Grand Raid Ventoux by UTMB returns to the Provençal village of Malaucène from 24 to 26 April 2026 with a 4,000-runner field that sold out in under 48 hours, setting a registration record for the event. Now in its fourth UTMB-branded edition, the race uses the imposing silhouette of Mont Ventoux — the 1,910-metre "Giant of Provence" made famous by the Tour de France — as the centrepiece of a four-distance programme that runs from a Sunday-morning 26km to a 125km ultra that pushes into a second night on the hill.
The flagship Ultra Géant de Provence covers 125km with 5,700m of positive elevation gain and departs Malaucène on Friday 24 April. The route traces a looping circumnavigation through Le Groseau, the Saint-Sidoine Chapel and the Toulourenc Gorges before striking up the classic north face to the Ventoux summit. A technical descent drops runners to Lac du Paty and the fortified village of Le Barroux, and a late-race traverse of the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail delivers the field into Gigondas wine country before the final pull back to Malaucène. As with previous editions, the race is a UTMB World Series qualifier offering Running Stones for the UTMB Mont-Blanc lottery.
The 87km Grande Épopée Ventoux starts on Saturday 25 April with 4,200m of climbing. It follows much of the same skyline as the Ultra but takes a more direct approach to Ventoux, while the reworked 51km Mistral Marathon Trail has been extended for 2026 to include the summit for the first time, joining the 100M and 100K formats in tagging the top of the mountain. A gentler 26km Trail des Coteaux is scheduled for Sunday 26 April, winding through Dentelles vineyards and finishing in the centre of Malaucène ahead of the main prize-giving. The four courses are designed to be stackable, with a small group of runners each year attempting the "Grand Chelem Ventoux" double or triple.
The international elite field is headlined by a returning Mistral Marathon champion and a handful of UTMB World Series regulars, with several Grande Course des Alpes alumni treating the event as an early-season sharpener before Western States, Marathon du Mont-Blanc and UTMB Mont-Blanc itself. Course records on all four distances are considered vulnerable in dry conditions, though the spring Mistral wind has a history of upending expectations at the summit — 2024 organisers were forced to reroute off the peak when gusts exceeded safe thresholds on the radar station ridge.
Logistically, Malaucène transforms into a full race village from Thursday afternoon, with the UTMB Live broadcast running continuously across the three competition days and a dedicated supporters' plan that includes shuttle buses to the key mid-course aid stations at Chalet Reynard and Gigondas. Runners can expect cool nights at altitude followed by warm, dry afternoons in the valleys — classic Provençal spring. With registration already closed and the elite draw set, Grand Raid Ventoux 2026 arrives as one of Europe's most anticipated early-season ultra weekends.