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Aosta and Pont-Saint-Martin, Italy July 16 – 19, 2026
Source: https://utmb.world/
Trail Monte Rosa Walserwaeg by UTMB (MRWW)
The Monte Rosa Walserwaeg by UTMB (MRWW) is a massive trail running event set in the Aosta Valley, Italy, showcasing the towering peaks of the Monte Rosa massif and the Matterhorn.
The event features four main race distances alongside youth and community events. Below is the official program and schedule for the event.
🏃 The Race Lineup
- 100M – Les Sentiers des Valdôtains (120 km): (approx 8,300 m} elevation gain. Starts in Aosta.
- 100K – Monte Rosa Trail (82 km): $\approx 6,300\text{ m}$ elevation gain. Starts in Pont-Saint-Martin.
- 50K – Walserwaeg Trail (43 km): $\approx 3,100\text{ m}$ elevation gain. Starts in Gressoney-Saint-Jean.
- 20K – Regina Margherita Trail (15 km): $\approx 650\text{ m}$ elevation gain. Starts in Gressoney-Saint-Jean.
🗓️ Event Schedule
Thursday, July 16
- 16:00 – 20:00: Ultra-Trail® Village & Race Kit Pick-Up (100M/100K) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 16:30 – 20:00: Race Kit Pick-Up (100K) | Piazza IV Novembre, Pont-Saint-Martin
- 18:00: Pre-Race Briefing | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 18:30: Kids Race | Via Emile Chanoux, Pont-Saint-Martin
- 19:00: Street Food & DJ Set | Via Emile Chanoux, Pont-Saint-Martin
Friday, July 17
- 06:00: START: 100K Monte Rosa Trail | Piazza IV Novembre, Pont-Saint-Martin
- 11:00 – 20:00: Ultra-Trail® Village Open | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 15:30: Estimated arrival of the 1st runner (100K) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 18:30: START: 100M Les Sentiers des Valdôtains | Piazza Chanoux, Aosta
- 19:00: START: BeccaPink (Community Run) | Piazza Chanoux, Aosta
Saturday, July 18
- 09:00: START: 50K Walserwaeg Trail | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 11:30: Estimated arrival of the 1st runner (100M) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 13:00: Estimated arrival of the 1st runner (50K) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 17:00: Award Ceremony (50K & 100K) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 18:30 – 21:00: Live DJ Set | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
Sunday, July 19
- 09:45: START: Junior Walser Trail (JWT) | Piazza Tache, Gressoney-La-Trinité
- 10:00: START: 20K Regina Margherita Trail | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 11:00: Estimated arrival of the 1st runner (20K) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- 12:00: Award Ceremony (100M, 20K, JWT) | Lago Gover, Gressoney-Saint-Jean
💡 Runner’s Tip: Organizers provide dedicated shuttle services to transport runners from Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Staffal to the external starting points in Aosta and Pont-Saint-Martin. Be sure to coordinate your drop-off bag timings with your race kit pickup schedule!
History of the Monte Rosa Walserwaeg
The history of the Monte Rosa Walserwaeg by UTMB (MRWW) is a fascinating journey of local passion evolving into a world-class sporting spectacle. It bridges centuries of cultural heritage in the Italian Alps with the cutting edge of global trail running.
🏔️ Ancient Roots: The Path of the Walser & Royalty
Long before it became an ultra-running course, the trails traversed by the athletes served as vital lifelines through the Aosta Valley.
- The Walser Legacy: The name Walserwaeg directly translates to the “Walser Way.” The race runs along the historic stone-paved trails settled in the 12th century by the Walser people—a Germanic community that migrated from the Swiss canton of Valais across the high passes. Their unique architecture, dialect, and alpine culture remain deeply preserved in the Lys and Ayas valleys.
- In the Footsteps of Royalty: The event’s shorter 15K route (the Regina Margherita Trail) traces the favorite walking paths of Queen Margherita of Savoy, the first Queen of Italy. She chose Gressoney-Saint-JeanKlicken zum Öffnen einer Seitenleiste mit weiteren Informationen as her summer residence in the late 19th and early 21st centuries, frequently hiking from her fairy-tale residence, Savoy Castle.
🏃♂️ Local Creation (2022)
The sporting event itself was conceived by local elite mountain runners—most notably Italian trail running icon Franco Collé (multiple-time winner of the legendary Tor des Géants) and his partner, elite runner Giuditta Turini.
- The Spark: Wanting to share their deep love for their home training grounds, Collé and Turini designed a technical, uncompromising race series that would showcase the raw beauty of the Monte Rosa massif and the Matterhorn.
- The Inaugural Edition: The first edition of the Monterosa Walser Waeg was held on July 2, 2022. It featured a flagship 90 km Ultra, a 45 km Trail, and a 15 km Run, instantly gaining a reputation for its technicality, high-altitude challenges, and community-driven vibe.
🌍 Joining the UTMB World Series (2025)
Recognizing the unparalleled alpine landscape and the technical mastery of the route, the UTMB Group announced in mid-2024 that the race would officially join the UTMB® World Series circuit beginning in July 2025.
- The Global Stage: With its integration into the UTMB franchise, the event was rebranded as Monte Rosa Walserwaeg by UTMB.
- Evolution of the Course: To align with the UTMB structure, the lineup was upgraded. A crown-jewel 100-mile category race—the 120 km Les Sentiers des Valdôtains (gaining a massive 8,300 meters of elevation from Aosta to Gressoney-Saint-JeanKlicken zum Öffnen einer Seitenleiste mit weiteren Informationen—was introduced.
- The Debut: The inaugural UTMB-branded edition in July 2025 was a massive success, attracting thousands of international runners to the Aosta Valley to secure valuable “Running Stones” for the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix.
Today, the Monte Rosa Walserwaeg stands as a premier European summer ultra, celebrated for linking the modern-day “first mountaineers” with ancient paths forged by farmers, guides, and royalty centuries ago.
