UTMB: best 15 tips to run the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in 2026
UTMB© Ultra trail Mont Blanc is not just a trail running race.
It is one of the most important international ultra-trail competitions and a challenge that tests physical endurance, effort management, and mental preparation.
With a course of about 170 km and over 10,000 meters of positive elevation gain, tackling the ultra-trail on Mont Blanc requires months of specific preparation, a precise strategy, and careful management of every phase of the race.
But what should you do in the final three weeks before the start?
This is one of the most delicate phases of preparation.
The main work is now complete, and the goal is no longer to increase your fitness level, but to arrive at the UTMB© start line with the highest possible level of physical and mental freshness.
However, many athletes make a mistake during this phase.
They think they still need to do something to improve their condition and end up:
This is exactly what should be avoided.
The last three weeks must be dedicated to:
This article collects 15 tips for facing the last 3 weeks before the UTMB© Mont Blanc, with practical guidance on:
The goal is to arrive at the start prepared and, above all, to avoid ruining the work built over the previous months.
Enjoy the read, now it’s your turn!
Have a great race.
TRM Team
Training and recovery in the last 3 weeks of the UTMB©
The last three weeks represent the final phase of preparation.
After months of training, long runs, elevation gain, and specific simulations, the body needs to recover and transform the work done into physical readiness for the race.
Tapering before the UTMB© does not mean stopping training.
It means progressively reducing volume while maintaining, when planned in your individual program, some intensity reminders and the normal frequency of workouts.
The priority becomes arriving at the start day without residual fatigue.
1. Perform the last long run about 21 days before the UTMB©
About 21 days from the start, the last long run of the preparation can be scheduled.
For experienced and adequately prepared athletes, this can be an important workout, even in the range of 50-70 km, with significant elevation gain.
The distance must however be adapted to the athlete’s level, the workload of the previous weeks, and individual recovery capacity.
The goal is not to run fast.
The last long run must above all represent a general test ahead of the UTMB©.
During this outing, it is useful to recall some of the elements that will be present in the race:
-
- A part of the training in the dark
- Climbs
- Descents
- Flat sections
- Runnable sections
- Use of the backpack and mandatory gear
- Expected shoes and clothing for the race
- Nutrition and hydration
- Pace management
It is important not to push to the maximum.
The last long run must be used to verify materials, nutrition, and strategy, not to prove your level of fitness.
Three weeks from the UTMB©, fitness is no longer built.
You verify that everything you have prepared works.
2. After the last long run, start tapering
Once the last long run is done, the unloading phase progressively begins.
The sequence of workouts can be maintained, but the total mileage must be progressively reduced.
The principle is simple: less volume, while maintaining responsiveness.
In this phase, it is not advisable to add extra workouts to recover any missed sessions or to try to quickly improve your condition.
The work was built over the previous months.
Now the goal is to allow the body to recover.
Tapering must therefore be considered an integral part of UTMB preparation and not just a simple break from training.
3. Protect your recovery in the 15 days before the race
In the 15 days preceding the competition, you need to pay attention not only to workouts, but also to all extra-sporting activities.
When possible and compatibly with family and professional commitments, it is preferable to avoid vacations or weekends characterized by many hours on your feet, long walks, or physically demanding activities.
If possible, staying in the mountains can be a good solution, but without turning your stay into an additional training period.
Even a seemingly harmless day spent walking for many hours can increase residual fatigue.
In the final two weeks, the priority must be:
-
- Recovering
- Sleeping adequately
- Maintaining a normal daily activity
- Avoiding unplanned physical activities
- Reducing unnecessary stress
The goal is to arrive at the UTMB© week with the feeling of wanting to run.
4. Do the last trail run on the previous weekend
The weekend before the competition, the last trail run can be scheduled.
The goal is no longer to train endurance, but to maintain contact with the ground and check your feelings.
As a general reference, the outing can be kept within:
-
- 15-18 km
- About 500-600 meters of positive elevation gain
- Mostly easy intensity
- No search for performance
It can also be a final opportunity to check shoes, poles, backpack, and clothing.
However, everything must have already been extensively tested.
It is not the time to introduce a new shoe model, a new backpack, or a new nutrition system.
5. In the race week, reduce the workload further
The UTMB© week must be characterized by very limited training.
Outings can consist mostly of slow running, even on slightly undulating routes.
