Trail du Saint Jacques by UTMB
Trail du Saint Jacques by UTMB – Monistrail - 50K
Monistrol d'Allier → Le Puy En Velay
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
Monistrail is the 50K distance at Trail du Saint Jacques by UTMB, a point-to-point route running 55 km with 1774 m of climbing from Monistrol d'Allier to the finish in Le Puy-en-Velay. It is a classic front-loaded trail race: almost all of the serious climbing is packed into the first half, and the way you handle that opening ascent shapes the entire day. From the low start at Monistrol d'Allier (614 m), the course grinds up to its high point at Mont Deves (1421 m) before rolling and descending through the Velay countryside to Le Puy-en-Velay (631 m). With a single intermediate cut-off at Saint Jean Lachalm and a finish cut-off of Sunday 19:00, it is a race that demands steady, honest pacing on the climb and disciplined running on the long descent that follows.
The course: Monistrol d'Allier to Le Puy-en-Velay
The route starts at Monistrol d'Allier (614 m), the lowest point of the race, and immediately begins climbing. It passes Saint Privat d'Allier at 11.3 km (877 m), Saint Jean Lachalm at 20.3 km (1155 m) and tops out at Mont Deves at 26.9 km (1421 m). From there the course descends and rolls through Bains at 32.4 km (1046 m), Saint Christophe sur Dolaizon at 37.9 km (913 m) and Les Chibottes at 48.3 km (773 m) before the final drop into Le Puy-en-Velay (631 m) at 55 km. The shape is straightforward but demanding: a sustained climb of roughly 800 m from the start to Mont Deves across the first 27 km, then a net descent of nearly 790 m spread over the back half. Saint Privat d'Allier, Saint Jean Lachalm and Saint Christophe sur Dolaizon are all marked crew points, giving supported runners three good touch points along the way, with the start at Monistrol d'Allier as the first.
Where the race is won: the climb to Mont Deves
The decisive terrain is the long opening ascent to Mont Deves (26.9 km, 1421 m). The gradient stacks up in stages — Monistrol to Saint Privat gains around 260 m, then Saint Privat to Saint Jean Lachalm adds close to 280 m, and the final pull to Mont Deves another 266 m. Reaching the high point just before halfway with your legs intact is the whole game; go too hard here and the long descent to Le Puy will punish you. After Mont Deves the character flips. The drop to Bains (32.4 km, 1046 m) is sharp, losing around 375 m in a short span, and from there the profile keeps giving back altitude in stages through Saint Christophe sur Dolaizon and Les Chibottes to the finish. This is a course where the race is climbed in the first half and run in the second: runners who pace the ascent conservatively and still have quads left for the descent will move up the field steadily over the closing 25 km.
Cut-offs, pacing and fuelling
There is one intermediate cut-off, at Saint Jean Lachalm (20.3 km) at Sunday 11:45, and the finish in Le Puy-en-Velay closes at Sunday 19:00. The Saint Jean Lachalm barrier sits near the top of the main climb, so it effectively asks that you complete the bulk of the ascent at a sustainable but not sluggish pace; runners who let the early climb drag risk being timed out before the course tips downhill. Fuelling should be built around the climb. The crew point at Saint Privat d'Allier (11.3 km) and the aid at Saint Jean Lachalm are the places to top up before the highest, most exposed section around Mont Deves, where effort and calorie burn peak. Aim to eat early and often on the way up rather than waiting for the descent. On the back half, the aid spacing through Bains, Saint Christophe sur Dolaizon and Les Chibottes is comfortable, so the priority becomes hydration and keeping the legs fed for a strong finish into Le Puy.
Conditions and terrain to expect
The Monistrail crosses the Velay uplands of the Haute-Loire, climbing from valley floor at 614 m to a high point of 1421 m at Mont Deves. That range of altitude means noticeably cooler, more exposed conditions up high than at the start or finish, and with a Sunday-evening cut-off the race can run into changing light and temperatures late in the day. Carrying a layer for the summit section is sensible even if the valleys feel mild. Terrain is the runnable trail and track typical of this region rather than alpine rock, but the sheer amount of vertical — 1774 m across 55 km — makes it a proper 50K rather than a rolling one. The pilgrimage routes that give the event its name converge on Le Puy-en-Velay, and the finish delivers you into that historic town after a long descent. Train your downhill legs specifically: the back half asks a lot of the quads, and fresh descending is what separates a controlled finish from a survival march.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 614 m · —
11.3 km · 877 m · —
20.3 km · 1155 m · Sun 11:45
26.9 km · 1421 m · —
32.4 km · 1046 m · —
37.9 km · 913 m · —
48.3 km · 773 m · —
53.9 km · 631 m · Sun 19:00
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