MIUT Marathon

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• 1279m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 36% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 27.0km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 37.9km.
• 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–27.0km · Climb of 1006m, high point 1495m, descent of 1279m averaging 7%. 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.
• Fade · 27.0km–37.9km · Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 37.9km–39.9km · Descent of 305m averaging 15%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 1450m+ and descends 1450m−. With 36m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 22% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 40% flat. The longest climb runs 9.7km at an average 10.4% grade (1006m of vertical). The longest descent runs 17.3km at an average 7.4% grade (1279m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.7% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 36.3% over 0.6km. Surface: 75% trail, 13% road, and 5% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 48.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 24 of 100), with 57% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 27.0km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 37.9km.
• #1 · 9.6–27.0 km · 1279 m D−, -7.4% · 13.0 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 16°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 10%.

Results

675 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Benjamin Berkoukchi (France) in 3:26:11. Women's winner: Margherita Vitali (Italy) in 3:40:22.