Project 171UTMB guide
PROJECT 171™

From first trail to Chamonix

A clear route to UTMB.

UTMB covers 171 km with about 10,000 m of climbing. Reaching that start line is not one leap, but a series of patient steps: run often, become at home in the mountains and learn the long day.

The five steps

  1. 01

    Start with consistency

    Run regularly, mostly at an easy effort. Build a body that enjoys returning to the trail.

    • Three or four steady runs most weeks
    • Easy effort feels genuinely easy
    • Rest is part of the plan
  2. 02

    Learn the mountains

    Practise climbing, descending, weather choices and carrying the kit your route demands.

    • Move confidently on varied ground
    • Choose kit for conditions
    • Turn back without ego when needed
  3. 03

    Extend the day

    Grow time on feet gradually. Eat and drink early enough to stay steady rather than rescue a fading effort.

    • Increase duration in small steps
    • Practise food before hunger arrives
    • Finish with enough energy to recover
  4. 04

    Earn your qualifier

    Choose a race that fits your experience, prepare for its terrain and use it to learn—not merely to collect a result.

    • Match training to the course
    • Test the complete kit and food plan
    • Review decisions as well as results
  5. 05

    Prepare for UTMB

    Rehearse pacing, poles, feet, food, darkness, changing weather and calm decisions when tired.

    • Know the purpose of every kit item
    • Practise night movement
    • Build a simple plan for difficult moments

The UTMB concept

A family of distances. A path built over time.

UTMB World Series events group races into 20K, 50K, 100K and 100M categories. The label describes the race category rather than an exact distance. Each step can build experience for the next.

20K

Learn race rhythm

A first mountain-race milestone. Course distance and climbing vary.

50K

Build the full day

Practise pacing, food, kit and decisions across a longer mountain day.

100K

Earn deep experience

Learn night movement, sustained climbing and recovery after a demanding race.

100M

Rehearse the whole system

Bring durability, mountain judgement and calm execution together.

UTMB Index

Evidence of experience

Finishing eligible races can contribute to a UTMB Index in a distance category. It helps show relevant recent experience and may be required for entry to some races.

Running Stones

Entries in the draw

Running Stones are collected at eligible World Series events. For the UTMB World Series Finals lottery, more valid Stones mean more chances in the draw; they do not guarantee a place. Entry rules can change, so always check the official race page before planning.

Last checked: 26 September 2026.

This is independent, general guidance—not an official UTMB source or a guarantee of entry. Race categories, Index rules, qualifying requirements and lottery mechanics may change.

Source: UTMB World Series sports system. Confirm the current rules on the official page before choosing a race or entering a draw.

Getting a place

The entry road map.

Training gets you ready. This is how you actually get a start in Chamonix, in five plain steps.

  1. 01

    Collect Running Stones

    Finish eligible UTMB World Series races to earn Running Stones. Each stone is an extra entry in the Finals lottery, and they do not expire.

  2. 02

    Meet the Index requirement

    Stones alone are not enough. You also need a valid UTMB Index in the right category for the race you want.

  3. 03

    Pick your Finals race

    Three Finals races run in Chamonix: OCC (about 57 km), CCC (about 101 km) and UTMB (about 171 km).

  4. 04

    Enter the lottery

    Register during the lottery window. More stones mean more chances of being drawn.

  5. 05

    Drawn, or try again

    If you are drawn, the start line in Chamonix is yours. If not, keep your stones and try again next year.

The three Finals races

  • OCC50K

    ~57 km

    Index in 20K, 50K, 100K or 100M

  • CCC100K

    ~101 km

    Index in 50K, 100K or 100M

  • UTMB100M

    ~171 km

    Index in 100K or 100M

Other races in Mont-Blanc week

TDS
About 145 km and more technical. Not a Finals race and no lottery: meet its Index requirement, then register directly while places last.
MCC & ETC
About 40 km (~2,300 m D+) and 15 km (~1,200 m D+). Part of Mont-Blanc week with their own entry process, outside the Finals lottery.
YCC
For young runners aged 15 to 23, with formats by age group and its own entry rules.

Rules and distances change each year. Always confirm on utmb.world and montblanc.utmb.world.

Planning your qualifying season? Browse the official calendar: UTMB World Series events — every confirmed race and date (checked 26 September 2026).

Full race guideUTMB Mont-Blanc, section by section →Elevation profile, all 32 checkpoints with cut-offs, race dates and my gear tips for 100 miles.

Find a UTMB World Series event

Race list copied from the official UTMB events page. Version: last checked 26 September 2026. Refreshed monthly. Tap a race for its own guide page. Dates can change, so confirm on the official race page (↗).

68 events found

Plan your qualification

A simple qualification planner

Pick a Finals race and a target year. This shows the UTMB Index category you would need, the current Running Stones rule and a rough, honest preparation window counted back from race day — nothing here predicts a lottery outcome.

