HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB
HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB – UTA22
Queen Victoria Hospital
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB UTA22 is the shortest race in the Blue Mountains lineup, but do not mistake short for easy. Over 22 km it packs 1,145 m of vertical gain, a climb-per-kilometre ratio that is steeper than any of the longer UTA distances, and it finishes on the same lung-busting staircase that defines the whole festival. Starting at Queen Victoria Hospital (837 m) and finishing at 957 m, the route makes a dramatic plunge to the valley floor before hauling straight back up to the escarpment. With a high point of just 957 m this is a low-altitude race decided entirely by leg strength on steep terrain. It is an ideal entry point to the UTA course and a genuine test for anyone who wants a fast, punishing morning in the mountains.
The Course: Down to the Valley, Back to the Cliffs
UTA22 starts at Queen Victoria Hospital at 837 m and immediately gives away almost everything it will make you earn back. The single intermediate checkpoint, the Emergency Aid Station at 13.1 km, sits at just 413 m, meaning the first two thirds of the race are dominated by a long, sustained descent of more than 400 m into the valley below the escarpment. From that low point at 13.1 km the course reverses entirely. The final 8.9 km climb from 413 m back up to the finish at 957 m, a gain of roughly 544 m concentrated into the closing kilometres. On paper 22 km looks like a runnable morning; in practice it is a race of two opposing halves, a fast descent followed by a relentless climb, with the total 1,145 m of gain telling the real story of how steep this terrain is.
Where the Race Is Won or Lost: The Climb to the Finish
Everything in UTA22 hinges on the final climb out of the Emergency Aid Station at 13.1 km. The 544 m ascent to the 957 m finish culminates in the famous staircase back up to the plateau, and it is here that the race is decided. Runners who attack the early descent too hard arrive at the valley floor with quads already emptied, and the long climb turns into a survival march. Because the course is so front-loaded with downhill and back-loaded with climb, discipline on the descent is everything. Hold something back on the drop to 413 m, keep your cadence quick rather than braking hard, and save the aggression for the ascent. Anyone racing UTA22 for a time should treat the first 13 km as a controlled setup and the last 9 km as the entire event.
Pacing, Fuel and Cut-offs
With only one intermediate checkpoint, UTA22 asks you to be self-sufficient between the start and the Emergency Aid Station at 13.1 km, and again from there to the finish. Carry enough fluid and calories to cover roughly 13 km of descending and a further 9 km of hard climbing without relying on frequent aid. The starting checkpoint at Queen Victoria Hospital carries a cut-off, so arrive and set off on time, and pace to reach the finish comfortably inside the closing limit. For a race this short the fuelling strategy is simple but easy to get wrong: because the effort is so uneven, take in most of your calories and top up water before you begin the final climb, not during the fast early descent when your stomach is being jostled. The steep, sustained ascent to the line is exactly where energy shortfalls show up, so bank the fuel early and climb well fed.
Conditions to Expect
UTA22 runs entirely below 957 m, so altitude plays no part, but the Blue Mountains still deliver a notable contrast between the valley floor and the clifftop. The descent to 413 m at the Emergency Aid Station drops you into warmer, more sheltered forest, while the start and finish on the escarpment around 837-957 m are more exposed to wind and cooler air. The sandstone steps and rocky trails that make up the finishing climb can be slippery in the wet, and the sheer steepness demands sure footing when tired. Expect a temperature swing between the sheltered valley and the exposed plateau, dress for the cliff-top conditions rather than the valley, and respect the final staircase, which is short enough to seem trivial on the map yet steep enough to define your finishing time.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 837 m · Sat 09:40
13.1 km · 413 m · —
22 km · 957 m · Fri 16:40
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