How do you take part in the UTMB Mont-Blanc? The races, the lottery and the week explained

If you want to run the UTMB Mont-Blanc, first decide which race you actually mean. The name stands for three things: the 174 km race around Mont Blanc, the whole event week in Chamonix with eight race formats, and the UTMB World Series, the international circuit whose finale is that week. For UTMB, CCC, OCC, ETC and MCC, you enter a lottery in 2026; other formats have their own registration. And the week itself is a puzzle of start villages in Italy, Switzerland and France, with many finishes in Chamonix, but not all of them. ^{[2] [3] [8] [14]}

For a Belgian runner that is a big leap, and that is exactly why it is worth preparing well. If you train in the Ardennes or the High Fens, you know short, steep hills. Around Mont Blanc, the climbs last hours instead of minutes. In the mountains, total elevation gain often says more about your day than the kilometres do. So choose your race by climbing and terrain, and you have already done half the work.

Which races are there during UTMB week?

Three races are the Finals of the UTMB World Series: the OCC, the CCC and the UTMB, in the 50K, 100K and 100M categories. A category like that is a label in the race system, a bit like a weight class in boxing: it says which group a race falls into, not how hard your day will be. Around those three finals, five other formats are on the programme, from a 15 km run to a team trek of about 300 km. In the table, D+ stands for the total elevation you climb. ^[2]

Two formats fall outside the usual race picture. The PTL is a team trek: teams of two or three participants follow an unmarked course, there is no official ranking, and your application requires a file showing your mountain experience. The YCC is for young people, with distances that depend on the age category. The youngest could join the Mini UTMB in 2026: short runs for children aged 3 to 13, on Wednesday in Chamonix, with no timing or ranking. ^{[11] [12] [16]}

The shortest race is not automatically the easiest: the ETC climbs 1,200 m in barely 15 km, which means you spend a large part of it going steeply up or down. First time in the high mountains? Pick a format whose distance, elevation and time limits are close to what you have done before, and it stays a celebration instead of a survival trek. Already several long mountain days behind you? Then you can look at a longer format, but for the TDS, read carefully that it is a technical mountain course. For every race, also check the terrain and the time limits on the race page. ^{[6] [8]}

How does the lottery for the OCC, CCC and UTMB work?

For the three Finals you enter a lottery, and you need two things for that. First, at least one Running Stone earned in the past two years. Second, a valid UTMB Index in a category that fits your race. Think of the Stones as tickets in a raffle: every extra Stone gives you an extra chance. The Index works more like an entry pass: without a valid score in the right category, you are not in. ^{[13] [17]}

There is also a route outside the lottery: elite runners can qualify directly for the Finals through their results. For most runners, the lottery remains the normal way in. ^[15]

Entering the lottery is not yet a start place. Treat entering the lottery, being allocated a place and your own confirmation as three separate steps. Only tick off a step once you have the official confirmation in your inbox or account, and note straight away by when you must confirm your allocated place. That way you do not book a non-cancellable overnight stay for a place that is not yet yours.

How do you register for the other races?

In 2026, the UTMB, CCC, OCC, ETC and MCC fell under one joint lottery. The TDS, the YCC and the PTL each had their own registration. Which route you follow therefore depends on your race. Young runner? First check which age category you fall into. Looking at the MCC? Read the priority rules, because local residents, volunteers and partners come first. Dreaming of the PTL? Start your experience file early and read in the regulations what it has to show. ^{[7] [11] [14] [16]}

What does the week look like, as a runner and as a supporter?

UTMB week is not a single race day but a series of starts from Monday to Friday. In 2026, the TDS, the PTL and the MCC set off on Monday, the OCC on Thursday, and the CCC and the UTMB on Friday. Many races start in Courmayeur (Italy), Orsières or Martigny-Combe (Switzerland) and finish in Chamonix. As a supporter, you therefore combine a start village with a finish on the other side of the mountain. And if you start the UTMB on Friday evening, you only cross the finish line over the weekend. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [10]}

Say you are running the OCC and your partner travels along as a supporter. You might arrive on Tuesday and plan Wednesday as a quiet day to pick up your bib and loosen your legs; do check when pick-up is really open. If you travel with children, the Mini UTMB falls on that same Wednesday. On Thursday morning you set off in Orsières, while your supporter waits for you in Chamonix. Friday is a rest day, with the UTMB start on Friday evening as a bonus, and over the weekend you drive back. Leave margin everywhere for delays and changed plans, and look up transport between the villages in the organisation's current information. ^{[3] [5] [12]}

How to take your first step this week

The mountains come later; you can practise the climbing now. This week, find a hilly loop in the Ardennes or the Flemish Ardennes and run the climbs with intent: easy uphill, controlled downhill. Tell someone which route you are running, turn back if you do not feel well, and call 112 in an emergency. That way your appetite for Chamonix grows with every hill.

Field notes · Route library