Depending on the individual program, you can use:
-
- Slow running
- Short outings
- Slightly undulating routes
- Short strides
- Mobility
- Light stretching
The duration of the training must be contained.
For many athletes, a run of about an hour or less may be sufficient, avoiding turning the workout into a demanding session.
Even in this case, there is no amount that fits everyone.
The planning must take into account the athlete’s history, experience on ultra distances, previous workload, and individual response to tapering.
The general rule, however, remains very simple: in the UTMB© week, condition is no longer built.
The one achieved mus be carefully protected.
6. The day before the UTMB©, rest (away from everyone!)
The day before the race should be dedicated primarily to rest and preparation.
It is advisable to avoid spending a lot of time on your feet and walking for hours in the event areas.
Even the visit to the UTMB Salon should be organized so as not to turn into a day of physical activity.
It is preferable to prepare in advance:
-
- Backpack
- Mandatory gear
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Nutrition
- Race strategy
- Any gear for drop bags
- ID Documents
In this way, the final hours before the start can be dedicated to tranquility and mental preparation.
Summary: in the last 3 weeks you must protect the work done
The final phase of preparation for the UTMB© requires discipline above all.
The last long run must be sufficiently far from the race to allow for full recovery.
Subsequently, the volume must progressively decrease, maintaining short running and intensity reminders when necessary.
Recovery too must become an integral part of preparation.
In the final days, you must avoid unnecessarily demanding activities and arrive at the start with a feeling of freshness and energy.
The work was done in the previous months.
Now you simply have to allow the body to express it.
UTMB© preparation, materials, and race plan
Arriving prepared at the UTMB© does not only mean being in good physical condition.
In a race of about 170 km, the management of materials, nutrition, aid stations, and race times can significantly affect the chance of reaching the finish line.
In the final weeks, it is therefore important to transform the work done in training into a concrete and verifiable race strategy.
The backpack must already have been tested, the mandatory gear must be organized, and the race plan must be defined before the start.
The goal is to minimize the decisions to be taken during the race and to have a clear strategy even in moments of greatest fatigue.
7. Prepare the backpack and weigh the mandatory equipment
The backpack is one of the fundamental elements in the preparation for the UTMB©.
The mandatory equipment must be organized in a rational way, avoiding carrying unnecessary weight.
It is advisable to prepare the backpack well in advance and to weigh it several times during the weeks preceding the race.
As a reference, you can try to keep the overall weight of the equipment as low as possible, roughly in the range of 1–1.5 kg excluding water, always in compliance with the official regulations and the expected weather conditions.
The final weight must in any case be determined by the athlete’s real needs.
In the mountains, safety must never be sacrificed to save a few grams.
Before the race, it is therefore appropriate to check:
• mandatory equipment required by the regulations;
• waterproof jacket;
• thermal layers;
• gloves;
• hat or headband;
• headlamp and batteries;
• poles, if used;
• nutrition;
• hydration system;
• any emergency equipment.
• phone with emergency number
The backpack must already have been used in training.
WARNING: Nothing new should be tried for the first time on the day of the UTMB©.
8. Protect the materials from water and moisture
During an ultra trail race, rain, humidity, sweating and significant temperature variations can occur.
For this reason, it is useful to organize the equipment inside the backpack using waterproof bags or adequate protection systems.
A simple organization system can make it possible to separate:
• dry clothing;
• food;
• electronics;
• batteries;
• documents;
• mandatory equipment.
Particular attention must be dedicated to the objects that can be damaged by water.
Phone, batteries, electronic devices and food can be protected using waterproof containers or bags.
The organization of the backpack must also make it possible to quickly find what is needed.
During a 100-mile race, it is not the ideal moment to completely empty the backpack in search of an object.
Every item should have a precise position.
9. Prepare a detailed UTMB© race plan
The UTMB© race plan must be prepared before the start.
It should not simply be a prediction of the final time.
An effective plan must consider several elements:
• travel times;
• expected pace;
• elevation gain;
• management of the uphills;
• management of the downhills;
• aid stations;
• possible clothing changes;
• nutrition;
• hydration;
• use of poles;
• possible support points;
• management of the night hours.
It is useful to divide the course into sections.
In this way, an extremely long race can be transformed into a succession of more easily manageable objectives.
The plan should also allow for a certain flexibility.
Weather conditions, temperature, ground conditions and the athlete’s physical condition may make it necessary to change pace and strategy.
The race plan must therefore not become a cage.
