Ultra Tour Monte Rosa

The Ultra Tour Monte Rosa (UTMR) is a 170 km trail race held in early September in the Alps. The course is a race of almost Sisyphean proportions, requiring you to circumnavigate the largest massif in the Alps, the Monte Rosa.

By many accounts, this is the hardest miler in the Alps - the course gains 11,600 m over 170 km (68.2 m/km), with incredible technicality.

Culturally, and historically, the course is a marvel, starting and finishing in Grächen and climbing through Switzerland and Italy — crossing German-speaking Valais, Arpitan-speaking Aosta Valley, and Walser Piedmont.

To check our race page, a few stats to try to wrap your head around - the biggest climb rising 1,716 m is the 13th largest single ascent of 385 European trail distances tracked. Look at the uphill gradient distribution - 22.26 km of uphill terrain exceeds 20% gradient. The distance-weighted average uphill gradient of 16%+ is the 43rd steepest of 390 European distances — steeper on uphills than 88% of European trail races.

For a race of this epic proportion, an entry cost of CHF 340 (~€2.18/km) seems reasonable, there is tremendous work and execution here. Five-time UTMB winner Lizzie Hawker organizes the race. To qualify, organizers review mountain experience during pre-registration before allowing payment. The UTMR has run in select years since 2017; 135 runners finished the 2025 edition, with the route being cut short by 20km due to safety concerns after a rockfall. Truly, the UTMR suits elite-experienced alpine runners seeking a technically brutal traverse that is described as unequivocally harder than UTMB, while also intimate amongst runners.

Q: Is the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa harder than UTMB? A: By DTR data, yes — on every metric. The UTMR has more elevation gain per km (68.2m/km, rank 49 vs UTMB's 56.9m/km, rank 119), a steeper average uphill gradient (16.11% rank 43 vs UTMB's 13.16% rank 155), a bigger single climb (1,716m rank 13 vs UTMB's 1,556m rank 23), and a bigger single descent (1,480m rank 24 vs UTMB's 1,258m rank 63). One runner described it as 'by far the hardest race I've ever done, much harder than UTMB.' [Race Report: educatedguesswork.org] The data agrees.

Q: Who is Lizzie Hawker — and why did she create the UTMR? A: Lizzie Hawker is a five-time UTMB champion and one of the most accomplished ultra runners of her generation. She organized the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa as a community-driven, volunteer-led event — the race evolved from her deep connection to the Monte Rosa region. The 2025 edition marked the 10th anniversary of UTMR. The race is not commercially driven; the organizing team runs it because they love it. The volunteer ethos shapes the race's culture: intimate, self-reliant, technically demanding. [Official: ultratourmonterosa.com]

Q: How do you register for the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa? A: The UTMR uses a pre-registration vetting system — not a lottery and not open registration. Applicants submit their mountain running experience; organizers review it before allowing payment. The 2026 pre-registration is open until July 22, 2026, with late registration possible until August 15 if places remain. Entry fee is CHF 340 (~€2.18/km). Applications can be rejected for insufficient experience. Check ultratourmonterosa.com for requirements and the 2026 registration portal at registration.utmr.ch.