About Walserwaeg Trail
Walserwaeg Trail is the 43.0km trail race at Monte Rosa WalserWaeg by UTMB 2026 (Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Italy). The race starts on July 18, 2026.
Race strategy
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
- Big early climb with 1.4km gain. Control your HR at altitude.
- 1144m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
- Steep 58% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
- Final 601m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
- Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 14.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 34.0km.
- Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
- Settle in · 1.5km–9.7km · Climb of 1365m, high point 2635m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
- Work · 9.7km–21.8km · Descent of 1144m averaging 26%, climb of 1024m. 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 · 21.8km–34.0km · Plus 1 more climb 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
- Home · 34.0km–40.0km · Descent of 601m averaging 10%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end. Hike the steepest pitches.
Course
The course climbs 3100m+. With 72m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 39% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 9.7km at an average 14.1% grade (1365m of vertical). The longest descent runs 11.0km at an average 8.1% grade (888m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 50.5% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 58.3% over 0.3km. Surface: 82% trail and 8% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 72.1 FlatKM.
Poles
Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 6.9km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.
Quad damage
Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 46% 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 14.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 34.0km.
- #1 · 9.7–14.2 km · 1144 m D−, -25.6% · 25.8 km ahead → control
- 21.8–32.8 km · 888 m D−, -8.1% · 7.2 km ahead → your pace
- 34.0–40.0 km · 601 m D−, -10.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
Weather
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 20°C, with around 11°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 47%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.
Results
1,086 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Petter Engdahl (Sweden) in 4:19:29. Women's winner: Fabiola Conti (Italy) in 5:30:10.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Walserwaeg Trail.
