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.

Schedule

Information before and on race day.

Race Rules

Essential rules for runners and crews.

Mandatory Gear

Required gear for runners to carry at all times.

The following list of gear items are required for all runners to carry on them at all times. This list is considered the bare minimum to be safe on course. We encourage all runners to bring their preferred gear kit in addition to these essentials. We expect you to know what you need in all conditions you might encounter in the high alpine, alone, hungry, wet, cold, in the dark.

Support

Information about official, local, and personal support.

The Ultra Glaralpina has no official aid stations on course and runners must be fully self-reliant between checkpoints. Sections between checkpoints cover up to 45 km of steep, high-alpine terrain, resulting in 10–12 hours of unsupported running between them. Unmanned proofpoints do not provide support and are not accessible to crews.

To support the local community and provide runners with the possibility of getting local support, we allow purchasing food and drinks from the mountain hut acting as our remote proofpoints. This service is subject to availability and opening hours and at the runner's own expense. Typical opening hours of manned mountain huts are between 08:00 – 18:00. We expect runners to treat this opportunity as a gift and not a given. Be kind to the hut care-takers, bring cash, and understand that their schedule might not align with your race. Don’t expect food from huts as part of your fueling strategy, consider it a bonus.

Stashing or dropping supplies, such as gear, food, or water, anywhere on course except at the official crew-access checkpoints is not permitted. We offer drop bag transportation between the checkpoints for all runners, who want to send gear ahead or drop gear off.

Crewing

Instructions for crews supporting the runners.

Without any official aid stations at checkpoints and proofpoints, we consider support from a personal crew to be essential for a chance at success, but our dropbag transportation service allows runners to run the race self-supported. Crew access is available at designated checkpoints only. Here, crews may support their runner with race tactics, medical aid, changing gear, replenishing food, drying and warming in case of wet or cold weather, providing rest and sleep infrastructure like a tent or van, among others.

We ask crews to check in with a race official upon arriving at each checkpoint, so that we can coordinate the use of available space at checkpoints. To keep our impact low on the roads and infrastructure of the communities we’re guests in, we ask all crews to limit their transportation to one car or van only.

We expect all crews to be mindful of the impact their presence has on the environment, people, and animals in the vicinity of our race. Make space for regular life outside the race proceedings, treat residents and officials with utmost respect, be supportive to other runners and crews, leave no trace.

Pacing

Instructions for pacers supporting the runners.

We consider pacers to be essential for a chance at success, but runners are free to run the race solo. Runners may pick up a pacer at the first crew access checkpoint in Elm. Runners may have one pacer on course at a time, joining and leaving exclusively at checkpoints. Pacers may assist with navigation and decision-making but may not carry the runner's water, food, or gear, nor provide any physical or mechanical assistance while on course.

Dropbags

Information about drop bag transfer between checkpoints.

Each runner may bring one drop bag, which will be transported between checkpoints throughout the race. Drop bags must be clearly marked with the runner's name and bib number before the race. They are collected at the race briefing the evening before or the morning of the race. Drop bags should be waterproof, as storage conditions at checkpoints cannot always be guaranteed. Pack accordingly.

Withdrawal

Process of withdrawing from the race.

If a runner withdraws after starting the race, they must inform a race official at one of the official checkpoints. If a runner needs to abandon the race between checkpoints, they must first self-extract from the course and find their way independently to the nearest checkpoint to officially withdraw. The race official will confirm the withdrawal and help coordinate the runner’s return to the start/finish location within their possibilities. Depending on the time of day, state of race, and availability of volunteers, this might take several hours. We will do our best to make you comfortable in the meantime, but we ask for your patience and understanding.

If a runner drops without following the above process, and we send out a search party, they will be responsible for the full cost — up to and including a formal search and rescue mission supported by helicopters, ATVs, and specialized personnel.

Safety

Information about safety infrastructure.

The Ultra Glaralpina runs through remote, high-alpine terrain with limited mobile phone coverage across significant stretches of the course. The course is unmarked. Runners are responsible for their own navigation at all times. There is no dedicated search and rescue team on standby. In the event of an emergency, official rescue services — REGA and the Alpine Air Ambulance (AAA) — cover the race area, but response times may be several hours depending on weather and location. Runners must be prepared to self-manage until help arrives.

All runners are required to carry a satellite communicator as mandatory gear. The race director is reachable via satellite messenger and phone throughout the event, though cell coverage cannot be guaranteed at all points on the course. In a life-threatening emergency, call 112.

Medical

Information about medical support.

There is no dedicated medical team at checkpoints. We will make every reasonable effort to have personnel with first responder training present at manned checkpoints to provide an initial assessment, but this cannot be guaranteed. Definitive medical treatment is available at the Cantonal Hospital Glarus (KSGL), which is within 20–40 minutes by car from all manned checkpoints. Remote proof points are considerably further from medical infrastructure, and runners should factor this into their risk assessment before and during the race.

We recommend carrying a personal first aid kit. At a minimum, consider including blister treatment and foot care supplies, antiseptic wipes and disinfectant, anti-diarrhoeal medication, and an epinephrine auto-injector if you have a known severe allergy and it has been prescribed to you. Runners should also be able to recognise the early symptoms of acute mountain sickness — headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue at elevation — and understand that the appropriate response is descent, not continuation.