When is the 2027 Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre?

The date has not been announced yet. The 2026 edition took place from 19 to 21 June in Samoëns, with the UTHG starting on Saturday 20 June at 1 am, from the Place du Gros Tilleul.

When does registration open for the UTHG 2027?

Not announced yet. For the 2026 edition, the organisers announced in late November an opening on 5 December 2025 at 8 am, online on the official site.

What is the difference between the UTHG and the SDT?

The UTHG covers 91 km and 5,930 m of climbing and starts on Saturday at 1 am; the longer SDT (Aux Sources du Trail) covers 118 km and 7,860 m and starts the evening before at 9:30 pm. Both go through the Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval life base and the Gers refuge; only the SDT goes via Grenairon, Les Fonts and the Alfred Wills refuge.

Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre: how many weeks of preparation?

For an athlete at intermediate level, Endu builds a 25-week preparation. If your race is closer, the plan compresses phases while keeping the taper; if it's further away, it lengthens the preparation, and when the gap is large the preparation starts right away, gently and at your current volume, before building up.

How many sessions per week?

This example has 4 sessions per week. You choose 4 to 7 training days and the exact days (e.g. Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun): the plan sticks to them.

I'm a beginner, is this plan for me?

The plan adapts to your declared level (beginner to semi-pro): starting volume, progression and intensity change. Endu also offers a "Discovery" mode without a race to build a base first.

Can I follow sessions on my watch?

Yes, on Garmin and COROS. On Garmin, the Endu app (Connect IQ Store) shows today’s session and starts it as a guided workout. On COROS, link your account from your profile: your running, trail and cycling sessions land in the watch calendar. Other brands are not supported yet.

How much does it cost?

14-day free trial, then €7.99/month with no commitment or €59.88/year (€4.99/month). Unlimited objectives and sports.

Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre 2027: date, course and training plan

91 km · 5,930 m D+Samoëns2027 edition: date not announced yet

The Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre takes place in mid-June in Samoëns, Haute-Savoie, in the Giffre valley. Its flagship race, the UTHG, covered 91 km and 5,930 m of climbing in 2026, with several sections above 2,000 m; the organisers quote 70 to 80 m of climbing per kilometre on their main courses. The same weekend offers a longer ultra, the SDT (118 km), and several shorter races. The 2027 date has not been announced yet.

Your plan for Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre

A plan set to your level and free days, which adapts to your feedback after each session.

Your level?

14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre at a glance

Date: 2027 edition: date not announced yet2026 edition: 20 June 2026
Formats: SDT (Aux Sources du Trail) — 118 km and 7,860 m of climbing. Start from the Place du Gros Tilleul in Samoëns on Friday 19 June 2026 at 9:30 pm. €165, 5 ITRA points. 250 places in 2025, sold out by April.
UTHGPlan below — 91 km and 5,930 m of climbing (87.5 km and 5,680 m on the split-time table). Start from the Place du Gros Tilleul in Samoëns on Saturday 20 June 2026 at 1 am, finishing at the same place by 2 am on Sunday, so 25 hours at most. €135, post-race meal included, 4 ITRA points. Open from the under-23 (Espoirs) category up.
TMBD (Trail du Mont-Blanc des Dames) — 72 km and 4,460 m of climbing. Start on Saturday 20 June 2026 at 4 am, from Samoëns. €105, 4 ITRA points.
TDF (Trail des Frahans) — 54 km and 3,350 m of climbing. Saturday 5 am start, from Samoëns. €70, 3 ITRA points.
TDB et TDG DUO — Tour de Bostan: 33 km and 2,130 m of climbing, Saturday at 7 am, €55. Tour du Giffre for pairs: 33 km and 1,860 m of climbing, Saturday at 7:30 am, €55 per person.
MDG, FDG et courses enfants — La Montée de Gers: 18 km and 970 m of climbing, Sunday 21 June 2026 at 8 am, from Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, €30. Au fil du Giffre: 9 km and 330 m of climbing, Sunday at 9 am, €20. A 1.5 km mini cross-country for under-12s.
Registration: Registration for 2027 has not been announced yet. For 2026, it opened on 5 December 2025 at 8 am, online on the official site, while places lasted; the UTHG cost €135, with accident cover included and a cancellation option to take when registering. You need a French Athletics Federation (FFA) competition, company or running licence, or the PPS health certificate, including for foreign runners; medical certificates are no longer accepted. The rules require neither ITRA points nor a UTMB Index to register. Places can go quickly: in 2025, the SDT sold out by early April.
Official website: uthg-trail.com/Ultra-Tour-du-Haut-Giffre-UTHG

