Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB
Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB – FOUR SUMMITS
Câmpulung Moldovenesc → Campulung Moldovenesc
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
The FOUR SUMMITS is the queen distance of Bucovina Ultra Rocks by UTMB, a 72 km loop out of and back into Campulung Moldovenesc in the Romanian Carpathians. With 4,408 m of positive gain packed into that distance, it is a relentlessly vertical race: the course does not roll, it stacks big climbs and equally big descents on top of each other, dropping to valley floors around 700-800 m and hauling back up to summits near 1,840 m again and again. The name is the strategy. This is a race defined by its high points, and the effort you spend reaching each one, then protecting your legs on the plunge to the next valley, decides your day. Runners come here for genuine Carpathian mountain terrain and a course that rewards climbers and confident descenders in equal measure.
The Course and Terrain
The FOUR SUMMITS starts and finishes in Campulung Moldovenesc at 646 m, which doubles as a crew point. From the town the route climbs immediately toward Bucovina Eco Retreat at 8.1 km (820 m) before the first serious ascent up to Rarau at 14.2 km, where you hit 1,617 m. From there the loop swings across the massif through Zugreni, Pietrosu Bistritei, Poiana Prislop, Rusca, the Giumalau ridge, Transrarau, Adam & Eva and Paraul Mesteacan before a final kicker over Runc and back to the finish. With 4,408 m of gain over 72 km, expect roughly 61 m of climb per kilometre on average, but the reality is far spikier than that: the course concentrates its vertical into a handful of long, sustained climbs separated by deep descents to the valleys. The high point sits at 1,840 m near the Giumalau summit. This is true mountain terrain, so plan for rocky, technical ground on the summits and steep gradients on both the ups and the downs rather than runnable rolling trail.
Where the Race Is Won and Lost
Three climbs define the FOUR SUMMITS, and each one starts from a low valley. The first is Rarau, a haul from 646 m at the start to 1,617 m by 14.2 km. Then comes the standout: from Zugreni at 795 m (23.5 km) the course climbs to Pietrosu Bistritei at 1,746 m by 29 km, close to 950 m of gain in roughly five and a half kilometres, one of the steepest sustained pulls on the whole loop. Attack it too hard and you will pay across the second half. The crux climb is Giumalau. After dropping to Rusca at 771 m (39 km), you face the long ascent through Cabana Giumalau (1,552 m at 46 km) to Varful Giumalau, the day's roof at 1,838 m by 47.5 km, more than a kilometre of climbing off the valley floor. It arrives when your legs are already deep into fatigue. Reach the Giumalau summit with something in reserve and the remaining descents to Transrarau, Adam & Eva and Paraul Mesteacan, plus the short final climb over Runc at 69.8 km (1,105 m), become a manageable run home. Blow up on Giumalau and the last 25 km turn into a survival march against the clock.
How to Pace and Fuel It
The cut-offs give the race its shape and should anchor your pacing plan. The first hard gate is Zugreni at 23.5 km, closing Saturday 11:00. Next is Rusca at 39 km (Saturday 17:00), the crew point at the foot of the Giumalau climb, then Transrarau at 52.5 km (Saturday 21:00), Paraul Mesteacan at 68.6 km (Sunday 00:30) and the finish back in Campulung Moldovenesc by Sunday 02:00. The generous late-race window shows the organisers expect the Giumalau climb and the long back half to eat heavily into everyone's pace. Aid and crew access is spaced widely, so run self-sufficient between stations. Campulung Moldovenesc (start/finish), Rusca at 39 km and Transrarau at 52.5 km are your crew points, meaning you carry everything across the long stretches in between, including the entire Pietrosu Bistritei climb. Fuel steadily on the ascents rather than at the summits, top up water fully at every valley aid before starting the next big climb, and treat Rusca as your reset before Giumalau, the single most important refuel of the day. A late finish means running through the night, so plan lights and warm layers from the Transrarau crew point onward.
Conditions to Expect
This is a high-Carpathian course that repeatedly crosses exposed summits between 1,600 and 1,840 m while dropping back into sheltered, forested valleys near 700 m. That spread means large temperature swings over a single loop: warm and humid in the valleys, cold and wind-exposed on the Rarau, Pietrosu Bistritei and Giumalau tops. Mountain weather here can turn quickly, so a waterproof shell, a warm layer and gloves are sensible even if the forecast looks kind at the start line. Because the timing pushes most runners into the night for the second half, the descents off Giumalau, Transrarau and the final Runc climb will be run in the dark on tired legs over rocky, technical ground. A strong headlamp with spare batteries is essential, and practising steep night descending before race day will pay off directly. Expect the footing to be at its most demanding exactly when you are most fatigued, so bank time earlier on the more runnable sections and give yourself margin against the valley cut-offs.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 646 m · —
8.1 km · 820 m · —
14.2 km · 1617 m · —
23.5 km · 795 m · Sat 11:00
29 km · 1746 m · —
31.7 km · 1459 m · —
39 km · 771 m · Sat 17:00
46 km · 1552 m · —
47.5 km · 1838 m · —
52.5 km · 1336 m · Sat 21:00
62.3 km · 742 m · —
68.6 km · 718 m · Sun 00:30
69.8 km · 1105 m · —
72 km · 646 m · Sun 02:00
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