Ultra Trail de Madeire (Madeira Ultra)

Once upon a time, a wild island lost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, light-years away from any inhabited land 🏝. Adorned with volcanoes, this island remained unknown to humans for a long time. And you can easily understand why people refused to approach the archipelago… Indeed, the volcanoes 🌋, thewildlife 🦈, and the massive cliffs ⛰ made this island a real nightmare for adventurers who dared to venture there… This island which seems straight out of a Jules Verne novel truly exists! It is Madeira or Madeira , as locals say! It is an island located southwest of the Portugal 🇵🇹, not far from the Morocco and the Canary Islands.

Today famed as the island where CR7 aka Cristiano Ronaldo aka the best player of all time (yes, really ⚽️ !), Madeira is a volcanic island (don’t panic—the last eruption was 7,000 years ago 🌋) that has the peculiarity of being very green compared to other volcanic islands! This is explained because the Portuguese explorers, when they arrived on the island in the 14th century, burned part of the forests to make the land fertile… Result, today the island features a vegetation quite exceptional 🌱. You will have understood, Madeira is a vast playground for trail between sky and earth, perfect for welcoming the adventurer in you!

So, what about this race then? The Ultra Madeira has existed for now 5 years. Held at the beginning of October, the course is redesigned each year but the goal remains the same: give runners the chance to cross Madeira from west to east! A real challenge since 55 km separate the westernmost point of the island from the easternmost! But worry not, several routes are possible: the Ultra Madeira (a trail of 83 km with 3 810 m of D+), the Ultra 50 K (a trail of 50km with 2 000 m of D+), the Trail 30 K (a trail of 30 km with 1360 m of D+), the Trail 15 K (15 km with 340 m of D+), and finally the Mini Trail (a trail of 8 km with 290 m of D+). There is something for every level, even if you’ll find it hard to escape the climbs! On the other hand, regarding weather conditions, they are generally optimal! Madeira is hot all year round! In October, temperatures range from 20°C to 25°C and rain is very rare ☀️! You should stay dry!

The different routes will let you traverse Madère from west to east! The starting point of the Ultra Madeira is set at Ponta do Pargo at the extreme west of the island and the race finishes at Caniçal, a small village known for its colorful fishing boats, seaside promenades, Whale Museum and great fresh fish restaurants. Along your course you will traverse the island’s highest peaks… And beware, it climbs 🧗🏻 ! You will also cross Madeira’s natural park renowned for its fauna and its flora! If you’re lucky, you might even spot the famous Columba trocaz 🦅 — an emblematic bird of this forest and a symbol of Madeira’s natural park. A true sense of place guaranteed, you might feel like you’re on a Caribbean island! Finally, you’ll descend back to sea level in the town of Caniçal, a beautiful seaside village..

L'Ultra Madeira is an international event that attracts every year many runners from around the world. Each coming to share their passion in a truly exceptional place!

In Madeira, there are a lot, a lot, a lot ofhikes to do… The Lombada da Ponta do Sol, the Levada da Ribeira da Janela, the Levada do Alecrim, to name just the most famous! But after such a demanding trail, I imagine your priority won’t be to climb every peak on the island! If you’d like to learn a bit (you never know 😅), you can visit Funchal, the island’s capital. We especially recommend the Santa Maria district. You’ll be able to admire the decorated doors and visit the Farmers’ Market where you’ll find flowers, fish and fruits! You can also go to the Botanical Gardenof Funchal. You’ll take the cable car to reach the city’s heights, a magical spot. You can then descend back to Funchal by taking a shuttle! Finally, you can also discover the island by boat on a excursion to (maybe) have the chance to spot whales and dolphins !

So, are you ready to blast off like Captain Nemo to sail run between sky and earth in Madeira?