It must be a tool for making better decisions during the UTMB©.
Do you need help with the preparation of the race plan? Here is what you need!
10. Plan nutrition and supplementation during the race
In such a long race, nutrition must be planned with the same attention as training.
Gels and bars can be used, but they must be included within a broader nutritional strategy already tested in training.
It is also important to consider what is consumed at the aid stations and any drinks containing carbohydrates.
For this reason, in calculating the carbohydrate intake, it is necessary to consider not only gels and bars, but also:
• sports drinks;
• sugary drinks;
• solid foods;
• products available at the aid stations;
• any personal food.
During a very long race, it can be useful to alternate different food sources, depending on individual tolerance and on what was tested during the preparation.
The goal is to avoid reaching a situation in which the athlete has to improvise nutrition.
Particular attention must also be dedicated to hydration.
The amount of fluids and mineral salts must be adapted to the temperature, individual sweating, race duration and environmental conditions.
The UTMB© nutritional strategy must be tested before the race.
The day of the competition is not the time to experiment with new gels, new drinks or new food combinations!
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11. Set a realistic goal for the UTMB©
Defining a race goal is important, but it must be realistic.
A frequent mistake in ultra trail is setting the final time exclusively on the basis of a previous performance.
Each race has different characteristics.
• type of ultra trail,
• elevation gain,
• weather conditions,
• temperature,
• terrain,
• experience in managing the aid stations
…can significantly change the final result.
As a reference, an athlete who has already finished a long-distance race with comparable characteristics can use that performance to build a first estimate.
For example, if an athlete has finished a race like the LUT© in about 23–24 hours, they can use that result as an initial reference to build a prediction for the UTMB©.
However, this does not mean that the result is automatically transferable.
The goal must be built considering the specific characteristics of the UTMB and the level of preparation achieved.
It is also useful to plan for three scenarios:
- Goal A the ideal performance, in favorable conditions.
- Goal B the realistic performance, on which to build the main strategy.
- Goal C the conservative management needed in case of difficulties, heat, bad weather, gastrointestinal problems or strong fatigue.
This approach makes it possible to avoid interpreting a slowdown in the first part of the race as a failure.
In a race of about 170 km, the ability to adapt the strategy can be much more important than the rigid respect of a preset time.
Summary: the race plan must reduce improvisation
Materials, nutrition and strategy must be prepared before the start.
An organized backpack makes it possible to reduce weight and to quickly find what is needed.
Already tested nutrition reduces the risk of gastrointestinal problems.
A UTMB© race plan built by sections, on the other hand, makes it possible to face a very long race through a sequence of more easily manageable objectives.
The best strategy is not necessarily the most aggressive one.
It is the one that allows you to reach the final phases still able to run, to eat and to make clear decisions.
Preparing the plan before the start means having a strategy when the energies begin to decrease.
Race day and management of the UTMB©
The day of the UTMB start represents the culmination of months of preparation.
At this point, it is no longer possible to improve your physical condition.
However, it is possible to compromise the work done through a wrong management of the hours preceding the start or through an overly aggressive strategy in the first kilometers.
The management of the day must therefore be carefully organized.
Nutrition, rest, warm-up, initial pace and mental management must be considered an integral part of the UTMB© race plan.
The goal is to arrive at the start line calm, fueled, hydrated and with the feeling of still having energy to spend.
12. Properly organize nutrition and rest before the start
On the day of the start, it is important to avoid introducing changes compared to the habits consolidated during the preparation.
Breakfast should be based on foods already tested and easily digestible, favoring the carbohydrate sources habitually used by the athlete.
It is not advisable to experiment with new foods or radically change your diet on the very day of the UTMB.
Lunch should also be organized in advance, considering the start time.
In the original TRM program, an early lunch around 12:00 and a carbohydrate-based snack about 2 hours and 30 minutes before the start were indicated.
This indication can serve as a reference, but it must be adapted to the actual race schedule and to individual needs.
It is also important to consider personal digestive tolerance.
Some foods, especially if already known for causing gastrointestinal problems during effort, can be limited in the hours preceding the start.
The most important rule always remains the same:
on the day of the UTMB© you must not experiment.
After lunch, it can be useful to plan a period of rest.
13. Start calmly and manage the first kilometers
If this is your first experience over a distance of about 170 km, the management of the start becomes even more important.
The adrenaline, the presence of the other competitors and the atmosphere of the event can push you to run faster than planned.
