The 2023 Tenerife Bluetrail will once again be endorsed by the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc for five of its race categories

The 2023 Tenerife Bluetrail, a race organized by the Tenerife Island Council through the public company Ideco, will once again be endorsed by the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the most prestigious event in the sport, which classifies races based on their distance and elevation gain.

Thus, the Ultra and Trail categories (104 and 73 kilometers, respectively) of the Tenerife race will be included in the 100-kilometer category, while the marathon (44 kilometers) and the second runner in the Trail Relay (48 kilometers) will receive a 50-kilometer credit; this credit will be 20 kilometers for the Half Marathon (24 kilometers) and for the first runner in the Trail Relay (25 kilometers). After finishing the race, runners will receive a UTMB performance index in the corresponding distance category.

The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, considered the world’s most important trail running race, is a mountain ultramarathon held in the Alps that crosses France, Italy, and Switzerland. The main event of this race, which will take place from August 28 to September 3, covers a distance of about 171 kilometers with an elevation gain of about 10,000 meters.

The island’s Sports Minister, Concepción Rivero, emphasizes that the fact that the Tenerife Bluetrail has this international endorsement “is a major draw for runners from all over the world, who also have the opportunity to participate in a unique race, the highest in Spain, which takes place in a setting that is also unique, as is the case with the routes that pass through Teide National Park, a World Heritage Site.”

Rivero explains that the race, which will take place from June 8 to 10, “will debut three new categories this year aimed at families, children, and a course for joëlettes—special wheelchairs adapted for athletes with limited mobility. In total, there will be ten different categories, which will pass through a total of eight municipalities.”

The next edition of the race, for which registration is now open on its website, will have a maximum of 3,400 runners, but the limit on the number of participants crossing Teide National Park and the forested areas remains in place to protect the environment and ensure the quality of the race. The Ultra category will have 500 participants, the same as the Trail category, while the Half and Marathon categories will have 900 and 800 spots, respectively. The Trail Relay category will be reserved for 50 pairs, and the Vertical category has 150 spots. The entry fees set by the organizers range from 10 euros for the Vertical race (if participants also enter another category) to 135 euros for the Ultra. Participation in the Bluetrail Challenge and the joëlette race is free for participants.