UTMB Training Plan: 24-Week Schedule and Coaching Guide

A 24-week UTMB training plan with weekly distance and climbing, descent and night training, fueling for 30 to 46 hours, and how to choose UTMB coaching.

What UTMB asks of you

The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc loops around the Mont Blanc massif through France, Italy and Switzerland: 174km with about 9,900m of climbing and the same again in descent, with a 46 hour 45 minute time limit (2026 edition) and intermediate cutoffs at the major aid stations. Most finishers spend one or two nights on the course.

That profile sets the training priorities. You need enough aerobic volume to keep moving for 30 to 46 hours, enough climbing fitness for a series of long climbs, several of them over 1,000m, quads that can absorb 9,900m of descent, and a stomach that still accepts food on the second night. The plan below builds all four over 24 weeks.

It assumes you already have a qualifying 100K or 100-mile finish, two or more years of trail running, and a starting point of roughly 60km and 1,800m of climbing a week. If you are below that, add a longer base block first. For a plan fitted to your own history and calendar, Trailia's plan generator builds one from your race date and watch data.

The 24-week UTMB training plan at a glance

Phase Weeks Focus Weekly volume Weekly climbing
Base 1 to 8 Easy aerobic volume, strength, first back-to-backs 60 to 85km 1,800 to 2,900m
Build 9 to 16 Long climbs at race effort, descent volume, night runs 88 to 110km 3,200 to 5,100m
Peak 17 to 21 Biggest weeks, race simulation, full kit and fuel rehearsal 100 to 120km 5,000 to 6,200m
Taper 22 to 24 Cut volume, keep some intensity, arrive fresh 30 to 80km 1,000 to 4,000m

Every fourth week is an absorb week at about 70% of the load before it. That is when the adaptation from the previous three weeks shows up, and skipping it is the most common reason UTMB builds unravel around week 10.

Week-by-week schedule

Vertical rises by no more than 10% a week in loading weeks, in line with the progression rules in our coaching methodology. Distance and vertical are the weekly totals; the key sessions are the ones not to skip.

Week Phase Distance Climbing Key sessions
1 Base 60km 1,800m Long run 3h hilly; 2 strength sessions
2 Base 65km 1,980m Long run 3h15; hill strides
3 Base 70km 2,180m Long run 3h30 with 1,000m climbing
4 Absorb 48km 1,500m Easy only; one short long run
5 Base 75km 2,400m First back-to-back: 3h Saturday, 2h Sunday
6 Base 80km 2,640m Long climb session: 3 x 20 min at easy-steady effort
7 Base 85km 2,900m Back-to-back 3h30 and 2h; practise poles
8 Absorb 60km 2,000m Easy; strength stays
9 Build 88km 3,190m Long climbs 4 x 15 min at UTMB effort; first night run
10 Build 92km 3,510m Long run 5h with 2,000m; downhill repeats
11 Build 96km 3,860m Back-to-back 5h and 3h; eat real food on the move
12 Absorb 68km 2,700m Easy; check kit list
13 Build 100km 4,250m Tune-up race 50 to 80km, or 6h training day
14 Build 105km 4,670m Night run 3h with headlamp and poles
15 Build 110km 5,140m Back-to-back 6h and 4h; 1,500m of continuous descent
16 Absorb 75km 3,600m Easy; review fueling notes
17 Peak 112km 5,650m Long day 7h on UTMB-like terrain
18 Peak 118km 6,200m Biggest week: back-to-back 7h and 4h
19 Absorb 82km 4,300m Easy; sleep
20 Peak 120km 6,200m Race simulation: 3 days on the course or similar, full mandatory kit
21 Peak 100km 5,000m Last long day 5h; final kit decisions
22 Taper 80km 4,000m Volume down, one session of climbs at race effort
23 Taper 60km 2,800m Short hill efforts; no long day over 3h
24 Race week 30km + race 1,000m + race Easy running, strides, sleep, eat

Peak weeks here reach about 60% of UTMB's climbing, not 100%. That is deliberate. You do not need to climb 9,900m in a training week; you need to climb 6,000m week after week without breaking down, and to finish your race simulation still able to run the descents.

