Chihuahua by UTMB
Chihuahua by UTMB (Rarámuri 100M)
Cerocahui → Divisadero (Parque Barrancas del Cobre)
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
The Rarámuri 100M at Chihuahua by UTMB is a 135 km mountain ultra that cuts through one of North America's most dramatic landscapes: the Barrancas del Cobre — the Copper Canyon system of Chihuahua, Mexico. Starting in Cerocahui at 1626 m and finishing at Divisadero's Parque Barrancas del Cobre at 2263 m, the route racks up 5867 m of total climbing and reaches a high point of 2485 m, all while threading through deep canyon walls, river valleys, and the high sierra above. This is the ancestral home of the Rarámuri people, renowned as some of the greatest long-distance runners in human history, and the race is both a tribute to that tradition and a genuine test of everything a 100-mile runner has. With a single published cut-off — Divisadero by Day 3 at 03:00 — the Rarámuri 100M offers a multi-day window that rewards runners who treat it as an expedition as much as a race. The course links aid stations at Gallego, Urique (a Life Base with crew access), Guytaibo, and Panorámica before the final climb to the canyon rim and the finish. Each of those points marks a transition between the canyon floor and the high sierra, and understanding those transitions is the key to finishing strong.
Course & Terrain
The route runs from Cerocahui, a small colonial mission town perched in the upper sierra at 1626 m, all the way down into the canyon system before climbing back out to Divisadero at 2263 m. The defining geographic feature is the sheer vertical relief of the Copper Canyon: the course doesn't simply gain and lose elevation incrementally — it drops thousands of metres into the barrancas and then has to claw it all back. The high point of 2485 m sits above the canyon rim, and the contrast between that alpine sierra environment and the hot, semi-tropical canyon floor near Urique is stark. Trails range from wide dirt tracks used by Rarámuri runners for generations to single-track switchbacks on loose volcanic rock, with river crossings, boulder fields, and stretches of exposed ridgeline all part of the mix. The Life Base at Urique — situated deep in one of the world's great canyon systems — is the geographic and emotional midpoint of the adventure, and the climb out of it is one of the most significant physical tests on the entire course.
Decisive Climbs and Where the Race Is Won or Lost
The major canyon descents feel generous early on — the legs are fresh, the trail is flowing, and it's easy to bank time aggressively. Resist it. The descents into the canyon are long and quad-destroying, and every metre you run downhill must eventually be repaid with interest on the way back up. The climb out of Urique is the race's defining moment: arriving at the Life Base with legs already hammered from aggressive early descending will make that ascent brutally long. Runners who bank patience through the first canyon crossings and the early valley sections arrive at Urique still capable of running the flats and hiking the climbs with power. The final sectors from Panorámica to Divisadero involve the high-altitude sierra terrain around the 2485 m high point, and with canyon heat accumulated in the body and fatigue setting in across Day 2, this is where races unravel for those who went out too hard. The finish at Divisadero sits right on the canyon rim — the view is the reward, but earning it requires respecting every climb that came before.
Pacing & Fuelling Strategy
A patient, almost social first half is not a concession — it is the investment that makes the second half possible. Given the multi-day format and the Day 3 03:00 cut-off at Divisadero, runners should structure their effort around the Life Base at Urique as the true halfway reset: eat a proper meal, change kit if needed, and leave with legs that still have something in reserve. In the heat of the canyon floor, break the effort into manageable segments — identify two or three aid station chunks ahead of you at any one time and commit to arriving at each one in control, not destroyed. Fuelling must begin early and stay consistent; the temperature swing between canyon floor and sierra rim can suppress appetite even as caloric demand spikes on the climbs. Prioritise savoury options and real food at crew points like Urique and Gallego where the stomach may have tired of gels. Sodium management is critical in the canyon heat — plan for electrolytes at every aid station stop, not just when thirst demands it.
Conditions to Expect
The Copper Canyon climate is dual-natured, and this race takes you through both. On the canyon floor near Urique, temperatures can be hot and humid — the barrancas sit far below the sierra and trap heat, and mid-day running in those sections demands respect for the sun and wind exposure. On the high sierra around Cerocahui and the 2485 m high point, nights are cold and conditions can shift rapidly. At any point in the three-day window, runners should carry layers adequate for a cold sierra night as well as sun protection for the canyon sections. The Copper Canyon region sees a distinct dry season and a summer rainy season (the 'temporal'); check race timing relative to these cycles, as trail conditions on the loose volcanic and clay soils change dramatically when wet. Canyon walls can also amplify afternoon thunderstorms, making lightning exposure on the exposed rim sections a real consideration for runners moving through those zones in the afternoon of Day 2.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-05) · official source
0 km · 1626 m · —
8.2 km · 2117 m · —
19.9 km · 2003 m · Thu 23:00
34.3 km · 552 m · Fri 01:30
44.9 km · 1184 m · —
54.9 km · 2030 m · Fri 07:15
72.7 km · 2260 m · —
85.4 km · 2324 m · Fri 14:45
93.5 km · 2168 m · Fri 16:46
101.9 km · 2239 m · Fri 19:00
114.3 km · 2260 m · —
124.2 km · 2304 m · Sat 00:45
134.1 km · 2263 m · Sat 03:00
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