Ultra Glaralpina
Mountain Endurance Run
The Ultra Glaralpina is a unique ultra trail running challenge in the Swiss Alps. A single, continuous loop of singletrack, high in the alpine, traversing the most spectacular terrain of the mythical canton of Glarus. 160 kilometers distance with 12’000 meters of elevation gain. Self-supported, self-navigated, self-reliant. For the ones seeking solace in adversity.
Under active development
The Ultra Glaralpina is under development for the first edition in 2027. Nothing is confirmed yet — the course, logistics, and permitting are still being worked through. If you'd like to follow the process as it unfolds, leave your email and we'll keep you in the loop.
The Race
A journey of suffering and discovery for the dedicated few.
The Ultra Glaralpina is dedicated to experienced mountain endurance athletes, seeking a pure, wild, and tough challenge outside the mainstream. It provides uncertainty, unpredictability, and a high chance of failure by design. A chance to test yourself against the elements. We expect you to be self-reliant for vast stretches of the course, carrying all the gear and fuel needed to stay safe and moving.
Race Setting
- Mindset
- Minimal infrastructure, low impact, humans first.
- Level
- This is your doctoral dissertation, not your bachelor's degree.
- Support
- No aid stations. Personal crews and dropbags only.
- Safety
- Self-reliance, rescue services limited.
The Course
An unrelenting, unforgiving route through the Glarus Alps.
The Ultra Glaralpina is a single, continuous loop of singletrack, high in the alpine, traversing the most spectacular terrain of the mythical canton of Glarus. The route covers the core of the Via Glaralpina, a long-distance trail circumnavigating Glarus. On your journey, you will climb ten summits and passes, oversee alpine lakes and creeks, and visit the famed mountain huts of the Alps. This course was designed to experience the highlights of the area in a clean line.
Course Conditions
- Waypoints
- 5 manned checkpoints and 9 remote proofpoints.
- Navigation
- No course markings, strictly self-navigation.
- Terrain
- Technical mountain terrain (class 2–4; T2–T6).
- Weather
- Extended alpine weather exposure.
Race Entry
We don't want your money, but we expect your dedication.
The Ultra Glaralpina is not a sanctioned race and we do not ask for an entry fee. But we can't accept every person who wants to run it. The start race is small, selected, and limited to 20 spots. It's our responsibility to review and verify runner applications to ensure you have the mindset and skillset necessary for a chance at success. We consider this safe-keeping, not gate-keeping. We appreciate your trust and understanding.
Entry Requirements
- Entry Fee
- Free. Invest in your gear, not our entry fee.
- Experience
- Experience in ultrarunning, mountaineering, or adventure racing.
- Qualification
- Completed at least one mountain ultramarathon of 160km length.
- Application
- Submission and review of running résumé.
Our Story
By mountain runners, for moutain runners.
The Ultra Glaralpina is organized by and for mountain runners, who seek the extraordinary without the fanfare. We run ultras not for the medals, money, or media. We run them for the places they take us, both outside in nature and inside our soul. We run them because they replenish us, despite feeling empty and broken. In a world full of comfort and control, ultra running exposes us to a high risk of failure. But with that risk comes the hope of achieving something remarkable.
Our goal with organizing the Ultra Glaralpina is to share this experience with others. In a place we deeply love and respect. We wanted to create a race that we would crave to run ourselves and that we would be proud to have in our neighborhood. Showcasing some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in a lesser known part of the Alps that deserves attention and admiration. With the Via Glaralpina, a long-distance trail around the entire Glarus region, we found the perfect foundation for our course.