Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB®
Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB® – TENERIFE BLUETRAIL 68k
LA ESPERANZA → Puerto De La Cruz
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The Tenerife Bluetrail 68k by UTMB is a serious mountain ultra on Tenerife's flagship trail weekend, running point-to-point from La Esperanza (907 m) down to the Atlantic coast at Puerto de la Cruz (12 m). Over 68 km it climbs 3078 m and reaches a high point of 1694 m, threading a demanding ridge-and-valley line before committing to a huge final descent to the sea. Unlike a course with a single summit, the 68k rolls across the high country with two major high points, El Gaitero at 1662 m and Picachos at 1691 m, separated by a significant dip to La Caldera. That mid-race sawtooth is what gives the race its bite, before the trail plunges from Picachos all the way to the coast. Starting on Friday and finishing into Saturday, it is a long day and night on volcanic terrain that ends, like all the Bluetrail distances, with your feet at sea level in Puerto de la Cruz.
The course: La Esperanza to the coast
The 68k covers a point-to-point line from La Esperanza at 907 m to Puerto de la Cruz at 12 m, passing eight checkpoints: El Gaitero at 13.7 km (1662 m), Risco Atravesado at 20.4 km (1636 m), La Caldera at 29.4 km (1118 m), Picachos at 41 km (1691 m), Base del Asomadero at 51 km (482 m), Tigaiga at 58.5 km (297 m), Marítim at 64.3 km (51 m) and the finish at 67.8 km (12 m). La Caldera and Tigaiga are crew points, giving supporters two useful access spots on the route. The profile is a high, rolling first two-thirds followed by a committed descent. From La Esperanza the trail climbs to El Gaitero at 1662 m, holds high ground across Risco Atravesado at 1636 m, then drops to La Caldera at 1118 m before climbing again to the course high point at Picachos, 1691 m at 41 km. After Picachos the route abandons altitude for good, falling to the sea through Asomadero, Tigaiga and Marítim. Expect high volcanic and pine terrain early, and warmer coastal slopes on the long way down.
Where the race is decided: the sawtooth to Picachos, then the plunge
The heart of this race is the high-country sequence between El Gaitero (13.7 km) and Picachos (41 km). Runners climb to 1662 m, traverse to Risco Atravesado, then surrender nearly 520 m into La Caldera at 1118 m, only to climb it all back and more to the 1691 m high point at Picachos. That repeated up-and-down over technical ground is where the field spreads out; managing effort across the two big climbs, rather than emptying the tank on the first, is the key tactical decision. From Picachos the race turns into a descent of over 1200 m to Base del Asomadero at 482 m, one of the longest sustained downhills on the whole Bluetrail programme, before continuing through Tigaiga (297 m) to the sea. This is the true crux for the legs: 27 km of high-mountain work has already accumulated before the steepest, longest drop even begins. Runners who protect their quads through the sawtooth arrive at Picachos able to descend fast; those who don't face a punishing, brake-heavy fall to Asomadero and a long grind to Puerto de la Cruz.
Pacing and fueling around the cut-offs
The cut-offs run from Friday into the night: El Gaitero at Fri 11:00, Risco Atravesado at Fri 12:30, La Caldera at Fri 14:30, Picachos at Fri 17:15, Base del Asomadero at Fri 19:30, Tigaiga at Fri 22:00, and the finish at Puerto de la Cruz at Sat 00:00. The clock is honest but demanding across the high section, so building a buffer before Picachos matters, and the long descent to Asomadero has to be run into the evening and dark for much of the field. Aid is spaced from roughly 4 to 14 km apart, with notable carries between El Gaitero (13.7 km) and La Caldera (29.4 km), and again on the descent to Asomadero (51 km). Use La Caldera, a crew point at 29.4 km, to reset before the final big climb to Picachos, and Tigaiga, the second crew point at 58.5 km, to prepare for the warm run-in to the coast. Fuel steadily across the rolling high country while the effort is manageable, and carry enough for the long descent, where a fading stomach makes eating harder just as the pounding peaks. Plan extra fluid for the warmer, lower checkpoints below 300 m.
Conditions to expect
This is a start-high, finish-at-sea race that runs from Friday daylight through to a Saturday midnight cut-off, so night running is guaranteed for all but the fastest athletes. A dependable headlamp with spare batteries is essential, particularly for the long, technical descent from Picachos that many runners will tackle in the dark. Temperatures swing from the cooler, more exposed high points near 1690 m to the warmer, humid coastal air around Tigaiga (297 m), Marítim (51 m) and the sea-level finish. Underfoot the terrain is classic Tenerife volcanic trail, loose and rocky in places, with the high sawtooth between El Gaitero and Picachos and the enormous drop to Asomadero as the most technical, fatigue-sensitive sections. The combination of 3078 m of climbing, repeated high-mountain descents and a final plunge on tired legs makes footing and pacing discipline the defining factors. Dress for a cool, exposed high section that gives way to coastal warmth, carry reliable lighting, and treat the long descent to Puerto de la Cruz with the same care as the climbs that precede it.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 907 m · —
13.7 km · 1662 m · Fri 11:00
20.4 km · 1636 m · Fri 12:30
29.4 km · 1118 m · Fri 14:30
41 km · 1691 m · Fri 17:15
51 km · 482 m · Fri 19:30
58.5 km · 297 m · Fri 22:00
64.3 km · 51 m · —
67.8 km · 12 m · Sat 00:00
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