Puglia by UTMB

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Point-to-point from Piazza Pascoli in Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, through the Terra delle Gravine canyons between Basilicata and Puglia: Murgia Materana, Montescaglioso, Ginosa, Laterza, Castellaneta, Palagianello and the Grotte di Sileno, with the last kilometers along the beach at Castellaneta Marina. The event’s other races are Le Maioliche di Laterza (85 km, 2,000 m+, 8:30 AM Saturday from Laterza), Castellaneta Underground Trail (50 km, 1,000 m+, 7:00 AM Sunday), Ginosa Rivolta Trail (35 km, 350 m+, 9:45 AM Sunday) and Costa Verde Trail (10 km, 5:00 PM Saturday).

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• The Sassi of Matera
• Gravine canyons with hypogea and rock churches holding Byzantine frescoes
• Finish along the beach at Castellaneta Marina

White Murgia limestone, canyon trails, centuries-old olive groves and Mediterranean scrub. The course table runs from 388 m at the start to 5 m at the finish, with a high point of 505 m.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

Puglia by UTMB is a UTMB World Series event, not one of UTMB’s four 2026 Majors. I Sassi di Matera is its 100M-category race: the organizer’s FAQ says finishers earn 4 Running Stones and a UTMB Index in that category, and UTMB Live says the top three men and women in the 100M earn direct qualification for the UTMB final at HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc. Each Running Stone counts as one entry in the Finals lottery. Western States lists the race as a new qualifier for its 2027 lottery, with a 27-hour standard. The 2025 edition ran November 7–9; 2026 moves to October.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• 2025 winners (UTMB Live, 145.2 km course): Marek Causidis (Czech Republic), 13:36:37; Anastasia Davydova, 16:35:08

Preparing for a Race Like Puglia by UTMB

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners chasing 4 Running Stones on a low-altitude course
• A Western States qualifier inside the 2027 lottery window

Planning Notes

• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• Poles, if used, must be carried from start to finish and are banned in signed zones
• Mandatory gear can be checked at any time, with penalties up to disqualification
• Earphones must come out at road crossings and checkpoints
• Bib pickup is at the finish town, Castellaneta Marina, not at the Matera start

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist