Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB®
Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® – TENERIFE BLUETRAIL 24k
PALO BLANCO → Puerto De La Cruz
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The Tenerife Bluetrail 24k by UTMB is the short-course entry into one of the Canary Islands' signature trail weekends, run under the UTMB banner on the volcanic slopes above Puerto de la Cruz. It covers 24 km with 1174 m of climbing, starting inland and high at Palo Blanco (693 m) and finishing at the water's edge in Puerto de la Cruz (6 m). On paper the numbers read like a net descent, but the profile hides real work: an early climb to the day's high point of 1088 m before the trail tips downhill toward the coast. With an evening timetable, the first cut-off at Base del Asomadero falls at Sat 19:00 and the finish line closes at Sat 23:30, this is a race that runs into the dark for most of the field. It rewards runners who can climb efficiently early, then hold form on a long, leg-punishing descent to the sea. Fast, scenic and demanding for its distance, it is a genuine mountain-to-ocean race compressed into a single afternoon and evening.
The course: from Palo Blanco down to the Atlantic
The 24k is a point-to-point line that trends steadily downhill, dropping from 693 m at the Palo Blanco start to just 6 m at the finish in Puerto de la Cruz. Along the way it passes three checkpoints: Base del Asomadero at 6.9 km (473 m), Tigaiga at 14.5 km (292 m) and Marítim at 20.3 km (50 m). Despite the overall loss of altitude, the route packs in 1174 m of ascent, so the descending character is broken up by climbs rather than being one continuous downhill. The defining shape is a high early section that reaches the course high point of 1088 m before the trail begins its long fall toward the coast. From Base del Asomadero onward the elevation drops relentlessly, checkpoint by checkpoint, from 473 m to 292 m to 50 m and finally to sea level. Expect the classic Tenerife mix of pine-forest and volcanic terrain up high, giving way to lower, warmer slopes as you approach Puerto de la Cruz.
Where the race is decided: the long descent to Puerto de la Cruz
This race is won and lost on the descent. After topping out near 1088 m, runners give back well over a thousand metres of altitude across the back half of the course, and the checkpoint altitudes tell the story plainly: 473 m at Asomadero (6.9 km), 292 m at Tigaiga (14.5 km), 50 m at Marítim (20.3 km) and 6 m at the line. The steepest, most sustained losses come in the middle third, between Asomadero and Tigaiga, where roughly 180 m drops over 7.6 km on legs that have already absorbed the early climb. Because so much of the elevation change is downhill, quad durability matters more than raw climbing power here. Runners who blast the descent early risk trashed legs for the final push to the coast; those who brake smartly and stay light-footed on the volcanic surface will carry more speed into the flatter run-in below Marítim. The last stretch to Puerto de la Cruz, from 50 m down to sea level, is where a controlled descent pays off with a strong finish.
Pacing and fueling around the cut-offs
The timing is generous but should not be ignored on a course of this profile. The intermediate cut-offs are Base del Asomadero at Sat 19:00 and Tigaiga at Sat 21:30, with the finish in Puerto de la Cruz closing at Sat 23:30. That structure means the bulk of the race is run in the evening and into the night, so a working headlamp is essential and pacing should account for reduced visibility on the descent. The aid points are spaced roughly 7 km apart, Asomadero at 6.9 km, Tigaiga at 14.5 km, then the sea-level checkpoints, so plan to carry enough fluid and calories to cover each gap comfortably, particularly on the warm lower slopes. Fuel steadily on the early climb to the high point while your stomach is settled, top up at Asomadero and Tigaiga, and treat the descent as the place to make time rather than to eat. With only 24 km to cover, most runners can run a fairly aggressive nutrition plan, but the sustained pounding of the downhill still calls for consistent hydration to keep the legs turning over.
Conditions to expect
This is an island mountain race that starts high and finishes at the coast, so runners should prepare for a swing in conditions across the descent. Up near the 1088 m high point the air is cooler and can be exposed; as the trail drops toward Marítim and Puerto de la Cruz at sea level, expect warmer, more humid coastal air, especially in the lower checkpoints below 300 m. The evening timetable helps by moving the hottest hours behind you, but the early section can still be warm at the start. Underfoot, the terrain is volcanic and varied, with the loose, rocky footing typical of Tenerife's slopes above Puerto de la Cruz. Because most of the field will be descending in the dark after the 19:00 and 21:30 cut-offs, footing and lighting become the main technical challenges rather than the climbing itself. Carry a reliable headlamp with spare power, dress for a cooler start that warms as you descend, and respect the fact that a downhill-dominant course on tired quads is where mistakes and falls happen late.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 693 m · —
6.9 km · 473 m · Sat 19:00
14.5 km · 292 m · Sat 21:30
20.3 km · 50 m · —
24 km · 6 m · Sat 23:30
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