Oh Meu Deus by UTMB
Oh Meu Deus by UTMB – Oh Meu Deus - Viriato
Seia
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The Viriato is the 41 km distance at Oh Meu Deus by UTMB, run as a loop out of Seia in Portugal's Serra da Estrela. Over 40.8 km it packs 1,772 m of positive climbing, topping out at 1,153 m, which makes it a genuinely mountainous middle-distance trail rather than a rolling one - the vertical-to-distance ratio is closer to a mountain 50 km than to a flat marathon. With a start cut-off logged at Sun 02:00 in Seia and a final cut-off back in Seia at Sun 12:00, this is a race that runs into the night and through dawn. That single fact shapes everything: you will spend a meaningful stretch of the climbing in the dark, and pacing, fuelling and kit all need to account for a night-and-morning effort rather than a daytime one.
The course and terrain
The Viriato is a point-to-point-feeling loop that begins and ends in Seia at roughly 507-517 m. From the start it works its way up and across the western flank of the Serra da Estrela, reaching a high point of 1,153 m before returning to town. The intermediate checkpoints sit at moderate altitude - Sazes da Beira at 18.3 km (599 m) and Lapa dos Dinheiros at 30.8 km (708 m) - which tells you the profile is not a single long climb but a series of gains and losses between valley villages, with the highest ground reached somewhere between them. Because the checkpoint elevations stay in the 500-700 m band while the course accumulates 1,772 m of D+, the climbing is delivered in repeated pitches rather than one sustained ascent. Expect Serra da Estrela's characteristic mix of stony mountain paths, forest track and village-linking trail. The net elevation change between aid stations is small, so the real work is hidden in the undulations - plan your effort around vertical gain, not the flat distance between points.
Where the race is decided
The decisive section is the middle of the loop, between Sazes da Beira (18.3 km, 599 m) and the high point at 1,153 m. This is where the bulk of the 1,772 m of climbing is concentrated, and where a runner who went out hard on the early kilometres will start to pay. Reaching the top with legs still working is the difference between a controlled finish and a survival march home. Lapa dos Dinheiros at 30.8 km (708 m) is both the last checkpoint before Seia and the only designated crew point on the course, so it is the natural place to regroup. From there it is roughly 10 km back down to the finish at 507 m - a net descent that rewards anyone who saved something for the legs. The closing stretch is where a smart, patient run can gain minutes on those who emptied the tank on the climb, so treat the descent as a segment to run, not to freewheel.
How to pace and fuel it
The aid spacing is generous by ultra standards: Seia to Sazes da Beira is 18.3 km, then 12.5 km to Lapa dos Dinheiros, then a final 10 km home. Carry enough fluid and calories to cover 18 km unsupported at the start, because that first leg is long and includes real climbing before your first restock. Two flasks or a small bladder plus a couple of hours of food is the sensible minimum for the opening section. Work backwards from the cut-offs to build a plan. With a start around 02:00 and the final cut-off at Seia 12:00, you have a ten-hour window, and the intermediate gates - Sazes da Beira 07:00, Lapa dos Dinheiros 10:30 - give you clear checkpoints to pace against. Lapa dos Dinheiros is your one crew point, so stage a drop of fresh food, a battery pack and dry socks there. Fuel steadily through the dark climbing rather than waiting for the aid stations; eating on the up is easier than forcing calories down on the fast final descent.
Conditions to expect
This is a night-into-morning race in a high Portuguese mountain range, so the conditions swing. Starting near 02:00 and climbing toward 1,153 m means cold, potentially damp air at altitude in the small hours, followed by a warming trend as the sun comes up on the way back to Seia. Pack a headtorch with enough burn time to cover several hours of climbing in the dark, plus spare batteries, and carry a layer for the exposed high ground where wind and temperature drop can bite. The Serra da Estrela's footing is rocky and technical in places, and running it by headtorch adds a premium on careful foot placement - rolled ankles and missed lines cost more time here than raw fitness. As dawn arrives the trail dries and warms, so plan to shed layers at Lapa dos Dinheiros and manage hydration upward for the final descent into town, where the finish sits at a comfortable 507 m.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 517 m · Sun 02:00
18.3 km · 599 m · Sun 07:00
30.8 km · 708 m · Sun 10:30
40.8 km · 507 m · Sun 12:00
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