Ultra-Trail Shudao by UTMB 2026: Dates, Course & Entry

Event Overview

Listed edition overview
Date	Nov 6-7, 2026
Location	Guangyuan, Sichuan, China
Format	Fixed-Distance
Terrain	Mountain
Region	Asia
Distance / duration	104 km
Course model	Point-to-point
Edition note	Registration is closed for all four races (checked October 20, 2026), although the registration page still carries a “Registration OPEN – 2026” line. The DSD 100K starts at 9:00 PM on Friday, November 6, at Dashudao Buye Sanguo Town and must reach Zhaohua Ancient Town by 11:00 PM Saturday. The race header gives 104 km and 3,800 m, but the official aid-station table ends at 97.1 km with 3,709 m of climbing, and the course text still names Jiange Stadium as the start. UTMB Live listed the event as “coming soon” on October 20; its 2026 tracking page was not yet published.
Elevation gain	3,800 m (3,709 m in the aid-station table)
Elevation loss	3,743 m (aid-station table)
Cutoff	26 hours (finish by 11:00 PM Saturday). Time barriers: Chayuangou (km 17.6) 2:00 AM, Yinxi Village (km 29.4) 5:00 AM, Shuhan Courier Station (km 44.9) 9:30 AM, South Gate of Jianmen Pass (km 65.6) 3:00 PM, Gaomiaopu (km 75.8) 6:00 PM and Shanshui Rural Family Inn (km 87.9) 9:00 PM, all on Saturday.
Start	9:00 PM Friday at Dashudao Buye Sanguo Town
Highlights	Ancient Shu Roads, 9:00 PM Friday Start

Course & Terrain

Point to point along the old Shu Roads between Jiange and Zhaohua, from Dashudao Buye Sanguo Town past Chaotianping, the Cuiyun Corridor and the south gate of Jianmen Pass to Zhaohua Ancient Town. The event also has a 70.5 km CSD 70K and a 42 km MSD 50K on Saturday, November 7, and a 21.5 km ESD 20K on Sunday, November 8, all starting in Zhaohua Ancient Town.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

Twin peaks of Jianmen Pass
Ancient cypress forest of the Cuiyun Corridor
Terraced fields of Chaotianping
Zhaohua Ancient Town finish

The organizer describes moss-covered flagstone post roads from the Qin Dynasty and winding bamboo-forest trails with sharp changes in elevation. The course stays between about 460 m and 1,100 m above sea level.

Entry & Logistics

Listed qualification and support details
Registration and fees	Check the official event website for current availability, deadlines, prices, taxes, and refund terms.
Qualification	Entry needs a complete MyUTMB account. Residents of China register through a Chinese platform and international runners through UTMB’s registration site. No UTMB Index or qualifying race is listed for the DSD 100K.
Support model	Nine aid points between start and finish. Chayuangou, Yinxi Village, Chaotianping and the Cuiyun Corridor serve hot food, and the finish has food and a rest area. Aid stations supply still water and sports drink for refills only, so runners carry what they need between them.
Crew / pacers	One assistant per runner, only at Shuhan Courier Station (km 44.9) and the South Gate of Jianmen Pass (km 65.6), inside the zone from 500 m before to 500 m after the aid station. Runners may not be accompanied on the course outside the marked zones near aid stations.
Drop bags	Runners get a UTMB World Series bag at pack collection. The aid-station table marks Shuhan Courier Station (km 44.9) as the drop-bag point, and bags must be collected within two hours of the end of the race.
Logistics note	The nearest airport is Guangyuan Panlong (GYS), about 20 minutes by road from Zhaohua and an hour from Jiange. From Chengdu, high-speed trains reach Guangyuan in about 1 hour 10 minutes at best; Jianmenguan Station is closest to the Jiange scenic area. The organizer runs shuttle buses on November 6, 7 and 8, booked through a QR code on its travel page.

Why This Race Matters

Ultra-Trail Shudao by UTMB is a UTMB World Series event in Guangyuan, northern Sichuan, first held in November 2025. The DSD 100K is its longest race, sits in the UTMB 100K category and awards 3 Running Stones. UTMB says the top three men and women in the 50K, 100K and 100M categories at World Series events win a place at the UTMB World Series Finals.

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

2025 men’s winner: Tao Luo (China), 8:56:47
2025 women’s winner: Yalan Wu (China), 11:10:44

Preparing for a Race Like Ultra-Trail Shudao 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 collecting Running Stones in China
Runners who want to practise a full night on course

Planning Notes

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.
The 9:00 PM Friday start means the whole first night is run before any daylight.
Missing safety gear (water, hooded waterproof jacket, torch, survival blanket or smartphone) means disqualification; other missing items cost a one-hour penalty.
Distance and start sources disagree; use the final runner guide and GPX on race week.

Event FAQs

When does the Ultra-Trail Shudao 100K start in 2026?

The DSD 100K starts at 9:00 PM on Friday, November 6, 2026, at Dashudao Buye Sanguo Town, and runners have 26 hours, until 11:00 PM Saturday, to reach Zhaohua Ancient Town. The shorter races start in Zhaohua on November 7 and 8.

How long is the Shudao 100K?

The organizer bills it as 104 km with 3,800 m of climbing. Its own aid-station table, though, ends at 97.1 km with 3,709 m. In 2025 UTMB measured the first edition at 99.7 km with 3,330 m from Jiange Sports Center, so the course has changed.

Who won Ultra-Trail Shudao by UTMB in 2025?

Tao Luo of China won the first DSD 100K on November 8, 2025, in 8:56:47, ahead of Jianjian Yang (9:00:35). Yalan Wu of China was the first woman in 11:10:44, sixth overall. These times were set on the 99.7 km 2025 course and are not records for the new route.

How do I get to Ultra-Trail Shudao?

Fly to Guangyuan Panlong Airport, or fly to Chengdu and take the high-speed train to Guangyuan. The organizer runs shuttle buses to the starts from November 6 to 8.

Verification & Sources

Verification scope: the listed edition's date, location, format, and available logistics were checked against the event-specific official sources below during the directory review dated October 20, 2026. Organizers can revise details after review.

Official DSD 100K race page and aid-station table — https://shudao.utmb.world/races/100K
Official event homepage with race list and registration status — https://shudao.utmb.world/
Official Chinese DSD 100K page — https://shudao.utmb.world/zh-Hans/races/100K
Official rules and regulations — https://shudao.utmb.world/runners/rules-regulation
Official registration overview — https://shudao.utmb.world/registrations
Official travel and shuttle information — https://shudao.utmb.world/destination/plan-your-trip
Official UTMB World Series page, including Finals access rules — https://shudao.utmb.world/utmb-world-series
UTMB World Series events list — https://utmb.world/utmb-world-series-events
UTMB Index: 2025 DSD 100K results — https://utmb.world/utmb-index/races/54814.ultra-trailshudaobyutmbdsd100k.2025
Official results — https://utmb.world/utmb-index/races/54814.ultra-trailshudaobyutmbdsd100k.2026
Multiday Running event directory review scope: October 20, 2026.