Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB is a UTMB World Series event near the Massif Central Mountain ranges in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France.
Over 3,500 runners at set to head to rural France as four of the races on the famous Camino de Santiago trails in the heart of the Haute-Loire region offer Running Stones.
Date, start time & live tracking
Ultra du Saint Jacques is the 100M category race and gets underway at 23:00 (All local time) on June 2. It has a cut-off time of 27 hours.2
The 100K category event is the Grand Trail du Saint Jacques – that begins at 08:00 on June 3 and has a cut-off time of 18 hours.
Maratrail is the 50K category race, starting at 08:30 on June 3 with a cut-off time of eight hours and 50 minutes.
Les Chibottes is the shortest, 20K category event, beginning at 17:30 on June 3 and featuring a cut-off time of five hours.
Live tracking for all Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB races is available HERE.
Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB Running Stones
The four main events at Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB all offer Running Stones, which runners need to qualify for Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) and the UTMB World Series finals.
The graphic below shows how many Running Stones are up for grabs in each race.
Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB race routes
Ultra du Saint Jacques is around 126km long and features 5,250m of elevation gains. Starting in Saugues, runners take on a rugged course around the Santiago de Compostela path.
The route skirts landmarks such as the spectacular Allier gorges, Rochegude peak and Bouchet lake before a climb to the finish at the famous Notre-Dame du Puy-en-Velay cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The 75km Grand Trail du Saint Jacques starts in Monistrol d’Allier and includes 3,100m of ascent. There is a demanding early climb to the Rochegude peak before it follows the same course as the Ultra du Saint Jacques.
Starting at a new site in the medieval village of Saint-Privat-d’Allier, Maratrail is 46km long and features 1,450m of elevation gains. A new course includes an early plunge into the Rouchoux canyon a late ascent of Mont Devès, finishing at the same spot as the longer two races.
The 18km Les Chibottes starts from Bar and includes 600m of ascent. The brand new route sees runners head from the town of Solignac-sur-Loire to Cussac-sur-Loire before a climb of the Boureyde.
Competitors pass through two former railway tunnels as well as the Guard of Eycenac, Chibottes’ famous park, before the finish at the Notre-Dame du Puy-en-Velay.
How to enter Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB
Registration for the 2023 Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB is now closed.
The price of each race varies depending on the number of entrants: Ultra du Saint Jacques (€160-200), Grand Trail du Saint Jacques (€90-125), Maratrail (€55-90), Les Chibottes (€25-39) .
Information on 2024 registration will be available HERE.
Who is taking part at Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB
There is a strong contingent of French runners, with Spine Race winner Claire Bannwarth, who broke her own Backyard Ultra record in April and finished third at Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB last month, adding to her ever-growing list of 2023 races.
European trail running champion Mathilde Sagnes is competing in the Maratrail while 2021 Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100-mile winner Josh Bakker-Dyos (GBR) takes on the Ultra du Saint Jacques, his first 100M race since undergoing meniscal knee surgery.
Greek duo Despoina Simantrakou and Konstantino Paradeisopoulos are two others to look out for in the Ultra du Saint Jacques, as are French pair Aubin Ferrari and Samir Tazi, who delivered a memorable joint first-place finish in last year’s race.
Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB kit list
Basic kit:
- Running pack to carry mandatory gear throughout the race
- Mobile phone (smartphone strongly recommended)
- Personal soft cup 15 cl minimum (bottles or flasks with lids are not accepted)
- Minimum water supply: 1 litre
- 1 working headlamps with spare cells/batteries for each headlamp (recommended 200 lumens or more)
- Survival blanket (1.40m x 2m minimum)
- Whistle
- Self-adhering elastic bandage for bandaging or strapping (minimum 100 cm x 6 cm)
- Food reserve (recommended 800kcal, 2 gels + 2 power bars each of 65g)
- Jacket with hood for bad weather in the mountains
- Cap/bandana /buff
- ID – passport/ID card
Hot weather kit (may be required depending on weather conditions):
- Sunglasses
- Saharan cap or any combination which completely covers the head and nape of the neck
- Sunscreen
- Minimum water supply: 2 liters
Cold weather kit (may be required depending on weather conditions):
- Protective eyewear
- Additional warm second layer with long sleeves (excluding cotton) weighing at least 180g (men’s size medium – M) OR the combination of a long-sleeved warm undergarment (first or second layer, excluding cotton) weighing at least 110g (men’s size medium-M) and a windproof jacket with durable water-repellent protection (DWR protection)
- Warm hat
- Warm and waterproof gloves
- Waterproof overpants
- Sturdy, closed-toe trail-running shoes (minimalist or ultralight shoes excluded
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