Quito Trail Ecuador by UTMB®
Quito Trail Ecuador by UTMB® – 80K Oso
Mindo → San Francisco
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The 80K Oso is the queen distance of the Quito Trail Ecuador by UTMB® programme: 76 km with 4,123 m of vertical gain, starting far below the city in the cloud forest of Mindo (1,250 m) and finishing high on the mountains above Quito at San Francisco (2,827 m). Its defining feature is the enormous altitude range — from steamy sub-tropical forest to open Andean páramo at 3,756 m — all inside a single day's run. Unlike the shorter Quito races that start on the páramo at Lloa, the Oso begins low and spends its first half hauling relentlessly uphill. That structure makes it a very different challenge: a long, humid, climbing approach that only later becomes a high-altitude mountain race. Runners need both the durability for a big vertical day and a genuine respect for the thin air waiting in the back half.
The course and terrain
The Oso sets off from Mindo (1,250 m), passing La Providencia at 4.4 km (1,243 m) and the Puente Rio Cinto at 14.8 km (1,364 m) — the opening quarter stays low, threading the humid cloud-forest valleys with only gentle net gain. Then the climbing begins in earnest: Rio Cristal at 32.1 km (2,111 m) and Las Palmas at 40 km (2,729 m) mark a sustained haul out of the forest, gaining well over 1,300 m across that middle section. From Las Palmas the route steps up onto the high country: Páramo at 49.5 km (3,724 m), near the day's 3,756 m high point, followed by a long traverse through Chirincho at 57.6 km (3,303 m) and the Fan-Zone at 63.5 km (3,192 m). The finish sequence is the same as the shorter Quito races — a final rise to Cruz Loma at 71.2 km (3,573 m) and a steep drop of roughly 745 m over the last five kilometres to San Francisco (2,827 m).
Where the race is won and lost
The Oso has two great climbs stacked back to back. The first is the long grind from the Puente Rio Cinto (14.8 km, 1,364 m) up through Rio Cristal to Las Palmas (40 km, 2,729 m) — nearly 1,400 m of net ascent spread across the middle of the race, in warm, humid forest air. It is a patience test: burn through your legs here and there is nothing left for what comes next. Because immediately after Las Palmas the course climbs almost another 1,000 m onto the Páramo (49.5 km, 3,724 m), and this time in genuinely thin air near 3,750 m. That double blow — a huge forest climb followed by a high-altitude climb — is where the Oso is decided. Survive it with something in reserve and you can hold form through the high traverse to Cruz Loma and run the closing 745 m descent to San Francisco strongly; arrive at the páramo cooked and the final third becomes a long fight to the cut-offs.
Pacing and fuelling
The Oso runs to a chain of cut-offs: Puente Rio Cinto (14.8 km) at Sat 04:15, Las Palmas (40 km) at Sat 10:30, the Fan-Zone (63.5 km) at Sat 18:10, Cruz Loma (71.2 km) at Sat 20:20 and the finish at San Francisco at Sat 21:30. The early Rio Cinto cut-off means you cannot dawdle through the low cloud-forest section even though the real climbing comes later — keep moving efficiently on the runnable opening kilometres. Fuelling has to span two very different environments. The lower half is warm and humid, so hydration and electrolytes are the priority through Rio Cristal (32.1 km) and up to Las Palmas (40 km); the long carries between those early points reward leaving Mindo well stocked. The upper half is cold and airless, where appetite fades and the gut absorbs slowly — start eating steadily before the páramo and keep intake small and frequent across the high traverse. Top off fully at Cruz Loma, as there is no aid on the final descent to the line.
Conditions to expect
The Oso's signature is its extraordinary vertical range: from roughly 1,250 m in Mindo to 3,756 m on the páramo, the race crosses from sub-tropical cloud forest into open high-Andean moorland. Expect the lower valleys to be warm and humid, potentially draining early in the day, and the high ground to be cold, exposed and dramatically thinner in oxygen. Managing that swing — dressing and fuelling for two climates — is central to finishing well. Altitude dominates the back half. Long stretches above 3,300 m and a high point of 3,756 m will slow climbing paces sharply and stretch recovery, so meaningful acclimatisation before race day is close to essential. The páramo and the high traverse to Cruz Loma are open and weather-exposed, where wind and cold can arrive fast, so carry proper layers for the summits and the fast final descent. The Oso rewards runners who treat it as two races in one — a patient forest climb, then a disciplined high-altitude mountain leg.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 1250 m · —
4.4 km · 1243 m · —
14.8 km · 1364 m · Sat 04:15
32.1 km · 2111 m · —
40 km · 2729 m · Sat 10:30
49.5 km · 3724 m · —
57.6 km · 3303 m · —
63.5 km · 3192 m · Sat 18:10
71.2 km · 3573 m · Sat 20:20
76 km · 2827 m · Sat 21:30
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