Matterhorn Ultraks Mountain

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• 412m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 26% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• High point at 2567m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 992m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 18.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 21.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–18.2km · Climb of 647m, descent of 412m averaging 13%. Plus 1 more descent. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 18.2km–21.7km · Climb of 683m, high point 2567m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 21.7km–31.8km · Descent of 992m averaging 10%. 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 2000m+. With 63m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 48% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 8% flat. The longest climb runs 8.0km at an average 8.1% grade (647m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.1km at an average 9.8% grade (992m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 25.5% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 35.0% over 0.3km. Surface: 77% trail, 14% smooth, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 48.3 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Bielti (1935m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 4.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 25 of 100), with 30% 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 descents until 18.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 21.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 14.9–18.2 km · 412 m D−, -12.5% · 13.6 km ahead → control
• 21.7–31.8 km · 992 m D−, -9.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 19°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 45%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.

Results

1,068 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Alessandro Riva (Italy) in 2:48:30. Women's winner: Anne Lise Rousset (France) in 3:20:27.