Paraty Brazil by UTMB
Paraty Brazil by UTMB – PTR 34
Paraty → Paraty Chegada
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The PTR 34 is the middle-distance option at Paraty Brazil by UTMB, a 34 km loop that starts and finishes in the colonial coastal town of Paraty. On paper it is a short ultra, but with 1084 m of positive climb packed into the distance and a course that never rises above 368 m, it is a deceptively punchy day: almost all of the vertical is stacked into steep, low-altitude climbs rather than one long alpine ascent. Starting at Paraty Largada essentially at sea level (4 m) and returning to Paraty Chegada at 5 m, the race is a true loop that sends you up into the hills behind the town and brings you back to the water. With a single hard cut-off at the finish (Sat 15:00) and three intermediate points to gauge your progress, this is a race where steady effort on the climbs and confident descending matter more than raw speed on the flat.
The course and terrain
The PTR 34 runs as a loop from Paraty back to Paraty, covering 34 km with 1084 m of climb and a high point of only 368 m. That combination tells you almost everything about the character of the route: the elevation gain is not delivered by altitude but by repeated, sharp climbing on low coastal hills. From the start at Paraty Largada (4 m) the course reaches Imperial at 9.4 km (103 m), then Faz Bananal at 16.6 km (56 m), before the long run back to the finish at Paraty Chegada (5 m). The most striking feature of the profile is the final leg: from Faz Bananal at 16.6 km to the finish at 34 km is roughly 17 km, the single longest stretch between marked points on the course and more than half the total distance. Expect the terrain here to hold most of the day's remaining climb, since the checkpoint altitudes stay low (56 m at Faz Bananal, 5 m at the line) while the overall gain is over a thousand metres. Break the loop mentally into two halves at Faz Bananal and you have a workable map of the day.
Where the race is decided
With no single dominant mountain, the PTR 34 is won and lost in the accumulation of climbing rather than one crux ascent. The high point of the whole course is just 368 m, so no climb is long enough to break you outright, but 1084 m of gain over 34 km means the ups arrive relentlessly and the descents are correspondingly steep. Runners who hammer the early rolling terrain to Imperial (9.4 km) and Faz Bananal (16.6 km) often pay for it on the extended back half. The decisive stretch is the 17 km from Faz Bananal to Paraty Chegada. This is where fatigue in the legs from the earlier climbs shows, and where the day's remaining vertical has to be absorbed with no further checkpoint to break it up. Treat Faz Bananal at 16.6 km as the point where the real race begins: arrive there with your legs intact and enough in reserve to keep climbing steadily, and the finish comes to you. Go into the red before it and the long final section becomes a grind.
How to pace and fuel it
There is one hard cut-off on the PTR 34, at the Paraty Chegada finish at Sat 15:00, so pacing is about managing your own fade rather than chasing a string of intermediate barriers. Use the two marked points as split checks: reaching Imperial (9.4 km) and Faz Bananal (16.6 km) comfortably ahead of your target finish pace leaves margin for the long 17 km closing leg, which will almost always be slower per kilometre because of the concentrated climb. Because the gap from Faz Bananal to the finish is so long, carry enough fluid and calories to cover roughly 17 km self-supported, and top up fully whenever aid is available on course. In the warm, humid coastal climate of Paraty, fluid and electrolytes are the limiter more than glycogen over a distance this length, so drink to a plan rather than to thirst. A conservative first half that banks time against the 15:00 cut-off is the reliable way to run this loop; the profile punishes an aggressive start far more than a cautious one.
Conditions to expect
Paraty sits on Brazil's Atlantic coast, and the PTR 34 stays at low elevation throughout, never climbing above 368 m. That means heat and humidity, not altitude or cold, are the defining conditions. Starting and finishing at sea level in and around a coastal town, you should prepare for warm, sticky air, the possibility of rain typical of the Atlantic forest hills, and trails that can turn muddy and slick underfoot after wet weather. The low, forested hills behind Paraty deliver steep, technical climbing and descending rather than exposed high-mountain running, so grippy footwear and confidence on slippery, rooty ground pay off. With the finish cut-off at Sat 15:00, most of the field will be running through the warmest part of the day, making sun protection, heat management and a disciplined hydration strategy central to finishing well. Respect the humidity early and the coastal hills will reward a steady, heat-aware effort.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 4 m · —
9.4 km · 103 m · —
16.6 km · 56 m · —
34 km · 5 m · Sat 15:00
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