, yes. The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so an ultra plan comes from the coach itself, which needs a free account. Still no card, and the plan adapts as you log the training.
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