"This is where I came for my hardest training, and this is the race I always wanted to run," says Hawker about her inspiration for developing the race.

The route goes through Italy and Switzerland, starting in Grächen, and passing through Zermatt, Cervinia, Champoluc, Gressoney, Alagna Valsesia, Macugnaga and Saas-Fee.

Invariably the race course, as a long distance hiking trail, has been compared to the UTMB, and Hawker estimates it to be 20 to 30% harder, predicting elites finishing times of 30-32 hours for the women, and 26-30 hours for the men.

“The major challenges of the route are the relentless ascents and descent and the isolation of some sections of the route. Running at night on these sections is particularly challenging.” The competitors will climb and descend 11,200m.

The course has notable sections, including the newly built longest suspension bridge in the world (494m) on the Europaweg, the crossing of the Teodulo glacier to the border with Italy, the steep Roman Road that reaches the 2900m Turlo pass, and views to numerous 4000m peaks. In addition to the full tour of Monte Rosa, there is a 116km version beginning in Cervinia. Both races also have runners completing the distance in stages, four and three respectively.

A total of 423 athletes from 42 countries will start, divided between the four events.

The arrival of the first 170 Ultra distance runners in Grächen is scheduled for Friday 8 th morning, after about 26 hours of racing. The first competitors of distance 116 are expected at Grachen around 21:00, after about 18 hours.

Around 200 volunteers and alpine guides will be in place ensure the support and safety of the athletes.

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The Ultra Tour Monte Rosa is supported by On and Smartwool.

Who Are On?

On is a young Swiss sports company based in Zurich, Portland (Oregon) and Yokohama (Japan). It has one simple mission: make running fun. A team of sports scientists,world-class athletes and designers spearheads this mantra. On running shoes are winning design and technology distinctions all over the world – most recently the ISPO Product of the Year and Gold Award for the Best Performance Shoes 2017/18. World Champions and elite athletes win constantly in On. On’s ingenious CloudTec sole is patented worldwide. Seven years after market launch, On is available from round about 3’000 specialist running stores and over 50 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific.

About Smartwool

Based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Smartwool is a 24-year-old apparel brand whose products are inspired by living and playing in the mountains. All Smartwool® products come with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and are created to get the most out of the inherent benefits of Merino wool. For information on the full range of Smartwool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto www.smartwool.com . Smartwool, a division of VF Outdoor, LLC, is a brand of VF Corporation. For event and company updates, visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/smartwool and Twitter www.twitter.com/Smartwool.