Houffa Trail: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

Start and finish are at the Hotel Vayamundo above Houffalize, and the first thing the course does is climb for almost a kilometre and a half at around eight percent. From there it follows the Ourthe valleys through Nadrin and Maboge to La Roche-en-Ardenne and returns in a wide loop. Nine tenths of it is trail, forest path and singletrack, the rest links the villages.

There is no single big mountain. Instead the course climbs and drops without pause: ramps of 70 to 120 metres at kilometres 5, 21, 33, 39 and 54, a few pitches beyond 25 percent, and descents just as steep into the next valley. Only about a seventh of the route is flat. In January the paths are usually wet and the organiser warns explicitly about mud; add cold, a short day and, for many, a finish by headlamp.

Pacing Strategy

With this many short ramps the race is not decided on one hill but on the sum of them. Walk the steep pitches early and without discussion, even when they only last two minutes, and keep the running on the flat sections relaxed. Running every ramp in the first hour gets paid back after La Roche.

The second half is the real test: from kilometre 40 the climbs arrive on tired legs, the descents are slippery in the mud, and the light goes. Schedule eating and drinking between the five aid stations, because cold blunts thirst, and have your headlamp ready before you need it.

Training plan for Houffa Trail: 12-week build

For most amateur runners the Houffa 70 means nine to twelve hours on the move, mostly at low intensity but with hundreds of short strength efforts uphill and eccentric loading downhill. Aerobic endurance over many hours is the foundation, not speed.

Build long runs of four to six hours on rolling forest terrain, ideally with many short, steep climbs rather than one long one. Practise fast hiking uphill and controlled descending on tired legs; strength work for the thighs and hips protects the last third. A back-to-back weekend with two long sessions simulates the late race well.

The conditions are part of the training: run in winter in the wet, the cold and the dark, test shoes with real grip in mud, your rain and wind layers and a headlamp over several hours. Practise eating regularly in the cold as well.