The 2026 course

Start from the Place du Gros Tilleul in Samoëns (703 m) at 1 am. Climb to the Col de Joux-Plane (1,680 m, km 18), then the Golèse refuge (km 30) and the Bostan refuge (km 38), before the descent to the Vallon aid station (km 47). The course then reaches the Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval life base (km 59) and, instead of heading for the Chalets de Porte like the TMBD, makes a long climb towards Le Lignon past the Rouget waterfall and through the Vallon de Sales. Last pass, the Col Pelouse, then the lake and refuge of Gers (km 78), a long descent towards Samoëns and a loop around the Lac aux Dames before the finish, at km 87.5 on the split-time table.

What the race asks of your training

Climbing above all

5,930 m of climbing over 91 km, or 65 m per kilometre. The first aid station, at the Col de Joux-Plane (1,680 m), comes at km 18 after 1,400 m of climbing. Long hill sessions, fast uphill hiking with or without poles and long mountain runs matter more than flat mileage.

Snow, side slopes and limestone pavement

The organisers describe slopes steeper than 35°, side slopes, areas of limestone pavement and a section at 2,400 m. In 2026, the briefing reported snow after the Col de Bostan and snowfields between the Vallon de Sales and the Col Pelouse; mini-crampons were advised for runners not used to snow. Practise technical descents and balance on slippery ground.

June heat

In 2025, the organisers stopped the SDT, UTHG, TMBD, TDF and TDB on the Saturday because of the heat. In 2026, the heatwave kit was activated and the Saturday start times changed, to 1 am for the UTHG. Part of your training falls in May and June: get used to running for a long time in the heat, wearing a cap and protecting your neck, and easing off in the hottest hours.

Cut-offs and a life base

On the split-time table published for the UTHG: Joux-Plane (km 18) at 5 am, Vallon (km 47) at 1:30 pm, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval (km 59, life base) at 5:30 pm, and the finish at 2 am on Sunday. The first cut-off comes 4 hours after the start, in the dark: practise climbing fast by headtorch.

The plan below prepares the UTHG format, for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week. Until the official date is out, the example is set for June 2027. Aiming for another format? Enter its distance when you create your plan, which will be calibrated on your level, your available days and your feedback after every session.

weeks: 25
sessions: 100
sessions / week: 4
peak week: 10.9 h

Plan structure

Periodised in phases: build the base, move to race-specific work, then taper before the race.

General preparation
Weeks 1–2 · 2 wk
Base
Weeks 3–10 · 8 wk
Build
Weeks 11–16 · 6 wk
Specific
Weeks 17–22 · 6 wk
Taper
Weeks 23–24 · 2 wk
Race week
Weeks 25–25 · 1 wk

Volume progression

Week by week: lighter recovery weeks are built in to absorb the load.

Wk	Phase	Hours	km	Elev.
1	General preparation	6.4 h	42	1,228 m
2	General preparation	6.6 h	45	1,364 m
3	Baserecovery	5.1 h	36	817 m
4	Base	6.6 h	44	1,304 m
5	Base	7 h	47	1,374 m
6	Base	7.3 h	49	1,487 m
7	Baserecovery	5.7 h	39	988 m
8	Base	7.3 h	47	1,565 m
9	Base	7.8 h	51	1,648 m
10	Base	8.1 h	52	1,786 m
11	Buildrecovery	6.3 h	42	1,215 m
12	Build	8.2 h	51	1,925 m
13	Build	8.8 h	56	2,039 m
14	Build	8.9 h	56	2,100 m
15	Buildrecovery	7 h	47	1,478 m
16	Build	9.3 h	56	2,234 m
17	Specific	9.7 h	59	2,428 m
18	Specific	9.9 h	60	2,433 m
19	Specificrecovery	7.7 h	50	1,557 m
20	Specific	10.2 h	62	2,610 m
21	Specific	10.6 h	65	2,640 m
22	Specific	10.9 h	66	2,797 m
23	Taper	6.9 h	45	1,564 m
24	Taper	5.4 h	39	543 m
25	Race week	3.6 h	30	90 m

Sample week — week 14 (Build)

Real sessions from the plan with their targets. Each session is detailed step by step, and can be sent to a Garmin or COROS watch.

