2016 Ultra-Trail World Tour Schedule Announced

The 2016 Ultra-Trail World Tour Schedule.

By on November 5, 2015 | Comments

Ultra-Trail World TourThe second year of the Ultra-Trail World Tour concluded today with an awards ceremony honoring top 2015 finishers and an announcement of the 2016 tour.

2016 Ultra-Trail World Tour Schedule

In 2016, the UTWT will consist of 12 races:

Changes to the UTWT schedule and structure for 2016 seem minimal.

Next year sees the addition of Portugal’s Madeira Island Ultra Trail. Madeira Island Ultra Trail was treated as a ‘future’ race during last year’s circuit, receiving publicity and attention from the UTWT, but it wasn’t included as a scoring race for the tour. For 2016, it’s fully included in the tour.

Like for 2015, there will be five UTWT Series races among those 12 races included in the tour during which competitors can earn extra points. The 2015 Series races, Transgrancanaria, Marathon des Sables, Ultra-Trail Australia, UTMB, and Diagonale des Fous, remain the Series races for 2016.

‘Future’ UTWT Races

There are at least six more races being considered as ‘future’ UTWT races. We think this means that they will be treated in 2016 as Madeira was this year, that they are being considered for full inclusion in the tour in 2017 and beyond. Here are the six ‘future’ UTWT races:

We also understand that the UTWT may announce up to three more ‘future’ races this fall, but that those can’t yet be confirmed.

Call for Comments

  • Did you participate in the Ultra-Trail World Tour in 2015? If so, what did you think?
  • What are your thoughts on the 2016 UTWT schedule?
  • Are you tempted to try one of these races?
Meghan Hicks

Meghan Hicks is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar. She’s been running since she was 13 years old, and writing and editing about the sport for around 15 years. She served as iRunFar’s Managing Editor from 2013 through mid-2023, when she stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief. Aside from iRunFar, Meghan has worked in communications and education in several of America’s national parks, was a contributing editor for Trail Runner magazine, and served as a columnist at Marathon & Beyond. She’s the co-author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running with Bryon Powell. She won the 2013 Marathon des Sables, finished on the podium of the Hardrock 100 Mile in 2021, and has previously set fastest known times on the Nolan’s 14 mountain running route in 2016 and 2020. Based part-time in Moab, Utah and Silverton, Colorado, Meghan also enjoys reading, biking, backpacking, and watching sunsets.