Trail Running · Courmayeur

🇮🇹Grand Trail Courmayeur:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

55km with 3139m of gain and 3125m of loss across eight climbs and eight descents. From a 1236m start to a 2868m high point, this course rewards runners who can climb steep and descend long.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Grand Trail Courmayeur — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

55.0 km

Distance

+3,100 m

Vertical Gain

−3,080 m

Total Descent

Jul 11, 2026

Last Edition · Past

Check YOUR readiness

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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 50.4 km / 31.3 mi and 3,100 m / 10,160 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 50.4 km / 31.3 mi and 3,100 m / 10,160 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Segments

Daylight

Terrain summary

Claimed vs GPS-Measured

Claimed · Organizer

55.0km

Distance

+3,500m

Gain

−4.6 km−400 m

GPS-Measured

50.4km

Distance

+3,100m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+3,100 mTotal Gain

−3,080 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

16%

Flat

≤3% grade

25%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

16%

Steep Climb

>15% up

43%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

ClimbCRUX

KM 6.1–12.7 · +1,168 m

+17.7%

Climb

KM 37.3–40.3 · +469 m

+15.2%

Climb

KM 14.7–20.9 · +802 m

+12.9%

Descent

KM 40.3–50.4 · −1,227 m

-12.1%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

Reference finish times from past results — use them to set a realistic goal pace.

5h 34m

Winning time

6h 22m

Top 5

6h 31m

Top 10

9h 59m

Median finisher

12h 27m

Back of pack

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Descending carries 53% of the scoring weight on this course — the terrain makes that the deciding factor.

Weighting shows where readiness is won or lost at this distance — not whether you need each pillar. An aerobic base is a given for a race this long, so it carries little deciding weight even though it's essential — the gaps open on the climbs, descents and the back half.

AerobicSustained engine

Foundational

Sustained effort over 55km with 3139m of climbing at a long-course duration.

ClimbingVertical power

22%

Steep, relentless ascending: 39% of distance runs above 10% grade.

DescendingEccentric / braking

53%

33% of the course is downhill, capped by a 10.1km, 1227m plunge.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

26%

Eight climbs and eight descents demand legs that hold form deep into the race.

The Profile in One Line

A steep, descent-heavy 55km with a single dominant early climb and a punishing 1227m drop late in the race.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 22%Descending 53%Durability 26%

Here's how CourseRecon reads a course and an athlete

Sample Readiness Analysis

What a readiness result looks like for this course

This is a worked example for a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete — not your score. Connect your own training and the same analysis runs on you.

Sample

OUT OF 100

READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

This is a sample — connect your Strava to see your own result.

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

At 55km with 3139m of gain, the aerobic engine must sustain continuous effort across a long-duration course. Elevation ranges from 1236m to 2868m, adding altitude load to the aerobic cost.

Climbing

With 39% of distance above 10% grade and 27.7% classed very steep, climbing is a defining stress. The 1168m early climb over 6.6km at 17.7% sets the tone.

Descending

Descending carries the heaviest weight here: 33% of the course drops, including a 10.1km, 1227m descent at -12.1%. Eccentric loading is severe and repeated.

Durability

Eight climbs and eight descents totaling over 6200m of vertical change wear the legs progressively. Late climbs at km 37 and a huge late descent test how much form survives.

KM 6–13

The Big Early Climb

A 1168m ascent over 6.6km at 17.7% grade takes you toward the 2868m high point. Overspending here compromises everything that follows.

KM 40–50

The Long Plunge

A 10.1km descent losing 1227m at -12.1% arrives late, demanding quads that still absorb eccentric load after 40km of accumulated climbing and dropping.

KM 37–40

Late Steep Kick

A 469m climb over 3.08km at 15.2% grade forces one more steep effort deep in the race before the final major descent begins.

That was a sample