MTC Abhartach.
The MTC Abhartach runs from Westport to Tobercurry and is day 10 of the 14-day Mount to Coast MizMal. Around 600 metres of climbing over 75 kilometres looks harmless, but the route is not fully waymarked, and the longest gap between checkpoints comes right at the end, when your legs have least to give.
MTC Abhartach 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
It starts at the Westport Woods Hotel & Spa, and the first four kilometres waste no time: three short ramps lift you from about 25 to just over 80 metres. Another wave follows before the first checkpoint at kilometre 14, then the ground settles. The route rises once more around kilometre 25 before falling almost steadily to kilometre 37, the lowest point of the day at only a few metres above sea level.
The second half is built differently. It stays low and close to level until kilometre 46, then pulls up over four kilometres to about 85 metres, the highest point of the race. It never returns to the low ground: the finish at Murphy's Hotel in Tobercurry, County Sligo, sits barely lower, so there is no downhill run-in.
This is a hotel-to-hotel day, and its difficulty lies in length rather than gradient. Almost nothing is steep, and even the brief spike near kilometre 35 is only an episode. What you do have to manage is the line itself, because the route is not fully waymarked. Four supported checkpoints at kilometres 14, 29, 44 and 58 divide it into sections, and the last of these, at 17 kilometres, is the longest.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 0.1 | 0.5 km | 4.1 % | 6.3 % | +21 m | — |
| km 1.6 | 1 km | 3.7 % | 5.4 % | +36 m | — |
| km 3.3 | 1 km | 3 % | 4.3 % | +29 m | — |
| km 34.5 | 0.4 km | 4.1 % | 8.9 % | +17 m | — |
| km 62.3 | 0.6 km | 3.4 % | 4.7 % | +20 m | — |
| km 69.2 | 0.4 km | 3.5 % | 4.5 % | +15 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace MTC Abhartach.
Start under control
Divide the day into the five sections the checkpoints give you rather than into kilometres. The first four each run 14 to 16 kilometres and can be raced on the same sum. The three ramps straight after the start feel like nothing on fresh legs, which is exactly why they belong at the easiest effort of your day.
Hold your rhythm
The race is decided beyond the third checkpoint. The rise from kilometre 46 is not steep on paper, but it comes after ten near-level kilometres in which your muscles have repeated one movement. Take it at a walk or in short steps, get back to running afterwards, and you still have something left for the final 25 kilometres.
Spend what is left
The trap is the long dip before it. Between kilometres 25 and 37 the running comes almost by itself, and nothing forces a walking break the way a mountain would. Time banked here is not kept: you repay it on the closing section, which drifts uphill with no checkpoint left. Also keep any doubt about navigation short, because a wrong turn costs more here than any gradient.
Training plan for MTC Abhartach: 12-week build
Build the base
Expect roughly 8 to 12 hours for the 75 kilometres, depending on your level and how much you walk. The effort is almost entirely steady and aerobic with no real spikes, since less than one percent of the course is steep. What is missing are the forced breaks a mountain ultra supplies through long walking climbs: you spend nearly the whole day in one movement pattern.
Train race pace
Your long runs should aim at exactly that. Put them on rolling, mostly flat ground and let them reach about 40 to 50 kilometres in your main phase. Build in fixed run-walk changes so that you do not discover them only in an emergency, and practise getting back to running after a walking stretch. For a May race, these sessions fall in late winter and spring.
Rehearse the course
Rehearse the deciding phase directly: in the last third of a long run, place a steady four-kilometre rise with at least 15 kilometres still to follow. The height does not matter; what counts is arriving tired and running on at the top.
Arrive fresh
Navigation belongs in the plan as well. The official route arrives about four weeks before race day, so load it onto your watch at once and do several long sessions following a route rather than running by feel. Use them to practise eating and drinking in sections of 14 to 17 kilometres, so you think from checkpoint to checkpoint. If you are running the whole MizMal you reach this day with nine days in your legs, so your preparation needs blocks of many consecutive running days.
Courses
Download the MTC Abhartach course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for MTC Abhartach dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about MTC Abhartach.
How long is MTC Abhartach?
MTC Abhartach is 75.19 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does MTC Abhartach have?
MTC Abhartach has around 624 m of elevation gain over 75.19 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of MTC Abhartach?
MTC Abhartach is classified as Rolling, averaging 8.3 vertical metres per kilometre. 45% of the route is flat, 29% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does MTC Abhartach have?
The hardest climb of MTC Abhartach starts at kilometre 1.6, runs for 1 km at an average of 3.7% and gains 36 metres. 6 climbs are mapped in total.
Is MTC Abhartach a loop course?
No, MTC Abhartach is a point-to-point course: start and finish are in different places.
Is there a GPX file for the MTC Abhartach course?
Yes. The MTC Abhartach course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for MTC Abhartach?
Preparation for MTC Abhartach should account for 75.19 km, 624 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for MTC Abhartach?
The pacing strategy for MTC Abhartach should reflect 75.19 km, 624 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does MTC Abhartach take place?
MTC Abhartach takes place on May 16, 2027.
Where does MTC Abhartach take place?
MTC Abhartach takes place in Westport, Ireland.
How do I register for MTC Abhartach?
Registration runs through the organiser: ultrarunningltd.co.uk. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
