Trails of the Month - February 2017
From New Zealand to Argentina through Malaysia and France, let's have a look to the most beautiful trail running races of February !
Tarawera Ultramarathon - New Zealand
Take Rotorua’s spectacular lakes and forests, add a cultural heritage that has been nurtured for hundreds of years, drop in over 1000 national and international trail runners, and you get New Zealand’s most esteemed ultramarathon – the Tarawera Ultra, which is going to be held on the 11th of February.
Starting amongst ancient trees in Rotorua’s Redwood Forest, traditional MÄori performers ignite fire in the belly with a kapa haka performance to bid you farewell and good luck. Heading off on the 100 km point-to-point course to Kawerau, the Tarawera Ultra takes runners on a journey of New Zealand’s best kept secrets with views of four beautiful lakes as well as breathtaking waterfalls and crystal-clear streams.
Steeped in MÄori culture, the Tarawera Ultra is a celebration of New Zealand on its national day, Waitangi Day, featuring sites of immense cultural pride along the trail.
Presenting athletes with their ultimate challenge, the Tarawera Ultra is stop number two in the 2017 Ultra-Trail® World Tour. From the Lake Tarawera cruise to the rogaine fun-run and official pÅwhiri welcome, the Tarawera Ultra is not just a race, it’s a whole week experience where events and gatherings forge lifelong friendships and unforgettable moments.
Alpin Trail des Calanques - France
Alpin Trail des Calanques is an event inside the beautiful and wild nature of the National Park of Calanques in Marseille. Two races are offered to you on the 5th of February: the Alpin Trail Elite (32 km for 2000m of D+) and the Alpin Trail Sport (15 km for 750m of D+).
The Alpin Trail Elite: from the Pastré Park, it gets round the massif of Marseilleveyre, to join the Croix de Marseilleveyre and the Pas de la Selle. Then, it descends to cross the Calanques until the Baumettes pass which leads to the creek of Sormiou before going up towards the Baou Rond and the Morgiou pass. The route takes the path of the GR 98 going through the Sugiton, Candelle and Oule passes and goes down the En Vau valley before going up to the Fontasse Inn.
The Alpin Trail Sport: starting from Luminy, the course joins the summits of the Escampons before descending towards the Morgiou pass, meeting the Elite race course.
4 Refugios - Argentina
4 Refugios is a unique trail running race and 2017 comes with new features. In order for everyone to be able to run regarding their abilities, runners can now choose between 1, 2, 3 and up to 4 Refugios in NonStop mode or run the mythical 4Refugios Clásica, on the 25th and 26th of February.
An unforgettable challenge for any participant with spectacular sites and 4 of the most renowned mountain refuges of the country, in the Nahuel Huapi National Park: Refugio Frey, Jakob, Lopez and Laguna Negra. The landscapes of its route fascinate by its incredible beauty. Spectacular mirrors of water, high summits with snowy peaks and centennial forests. All these ingredients make the proposal a real attraction for adventure lovers.
4 Refugios attracts each year a greater number of foreign riders, with athletes from France, Spain, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
6 competition options: an incredible NonStop for experts who do the 4 Refugios in a single day, Classic, which unites the four shelters in two days with an intermediate rest; the option to run the 3 Refugios to be tested thinking about doing someday the 4; the 1 or 2 Refugios for those who want to start with this type of race and finally the Kids: a non-competitive recreational modality. Competitors will be able to compete individually or in pairs.
View the event & Website & Article
La Misión - Argentina
On the 23rd-26th of February, it will be the 12th edition of La Misión, an authentic adventure in San Martín de los Andes in Argentina. A spectacular trekking and exciting race in South America with a unique format of expedition along four days and three nights, non stop ! La Misión is a special event, different than any other. The essence and spirit of this race has to do with the extraordinary experience that one lives in one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Andes in the Patagonia Argentina.
La Misión is a race which is done in self-sufficiency and freedom, there are no cut-off times, everyone chooses their walking pace and where to camp for sleeping. A person can complete the entire route by trekking and stopping to sleep the three nights which covers the race. In La Misión, the competition for the ranking is in second place of importance. No matter whether you come first or last, what matters in first place is to complete the course and reach the finish line.
This twelfth edition of La Misión returns to San Martín de los Andes, one of the most memorable historical tour for its beautiful landscapes. The edges of Cerro Aseret, Laguna Verde, Volcano Achen Niyeu, Auquinco Valley, around the lake Lolog and new paths never before used in a race. New for this edition: there will be two distances, to the traditional Misión of 160 Km (6480m D+) is added a Misión XL 200 km (7730m D+).
Borneo Ultra-Trail® Marathon - Malaysia
The second edition of the Borneo Ultra-trail® Marathon (BUTM) will be held in the Malaysian state of Sabah, north Borneo, on 18th and 19th February, 2017.
1400 runners from 25 nations will race over 4 categories ranging from a trail introductory category of 12 km to the full Ultra-trail® distance of 100 km with a cumulated elevation gain of just under 5000 m. The event is set in the Kiulu Valley, situated between the capital of Kota Kinabalu and the world heritage site of iconic Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,100 m towers over North Borneo and offers impressive views on the trails. The BUTM seeks out jungle trails and backroads, traversing steep ridges and river valleys, to showcase the natural beauty and cultural diversity in remote villages of North Borneo.
Competitors will face a wide range of challenges, including hot and humid conditions in the jungle and most often tropical rain showers that can turn trails into sticky mud paths or even streams. When it rains it pours in the tropics! Numerous stream and river crossings, traversed on suspension bridges, by wading or by jumping from rock to rock, offer opportunities to cool down during the hottest part of the day, where heat exhaustion and dehydration is a threat.
The BUTM works closely with native villages to try to produce a positive footprint. Aid stations are set up at about 10 km intervals at village halls, and assistance to trail clearing, safety and race execution as well as local fruits and produce is acquired from villagers along the course. In line with a strong desire to minimise the environmental footprint of the race, bottled drinking water at the aid stations has been replaced by filtered water set up at each aid station – saving more than 20,000 plastic bottles in a single race.
To see other races registered on our international calendar it's here
Dear members, if you want to present your race in our "Trails of the Month", send your information (summary, history, spirit, pictures of your race, videos...) to the following address: contact@itra.run