Franco Collé - Trail Runner Profile
Franco Collé is an Italian ultrarunner from Gressoney in the Aosta Valley and the defining figure of the Tor des Géants, which he has won four times, in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023, the last in a course record 66:39:16. In 2026, at 48, he won the 450km Tor des Glaciers on his debut at the distance in
Franco Collé quick facts
- Nationality: Italy
- From: Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Aosta Valley, Italy
- UTMB Index: 798 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
- Key results: Tor des Géants wins: 4 (2014, 2018, 2021, 2023); Tor des Glaciers 2026: 1st, 122:01:57, on debut
UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.
Country: Italy · Team: Kailas · Specialities: 100 miles+, Multi-day
Right now: Won the 2026 Tor des Glaciers on his debut at 450km.
Key facts
- Tor des Géants wins: 4 (2014, 2018, 2021, 2023)
- Tor des Glaciers 2026: 1st, 122:01:57, on debut
- Home: Gressoney, Aosta Valley
- Age at the TOR450 win: 48
Four Tor des Géants titles
Collé won the 330km Tor des Géants in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023, more than any other athlete. His 2023 win came in 66:39:16, a course record that stood until 2026. He races the event essentially at home: the route crosses the valleys above Gressoney where he trains.
The 450km on a first attempt
The Tor des Glaciers covers 450km and 32,000m of climbing on higher, rougher ground than the Tor des Géants, and is capped at 200 runners. Collé led it from early on and finished in 122:01:57, becoming only the second athlete to win both races. He called it a leap into the unknown beforehand and afterwards described it as two extra days of the kind where you are genuinely exposed in medium-high mountain terrain.
An engineer who races at home
Collé works as an engineer and regional administrator rather than as a full-time professional athlete, and is supported at races by his partner Giuditta Turini, herself an ultratrail athlete.
How Franco runs
Collé is a multi-day racer, and his style is about what happens over three to five days rather than in any single hour. He moves relentlessly rather than fast and lets the race come to him when others are forced to stop. In 2023 he ran close to 200km alongside France's Romain Olivier, who had led for much of the race, until Olivier had to stop to sleep before Rifugio Magià; Collè went on alone and won in a course record. At the 2026 Tor des Glaciers, by contrast, he led from early on.
His great advantage is local knowledge. The Tor des Géants and Tor des Glaciers cross the Aosta Valley high routes above Gressoney, where he lives and trains. He knows every pass, refuge and descent, which lets him move confidently at night on ground where other runners slow down, and plan where to rest and eat with real precision.
He combines that with careful sleep and fuelling management. Over 330km or 450km, the race is won by the athlete who sleeps the least without losing judgement, keeps eating for days, and avoids the small injuries and mistakes that compound over time.
Where Franco is strongest
The Aosta Valley high routes, from 330km upwards: four Tor des Géants titles, the most of any athlete, and the 450km Tor des Glaciers on his first attempt at 48, becoming only the second athlete to win both races.
He has made his career almost entirely in this one format, on terrain he knows intimately. That specialisation is the point: few athletes in the sport have so completely mastered one race.
The edge. Local knowledge of every pass, refuge and descent on the course.
What you can learn from Franco
1. Know your course intimately
Over multi-day distances, course knowledge is worth hours. If your goal is a long race, reconnoitre the key sections, especially the ones you will run at night, and study where the aid stations and refuges are. Knowing exactly what comes next lets you pace, eat and rest far more precisely.
2. Have a sleep plan before you start
Multi-day races are partly sleep-management problems. Decide in advance roughly when and where you will sleep, for how long, and what will make you change the plan. Practise short naps on long training days so you know how your body responds.
3. Your local mountains are your best training ground
Collé built his career on the terrain above his own valley. Whatever mountains or hills you have nearby, use them regularly and learn them in every season. Years of steady time on familiar ground build a base that new terrain cannot.
4. It is never too late to step up
He won his first 450km race at 48, after years at 330km. Stepping up in distance later in your running life can work well, provided you build on a long and consistent base and treat the new distance as a new skill to learn.
Selected results
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tor des Glaciers (450km) | 1st (122:01:57, on debut) |
| 2023 | Tor des Géants (330km) | 1st (66:39:16, course record at the time) |
| 2021 | Tor des Géants (330km) | 1st |
| 2018 | Tor des Géants (330km) | 1st |
| 2014 | Tor des Géants (330km) | 1st |
A selection, not a complete race history.
Official profiles
Compare yourself with Franco
- ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
- Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many times has Franco Collé won the Tor des Géants?
Four, in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2023, more than any other athlete. His 2023 winning time of 66:39:16 was the course record until 2026.
Did Franco Collé win the Tor des Glaciers?
Yes, in 2026 on his first attempt at the 450km race, in 122:01:57, making him only the second athlete to win both it and the Tor des Géants.
Runners with a similar profile
- Ludovic Pommeret (France): Won UTMB at 41 after being 50th at halfway, and at 50 broke the Hardrock course record on his way to a third straight win.
- François D'Haene (France): Four UTMB titles, four Diagonale des Fous titles and a Hardrock win: the most complete long-ultra record of his generation.
- Courtney Dauwalter (United States): The only athlete to win Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year, and still winning course records a decade into her career.
- Manuela Vilaseca (Brazil): Holder of the women's 200-mile Triple Crown record, and third at the 2026 Tor des Géants.
Sources and verification
Checked against the following sources on 2026-09-17:
- AostaSera: TOR450 Tor des Glaciers 2026 results
- ANSA: Franco Collé wins the Tor des Glaciers
- Planetmountain: Collé wins a fourth Tor des Géants
- RUN247: Franco Collé breaks course record at the 2023 Tor des Géants
- UTMB Index profile (official)
- Reference Trail: Tor des Glaciers 2026 results
Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/franco-colle
Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.