MIUT Legend

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.4km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1373m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 41% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 75.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 86.5km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–15.9km · Descent of 380m averaging 23%, climb of 1414m. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 15.9km–40.1km · Descent of 923m averaging 17%, climb of 1315m, descent of 1373m averaging 13%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 40.1km–86.5km · Climb of 1363m, high point 1790m, descent of 1781m averaging 8%. 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 · 86.5km–88.5km · Descent of 297m averaging 15%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 7200m+ and descends 7200m−. With 65m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 47% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 13.9km at an average 9.8% grade (1363m of vertical). The longest descent runs 21.5km at an average 8.3% grade (1781m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 43.3% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 44.0% over 0.2km. Surface: 63% trail, 13% technical, 11% road, and 8% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 143.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 8.4km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 58 of 100), with 54% of the load in the first half: 4 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 75.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 86.5km.
• #3 · 3.0–4.7 km · 380 m D−, -23.0% · 83.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 15.9–21.3 km · 923 m D−, -17.4% · 67.2 km ahead → control
• #1 · 29.3–40.1 km · 1373 m D−, -12.7% · 48.4 km ahead → control
• #4 · 54.0–75.5 km · 1781 m D−, -8.3% · 13.0 km ahead → control
• 86.5–88.5 km · 297 m D−, -14.7% · 0.0 km ahead → free

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 17°C to 19°C, with around 6°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 13%.

Results

780 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Vincent Esmiol (France) in 12:48:03. Women's winner: Katharina Hartmuth (Germany) in 14:54:59.