TuesdayModerate
3 × (8 min climb + 4 min descent)
51 min · 6 km
FridayEasy
56 min easy
56 min · 7.5 km
SaturdayEasy
Back-to-back long run
2 h 04 · 12 km
SundayEasy
Long run 5 h 03
5 h 03 · 30 km

Example generated for a intermediate-level profile (MAS 15 km/h, 4 days available per week). Your plan will depend on your level, availability and feedback.

This plan’s check-up

Pass with remarks

A 25-week build (recommended minimum: 20); a longest run never more than 10% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 8% from one week to the next; 97% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 3 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 67% in race week.

1 worth a look · 2 worth knowing · 15 checks passed

Remarks

Climbing in the busiest week — The busiest week climbs only 2797 m, for 5930 m on race day.
Strength training — No strength session.
Fueling — Long sessions (up to 360 min in this plan) are where race fueling is rehearsed.

The 15 checks passed, in detail

Length of the build — 25 weeks: enough for this race (recommended minimum: 20).
Sessions per week — 4 sessions a week: the minimum for this race is met.
Volume progression — Running volume rises at most 8% from one week to the next (a signal appears beyond 20%).
Long run increase — Each week, the longest run is at most 10% longer than the longest of the previous month (benchmark: 10%).
Lighter weeks — A lighter week comes back regularly (weeks 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23).
Intensity distribution — About 97% of the time at easy effort: the most common distribution among trained endurance athletes.
Demanding sessions — No more than 2 demanding session(s) a week: suited to the level.
Hard days back to back — Demanding sessions are separated by easy days.
Rest days — At least one rest day a week.
Climbing in training — The plan prepares the climbs and descents (32 sessions with elevation).
Timing of the longest session — The longest session falls 3 weeks before the race: the right time.
Taper — Volume drops 67% in race week.
Intensity during the taper — Short race-pace efforts remain in the last two weeks.
Frequency during the taper — The number of sessions stays close to usual (100%).
Back-to-back long runs — The plan has back-to-back long runs (9 weekends).

Endu runs its own plans through the plan check open to everyone: same public rules, same thresholds, same sources. The rules and their sources, and a check of your own plan.

Why this plan works

Science-based periodisation

Base → build → specific → taper, with a recovery week every 3 to 4 weeks. Load goes up, but never two hard weeks in a row without a breather.

Paces, not vague feelings

Every session has target zones (pace, HR) computed from your MAS or a reference performance. A MAS test is built into the plan if you don't know yours.

Elevation as the central variable

Weekly climbing volume, long hilly runs, downhill technique and power-hiking for ultras: a trail plan is not a road plan with bumps.

A plan that listens

After each session you rate how it felt (RPE). Too hard? The plan eases what follows. Skipped a session? It reschedules or absorbs it.

On your watch

On Garmin with the Endu app, on COROS by direct sync: the guided workout shows up on your wrist, step by step.

Reviews

What our users say.

4.8/5

“I took Endu to prepare a trail race with friends. I really like having my week already organised: it motivates me and I enjoy my runs more.”
Émilie · Trail
“What I like is no longer asking myself a thousand questions before going for a run. I follow the plan and I enjoy training.”
Nicolas · Trail
“With work and the kids, I thought I’d struggle to follow a plan. In the end, having a structure helps me a lot. Running has found a real place in my week again, and it feels good!”
Julie · Trail
“I used to spend more time looking for a plan than following one. Now I have my sessions, I know what to do and I stick to it. Really glad I tried it.”
Thomas · Running
“Training for my first half marathon and honestly, I’m getting into it! I even look at my next sessions ahead of time, when before I was mostly looking for an excuse not to go out 😂”
Camille · Running
“Simple to follow and really handy with the watch. I start my session and off I go.”
Julien · Running
“A good find to prepare my swimrun! It’s nice to find a plan for this sport. I’ve recommended it to my teammate.”
Antoine · Swimrun
“I run more regularly and, above all, with more desire. For that alone, I’m delighted.”
Laura · Swimrun
“For triathlon, having all three sports in the same schedule really makes my life easier. I spend less time organising my training and I still enjoy following it just as much.”
Maxime · Triathlon
“At first I just wanted to try it. Now checking the next day’s session has become my little evening ritual 😊”
Sarah · Triathlon

Your plan, not a template athlete's

This plan is generated for an athlete at intermediate level with 4 days available per week. Yours will be calibrated on your MAS, your available days and your feedback after every session. 3 minutes. 14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Create my plan for Ultra-Trail du Haut-Giffre