Climbing: train the effort you will race at

Most of UTMB's climbing is hiked. Even the leaders walk the steepest sections, and for everyone else the climbs are where hours are won or lost. Three sessions carry most of the load:

  • Long climbs at race effort. 3 to 5 repeats of 10 to 20 minutes on a sustained climb, at the effort you could hold for a day. Hands on thighs or poles, not running.
  • Vertical kilometre days. 1,000m of climbing in one go, once every two or three weeks from the build phase.
  • Back-to-back long days. The second day on tired legs teaches more about UTMB than any single session.

If you live somewhere flat, treadmill hiking at 15 to 20% incline and stair sessions are a workable substitute for the climbs. Nothing substitutes for the descents, so plan a few weekends in the mountains.

Descents: the part that ends races

With 9,900m of descent on the course, the downhills decide how the second half goes. Researchers measured leg strength before and after UTMB and found finishers had lost roughly a third of their knee extensor and calf strength by the end (Millet et al., 2011). Most of that damage comes from eccentric loading on the descents, which is why it is usually the quads, not the lungs, that give out in the second half (Vernillo et al., 2017).

The protection comes from repeated exposure. Muscle that has been through eccentric damage recovers and then suffers less from the same load next time, an effect known as the repeated bout effect (McHugh, 2003). In practice:

  • Start with 300 to 500m of controlled descent a week in base and add about 200m a week.
  • From the build phase, run one descent-focused session a week: long, continuous downhills of 20 to 40 minutes on technical ground.
  • Run descents at the end of long days, when your legs are tired, because that is when UTMB's biggest descents arrive.
  • Keep two strength sessions a week through base and build: step-downs, split squats and calf raises.

Night running and sleep

UTMB starts at 17:45 on Friday, so every runner goes straight into a night on the course and most see at least one sunrise. From week 9, move one run a week into the dark, and do at least one night session of three hours or more with your race headlamp, poles and cold-weather layers. Practise eating at 3am too; appetite often disappears then.

Some runners take a 10 to 20 minute nap on the second night. Test whether a short sleep helps you on a long training day before relying on it in the race.

Fueling for 30 to 46 hours

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 150 to 400 kcal per hour for ultramarathons, including 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrate (Tiller et al., 2019). Many runners tolerate more carbohydrate than that after gut training, but the range is a sound starting point for a race this long.

  • Eat from the first hour, before you feel hungry.
  • Mix gels and drink mix with real food: aid stations serve soup, bread, cheese and cured meat, and by the second night those are often easier to swallow than another gel. Our mountain ultramarathon race day nutrition guide sets out how to make that shift phase by phase.
  • Train with the drink mix served on course, and check the organisers' list before race day.
  • Spend 5 to 10 minutes at aid stations, not 20. Across a dozen or more stops, the difference adds up to hours.
  • In warm conditions, take sodium with fluid, especially through the afternoon heat.

For a plan sized to your pace and the course, the fueling calculator gives carbohydrate, fluid and sodium targets for each section.

Kit and logistics

UTMB publishes a mandatory kit list and checks it at registration and on the course. Read the current list on the official site, since items change between editions. Expect it to include a waterproof jacket and overtrousers, warm layers, a hat and gloves, a survival blanket, a whistle, two headlamps with spare batteries, at least 1 litre of water capacity, a personal cup and a charged phone.

Wear every item on at least one long training day. The kit that feels fine in a shop often rubs after 10 hours.

Book accommodation in Chamonix as soon as you get your place. For how entry works, including Running Stones, the UTMB Index and the lottery, see our UTMB lottery and Running Stones guide.

UTMB coaching: do you need a coach?

Plenty of runners finish UTMB self-coached. A coach earns their fee in three places: planning the two-year run of qualifiers around your life, adjusting the plan when training does not go as written, and giving you a pacing and fueling plan for race day that respects the cutoffs. Your main options:

Option Typical cost Best for
Static plan (like the one above) Free Experienced ultra runners who know how to adjust their own training
AI coach, such as Trailia EUR 9.99/month, free plan available Runners who want the plan to adapt to their watch data and schedule, without a human in the loop
App-based human coaching About $45 to $100/month Runners who want a person to check in weekly
Private ultra coach Usually $150 to $300/month First-time 100-milers with complex schedules, or runners chasing a time

Whichever you pick, ask a prospective coach how they handle missed weeks, how they progress vertical and descent, and how they plan the race against UTMB's cutoffs. Vague answers to those three are a warning sign.

