TORX TOR450 Tor des Glaciers: 450km, 32,000m D+, the Forgotten Alte Vie, and 190 Hours in the Aosta Valley

By every gradient metric in the DTR database, TOR450 sits at or near the extreme upper end. The course covers 450km with 32,000m D+ at 71.1 m/km (D+/km rank 24/~390 -- top 6% most elevation-dense). PctFlat rank 9/~390 means only 8 catalogued courses have less flat terrain -- fewer than 1 in 10 steps is on level ground across 8+ days. The DW average uphill gradient ranks 38/~390 (top 10% steepest); the DW average downhill ranks 360/~390 inverted (top 8% steepest descents). The top single ascent ranks 15/~390 -- one of the 15 largest individual climbs in the database. 2025 finish rate: ~44.5% (89 finishers / ~200 starters) -- lower than TOR330's ~60% finish rate. Entry requires having already finished TOR330 in under 130 hours -- the field is composed entirely of verified extreme-mountain-ultra finishers. This is the apex of the TORX series and one of the longest and most remote ultras in Europe.

TOR450 is limited to 200 runners and requires a qualifying finish: you must have completed TOR330 (Tor des Géants) in under 130 hours (120 hours for the 2012 edition). Registration opens in early March via experience.torxtrail.com (typically March 1-15 or until spots fill). A non-refundable €10 pre-registration fee applies; if oversubscribed, a lottery is held and results published by February 28. 2026 registration is now closed. Check experience.torxtrail.com for the 2027 timeline (expected to open early 2027). Entry fee for the full race: NEEDS VERIFICATION from torxtrail.com/regulations/ -- do not book travel until confirmed.

TOR450 has three intermediate life bases, all at remote mountain lodges: Rifugio Sella, Rifugio Coda, and Hotel Lo Stambecco. Unlike TOR330's life bases in valley towns, these are high-altitude mountain refuges -- runners are in genuine alpine wilderness between support points. There is no outside support (crew or pacers) permitted except at the designated life bases. The race description explicitly states runners proceed 'completely alone' with only the mountain lodges as reference points and support. No course markings exist: GPS navigation from the official track (download by section T1-T4) is required at all times. Backup routes B1-B5 exist but are authorized only by the TORX organization when the primary route is impassable. Self-managed sleep over the 190-hour (7.9-day) maximum: runners decide when and where to rest. Aid station details and drop-bag policy: VERIFY from the official 2026 roadbook at torxtrail.com/tor450-tor-des-glaciers/.

2025 men's winner (and course record): Sébastien Raichon (France) in 124h53m45s -- his third (or more) consecutive win; Raichon has built the closest equivalent to a dynasty in TOR450 history. 2025 women's winner (and course record): Florence Golay-Geymond (France). 2025 men's podium: Raichon (1st), Brian Mullins (2nd), Jarek Gonczarenko / Lorenzo Franco Santin (3rd). 2025 women's podium: Golay-Geymond (1st), Sandrine Beranger (2nd), Céline Rouquié (3rd). Previous men's course record: Luca Papi 134h10'01" (2019 inaugural edition). 2025 was the 7th edition (2019, and annually since). For current results and historical rankings: itra.run and torxtrail.com/en/content/tor-des-glaciers/tor-des-glaciers-classifiche-ranking.

Same airport options as TOR330 -- both races start and finish in Courmayeur: (1) Geneva GVA (~131 min by road) -- closest major hub; direct flights from most European cities and some transatlantic routes; rental car or direct bus to Courmayeur via Aosta; (2) Turin TRN (~100 min by road) -- well-connected within Europe; bus connections from Turin to Courmayeur; (3) Milan Malpensa MXP (~150-180 min by road) -- widest flight connections; longer transfer. Both race start and finish are in Courmayeur, eliminating point-to-point logistics. Courmayeur accommodation books quickly for September race week (alpine resort peak season); book as soon as your lottery place is confirmed. Note: the September timing overlaps with TOR330 (which starts September 13, 2026); Courmayeur and the Aosta Valley will be at full race-week capacity for the full week of September 11-21.