Ultra Trail Metropole Nice

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 2123m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 42% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 133km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–18.4km · Descent of 679m averaging 8%, climb of 1731m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 18.4km–76.0km · Descent of 2123m averaging 13%, high point 2707m, descent of 938m averaging 11%, descent of 874m averaging 13%. Plus 3 more climbs. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 76.0km–146km · Descent of 884m averaging 8%, descent of 1375m averaging 11%, descent of 1696m averaging 9%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 146km–153km · 6.4km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 46% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 16.4km at an average 11.0% grade (1792m of vertical). The longest descent runs 19.4km at an average 8.8% grade (1696m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 44.4% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 56.0% over 0.2km. Surface: 67% trail, 19% road, 7% technical, and 5% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 238.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Tête de Clans (2070m), 76.8km from the start. The course also passes close to Cime de la Vallette (2701m) and Tête Gerpa (2208m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 24.0km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 80 of 100), with 49% of the load in the first half: 7 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 133km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 0.0–8.1 km · 679 m D−, -8.4% · 144.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 18.4–34.7 km · 2123 m D−, -13.0% · 118.1 km ahead → control
• #4 · 39.7–48.0 km · 938 m D−, -11.3% · 104.8 km ahead → control
• #3 · 53.2–59.7 km · 874 m D−, -13.4% · 93.1 km ahead → control
• #6 · 76.0–87.1 km · 884 m D−, -8.0% · 65.7 km ahead → control
• #5 · 92.5–105.4 km · 1375 m D−, -10.7% · 47.4 km ahead → control
• #7 · 113.5–132.9 km · 1696 m D−, -8.8% · 19.9 km ahead → control
• 139.2–146.4 km · 494 m D−, -6.8% · 6.4 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 7°C to 14°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 30%.

Results

584 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Paul Cornut Chauvinc (France) in 18:52:37. Women's winner: Michaela Lishakova (Slovakia) in 25:16:07.