Trailia is the AI option. It builds a plan backwards from UTMB's date and profile, progresses climbing and descent by the same rules as the table above, and adapts each week to what your Garmin, Polar or Strava data shows you actually ran. The free plan covers one race goal; Pro (EUR 9.99 a month) adds workout reviews and a race fueling strategy. Build your UTMB plan and compare it with the schedule here.

Key takeaways

  • Plan on 24 weeks of specific training on top of a solid ultra base: 8 base, 8 build, 5 peak and 3 taper.
  • Peak weeks of 100 to 120km and 5,000 to 6,200m are enough; consistency matters more than one huge week.
  • Train descents from week one. UTMB finishers lose about a third of their leg strength, mostly from the downhills.
  • Rehearse the night, the kit and the food on long training days, not in the race.
  • A coach helps most with the qualifying calendar, adjustments and race-day plan; an AI coach covers the adjustments at a lower cost.

Citations

  • McHugh, M. P. (2003). Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect: the protective effect against muscle damage from a single bout of eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 13(2), 88-97.
  • Millet, G. Y., Tomazin, K., Verges, S., et al. (2011). Neuromuscular consequences of an extreme mountain ultra-marathon. PLoS ONE, 6(2), e17059.
  • Tiller, N. B., Roberts, J. D., Beasley, L., et al. (2019). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(1), 50.
  • Vernillo, G., Giandolini, M., Edwards, W. B., et al. (2017). Biomechanics and physiology of uphill and downhill running. Sports Medicine, 47(4), 615-629.
  • UTMB Mont-Blanc. Race information and mandatory equipment. https://montblanc.utmb.world/

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to train for UTMB?

Plan on a 24-week specific block, on top of at least two years of trail running and a completed 100K or 100-mile race. Getting from your first trail race to the UTMB start line usually takes three to five years, including the qualifying races.

How many kilometres a week should I run for UTMB?

In the plan here, weekly distance builds from about 60km to peaks of 110 to 120km, with climbing rising from 1,800m to about 6,200m. Consistent weeks at that level matter more than a single huge week.

Do I need trekking poles for UTMB?

Almost everyone uses them. Poles take load off your legs on the long climbs and help on steep descents. Train with them from the build phase so your arms and shoulders are used to them by race day.

What is the UTMB time limit?

For the 2026 edition the time limit was 46 hours 45 minutes for 174km and about 9,900m of climbing, with intermediate cutoffs at the main aid stations. Check the official site for the current edition's cutoffs.

How do I qualify for UTMB?

You need a valid UTMB Index in the 100K or 100M category, at least one active Running Stone from a UTMB World Series event, and a successful lottery draw. Our UTMB lottery and Running Stones guide explains each step.

Do I need a coach for UTMB?

No, many runners finish self-coached. A coach helps most with planning qualifying races, adjusting training when life gets in the way and setting a race-day plan that respects the cutoffs. An AI coach such as Trailia covers the week-to-week adjustments; a human coach adds regular conversation and judgment.

How much does UTMB coaching cost?

Roughly: free for a static plan, EUR 9.99 a month for Trailia Pro (with a free tier), about $45 to $100 a month for app-based human coaching, and usually $150 to $300 a month for a private ultra coach.

How should I fuel for UTMB?

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 150 to 400 kcal per hour for ultramarathons, including 30 to 50g of carbohydrate (Tiller et al., 2019). Mix gels and drink mix with real food from the aid stations, start eating in the first hour and practise it all on long training days.

How do I prepare for running through the night at UTMB?

From about week 9, move one run a week into the dark and do at least one run of three hours or more at night with your race headlamp, poles and warm layers. Practise eating at night too, since appetite often drops in the early hours.