Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB
Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB – Ultra Trail Chianti Castles
Radda in Chianti → Radda In Chianti
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The Ultra Trail Chianti Castles is the flagship long-distance event of the Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB festival, a 123 km loop from and back to Radda in Chianti that links the castles, vineyards and hilltop villages of the Tuscan Chianti. With 4402 m of positive climbing and a high point of 900 m, it is a true 100-mile-style ultra of continuous rolling terrain rather than a handful of big mountain passes. Run through a full day and night, the course threads eleven intermediate checkpoints with cut-offs that stretch from Saturday morning into Sunday. It demands endurance, night-running competence and disciplined self-management over long unsupported legs, and it stands as the premier challenge of the Chianti weekend for experienced ultra runners.
The course and terrain
The loop starts and finishes in Radda in Chianti at 533 m, covering 123 km with 4402 m of accumulated climb and a high point of 900 m. There is no single dominant summit; instead the vertical is built from countless short, steep Chianti climbs between wine estates and villages. Key waypoints include Poggio San Polo (23.8 km), the castle at Castello di Brolio (37.6 km, 474 m), Monteluco (51.7 km, 796 m), Gaiole in Chianti (77.8 km, 390 m), Castello di Albola (100.4 km, 604 m) and Villa San Michele (108.9 km, 855 m) before the return to Radda. Underfoot expect the region's signature white gravel strade bianche, vineyard and olive-grove tracks, farm roads and singletrack. The named castles along the route, Brolio and Albola among them, give the race its identity and mark the passage through the historic heart of the Chianti wine country.
Where the race is won or lost
With 4402 m of climb spread over 123 km and a high point of only 900 m, the Castles course is decided by consistency across the whole loop rather than on any one climb. The two high points come late: Monteluco at 51.7 km (796 m) around the midpoint, and the climb to Villa San Michele at 108.9 km (855 m) with barely 14 km to run. That final rise, coming after 100 km on the legs, is the sting in the tail. The stretch after Gaiole in Chianti (77.8 km) is where many races unravel: the course climbs again to Castello di Albola (100.4 km, 604 m) and Villa San Michele in the depths of the night and the second half of the distance. Runners who paced the first 78 km with restraint and kept eating will still be able to climb here, while those who pushed the early rollers face a long, dark grind to the finish.
Pacing and fuelling
The eleven checkpoints divide the loop into legs of roughly 10 to 16 km, with the longest committed stretches early: around 12 km to Arillo Terrabianca and Poggio San Polo, then close to 14 km on to Castello di Brolio and a similar leg to Monteluco. Carry enough fluid and calories for up to 15 km between aids, and settle into a steady eating pattern from the first hour, because deficits accrued early are almost impossible to claw back over 123 km. The cut-offs run from Poggio San Polo at Saturday 08:00 through Monteluco 13:25, Gaiole in Chianti 18:00, Tenuta Perano 20:30, Castello di Albola Sunday 00:00, Villa San Michele 02:45 and the finish at Radda 06:00. Several stations, including Castello di Brolio, Monteluco, Cantalici, Gaiole, Castello di Albola, Villa San Michele and Radda, are crew points, so build your crew plan and drop-bag strategy around them. Manage the cut-off buffer actively: bank time on the runnable daylight sections so the night climbs are not a race against the clock.
Conditions to expect
As a race that starts on Saturday and runs deep into Sunday morning, the Castles ultra spans the full range of Tuscan conditions, from afternoon heat on exposed vineyard hillsides to a long, cold night in the hills. A reliable headtorch with spare batteries and warm night layers are non-negotiable, and you should plan your crew stops around a possible kit change once darkness and the temperature drop set in. The terrain is the classic Chianti surface of white gravel roads, vineyard tracks and hilly singletrack, fast and free-draining when dry but loose, dusty or slippery depending on the weather. Over 123 km with aids up to around 15 km apart and the highest ground saved for the final third, success comes down to heat and hydration control in the day, competent night running, and the discipline to pace the endless rollers so you can still climb to Villa San Michele and descend to Radda at the end.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 533 m · —
11.8 km · 397 m · —
23.8 km · 474 m · Sat 08:00
37.6 km · 474 m · —
51.7 km · 796 m · Sat 13:25
62.5 km · 506 m · —
77.8 km · 390 m · Sat 18:00
90.5 km · 516 m · Sat 20:30
100.4 km · 604 m · Sun 00:00
108.9 km · 855 m · Sun 02:45
123 km · 533 m · Sun 06:00
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