About MOT 42K – Meja Occitan Trail
MOT 42K – Meja Occitan Trail is the 42.0km trail race at Maira Occitan Trail 2026 (Trail Village at Marmora-Canosio crossroads, Italy). The race starts on October 3, 2026 at 08:00 AM. It starts in Trail Village at Marmora-Canosio crossroads and finishes in Marmora. The time limit is 10 h.
Race strategy
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
- 719m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
- Steep 40% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
- Big early climb with 1320m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
- Final 1333m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
- Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 25.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 30.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
- Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
- Settle in · 1.6km–20.7km · Climb of 712m, descent of 719m averaging 23%, climb of 1321m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
- Work · 20.7km–30.4km · Descent of 403m averaging 9%, climb of 539m, high point 2533m. 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.
- Home · 30.4km–41.0km · Descent of 1333m averaging 13%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
Course
The course climbs 2650m+. With 63m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 46% of the distance is uphill, 46% downhill and 8% flat. The longest climb runs 12.0km at an average 11.0% grade (1321m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.6km at an average 12.5% grade (1333m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 29.5% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 39.6% over 0.5km. Surface: 72% trail, 9% technical, 9% road, and 9% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 61.2 FlatKM.
Poles
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.4km of pole-friendly terrain.
Quad damage
Quad damage risk is moderate (index 35 of 100), with 28% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.
- Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 25.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 30.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
- #1 · 5.6–8.8 km · 719 m D−, -23.0% · 32.3 km ahead → control
- #2 · 20.7–25.1 km · 403 m D−, -9.3% · 16.0 km ahead → control
- 30.4–41.0 km · 1333 m D−, -12.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end
Weather
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 4°C to 11°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 37%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 10% of days around this date.
Results
178 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Elia Bongiovanni (Italy) in 4:06:49. Women's winner: Enrica Dematteis (Italy) in 4:57:51.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for MOT 42K – Meja Occitan Trail.
Other distances of Maira Occitan Trail 2026MOT 19K – Viol Occitan Trail (19.0km)
Other editions of MOT 42K – Meja Occitan Trail2025
Official websitewww.mairaoccitantrail.it