It is one of the most frequent mistakes in ultra trail.
The first kilometers must be faced with great control.
The goal is to avoid consuming energy that will be needed many hours later.
The first part of the race can be interpreted as a sort of prolonged warm-up.
It is possible to alternate slow running and fast walking on short climbs, especially when the running pace would be energetically inconvenient.
The management of the effort must be based more on sensations and perceived intensity than on the obsessive search for a specific speed.
For those tackling the UTMB© for the first time, the priority must be to arrive in Courmayeur with the feeling of still having a lot of energy.
The message is simple: the race is long and it is not won in the first kilometers.
A conservative start can become one of the main advantages in the later phases.
14. Manage nutrition, nausea and the night phases
During a race of this duration, moments of difficulty can occur.
Tiredness, sleepiness, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty in taking in food can appear especially in the later phases.
If nausea appears, it is important not to force the intake of foods that at that moment are difficult to tolerate.
It can be useful to temporarily reduce very concentrated or particularly sugary foods, drink according to need and slow down the pace.
The choice of foods must in any case be consistent with what has already been tested in training and with individual needs.
A crisis during an ultra does not necessarily mean that the race is over.
Often it may be necessary to temporarily change pace and strategy to allow the body to recover.
The night hours also require specific management.
The drop in temperature, tiredness and sleepiness can change the perception of effort.
It is therefore important to have already planned in the UTMB© race plan:
• adequate clothing;
• lighting;
• spare batteries;
• nutrition;
• hydration;
• possible changes of equipment;
• strategy to maintain concentration.
As for nutrition during the night, it is not necessary to automatically increase the concentration of sugars in the drinks.
The strategy must be based on the nutritional plan already tested, on individual needs and on the ability to take in carbohydrates during the different phases of the race.
The priority remains to maintain a regular intake of energy and fluids without overloading the gastrointestinal system.
15. From Champex-Lac a new race begins
Champex-Lac represents one of the psychologically important points of the UTMB©.
Arriving at this point means having already covered a very significant part of the course.
From here on, mental management becomes fundamental.
Fatigue is high, the hours spent moving are many and the difficulties can seem greater compared to the first part of the race.
It is precisely in this phase that you must keep thinking.
At the Champex-Lac life base, it can be useful to quickly carry out the necessary operations:
• change if your clothes are wet;
• check shoes and socks;
• replenish nutrition;
• refill water;
• prepare the equipment needed for the following hours;
• check the headlamp and batteries;
• set off again without unnecessarily prolonging the stop.
At this point there are still many kilometers left, but the perception of the finish line can become an important mental resource.
The last 40–45 km must be faced by maintaining the strategy and adapting it to the real conditions.
If the legs feel good, it will be possible to progressively increase the pace.
If instead difficulties emerge, the goal becomes to conserve energy and keep moving forward.
In a 170 km race, the ability to adapt is fundamental.
Crises come and go.
You must keep thinking, look for solutions and not make definitive decisions during a moment of difficulty.
The goal is to keep going until the finish line.
Summary: the UTMB© is also built through management
Preparing for the UTMB© means training the body, but also learning to manage an extremely long race.
Starting slowly, fueling regularly, listening to sensations, adapting the pace and managing crises are skills that can make the difference.
The last kilometers must not be considered simply as the final part of the race.
They are the result of all the decisions made in the previous hours.
A too fast start, improvised nutrition or careless management of energy can present the bill many hours later.
On the contrary, a conservative and intelligent strategy allows you to reach the final phases still able to run and make decisions.
The UTMB© is not faced only with the legs.
It is faced with preparation, strategy, experience and ability to adapt.
Do you want to prepare your UTMB© race plan?
Tackling a race of about 170 km requires much more than simple physical preparation.
Pace, travel times, management of uphills and downhills, aid stations, nutrition, hydration, changes of equipment and management of the different phases of the race must be organized before the start.
The Trail Running Movement Race Plan was created precisely with this goal: to transform preparation into a concrete and personalized strategy to face the race with greater awareness.
A structured plan can help you to:
• define a pace strategy;
• organize the different sections of the course;
• plan the management of the aid stations;
• plan nutrition and hydration;
• foresee changes of equipment;
• define intermediate objectives;
• prepare alternative strategies in case of difficulty.
The work was done in the previous months.
Now it is time to transform it into a race strategy.
Discover the TRM Race Plan and prepare your strategy to reach the finish line.
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