Your own estimate — the planner does not verify this against UTMB's records.

Distance

UTMB · ~171 km

Index needed

Valid UTMB Index in 100K or 100M.

Estimated prep window

Roughly 36–52 weeks of focused build for this distance. An estimate, not a rule.

About 41 weeks from today to a 2027 Chamonix Finals, assuming a late-August race week like recent editions — the exact 2027+ calendar has not been announced, so treat this as a placeholder for planning, not a date.

Lottery, in plain terms

The Finals lottery is a random draw, not a ranking. Under the current rule, each valid Running Stone is one more entry in that draw, so more stones raise your number of entries and your odds — they do not guarantee a place. Age-group direct qualification at World Series Majors is being cut from 2027, and UTMB has said a replacement, World Series-wide rule is coming but has not published its details yet — that part of the system is still unannounced.

Official Running Stones and Index rules: utmb.world/sports-system. Official age-group qualification page: utmb.world/age-group-qualification.

UTMB (~171 km). Index needed in 100K or 100M. A typical build for this distance runs roughly 36-52 weeks of focused preparation, so your target of 2027 leaves an estimated 41 weeks from today (based on a placeholder late-August Finals date, not an announced schedule). With 1 stone you get 1 entry in the lottery draw under the current rule — this is not a probability of being drawn, just your entry count.

Free guide · Race-day packing

Mandatory gear checklist

Typical UTMB World Series requirements by distance. Each race publishes its own list and it can change with weather — always confirm on the official UTMB mandatory equipment page before race day.

Version: official kit page last checked 26 September 2026. Checked monthly. Version 1.0 · see what's changed · Gear I've carried on real races

Race distance

0 of 17 packed

Safety & communication
Water & food
Clothing
Light & navigation

Guidance only, not an official list. Source: UTMB Mont-Blanc mandatory equipment rules.

Announced 24 September 2026

What changes for 2027.

UTMB has announced it is cutting direct Finals qualification at its World Series Majors. For most amateurs, that leaves the lottery — and the stones, Index and race choice behind it — as the realistic path to a Chamonix start line. Here is what has actually been confirmed, and what has not.

From 2027, only the top 10 men and the top 10 women in each World Series Majors distance (50K, 100K, 100M) keep direct qualification for the Finals — the wider age-group qualification places at Majors are being removed.
UTMB World Series, Facebook announcementPublished: 24 Sep 2026Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source
Reported: each Major's direct allocation falls from 210 runners to 60, a drop from 840 to 240 direct places across the four Majors a year; coverage also reports the full cut only lands from the 2028 Finals, with 2027 running on a mix of allocations.
Marathon HandbookPublished: 23 Sep 2026Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source
Reported: UTMB says age-group qualification is moving to a new rule covering the whole World Series, to be announced later — no date or detail has been published yet, which is why the community reaction has included confusion.
Canadian Running MagazinePublished: 24 Sep 2026Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source
Reported: Running Stones and the lottery itself are unchanged by this announcement — Major finishers still receive double Stones, so the lottery route is not affected by the direct-qualification cut.
Endurance SportswirePublished: 24 Sep 2026Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source
Official: current age-group qualification rules, ahead of the announced 2027 changes, are published on UTMB's own age-group qualification page.
UTMBPublished: 25 Sep 2026Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source
Official: the 2025 Finals lottery drew a record 25,000 applications against a start-line capacity UTMB has kept unchanged since 2006, more than five times oversubscribed.
UTMB World Series (Mont-Blanc)Published: 16 Feb 2025Last checked: 26 Sep 2026 · source

Still unannounced: the replacement, World Series-wide age-group qualification rule has no published date, distances or thresholds yet. Anything beyond the direct-qualification cut itself is reported by independent outlets, not confirmed by UTMB's own pages — treat it as reported until UTMB publishes the detail.

Because direct qualification at Majors is shrinking, more amateurs will need Running Stones and a valid UTMB Index and will go through the Finals lottery described above. Planning your race choice, your stones and your timeline earlier matters more than it did last year.

Keep the next step simple.

Start with the layer that feels weakest. Give it time, notice what improves and keep enough joy in the week to return tomorrow.

Follow Project 171

1-on-1 pacing audit

Get your qualifying path and training block ordered.

Who it is for

A runner with a target year who needs their qualifying path — stones, Index, race choice, lottery timing — and their training block put in a sensible order.

What you receive

A written audit of your current build, a race-and-stones plan for your target year, and pacing and fuelling notes for your chosen distance.

Founding cohort

15 founding seats for 2027, priced at €1,500/year, including a live webinar series and practical bonuses. This is guidance and planning, not a promise of race results or a qualifying place.

See the pacing audit

Email list

Get my UTMB invites

I'll email you when I open a UTMB group run, webinar or guide update. Runners from everywhere are welcome. Leave any time.