Zugspitz Ultratrail: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

At 16 kilometres with 760 metres of climbing, the Grainau Trail is the shortest race of the Zugspitz Ultratrail, the major trail running festival around Garmisch-Partenkirchen that draws more than 5,000 athletes and belongs to the UTMB World Series. Short does not mean easy here: with 47 vertical metres per kilometre, this point-to-point course is a genuine mountain race in compact form.

The profile splits cleanly in two. After a brief opening, the main climb starts at kilometre 2.5 and gains 422 metres over 2.5 kilometres at an average of nearly 17 percent, with pitches up to 37 percent. A second climb follows almost immediately at kilometre 5.9, adding 240 metres over 1.8 kilometres at around 13 percent. By just past halfway, the climbing is done.

What remains is the descent. More than half of the total distance drops, a quarter of it steeply, and the course finishes a net 50 metres lower than it starts. If you reach the top with something left and descend with clean technique, the second half is where places are won. A compact, intense race beneath the Zugspitze massif.

Pacing Strategy

Over just 16 kilometres the elevation is distributed extremely unevenly, so allocation is everything. After a flat start the main climb hits: around 420 metres over 2.5 kilometres, averaging 17 percent and spiking above 35. This is not a running gradient – hike it briskly and economically, ideally with poles, rather than running it and cooking your quads for the descent.

From the high point near kilometre 7.6 comes the second, equally important part: over 700 metres of technical downhill to the finish. This is where the race is decided – reach the top with controlled legs and you'll flow down; empty yourself on the climb and you'll lose it exactly here.

The typical trap is mistaking the short course for a sprint and arriving at the descent with wrecked quads.

Training plan for Zugspitz Ultratrail: 12-week build

Expect one and a half to three hours depending on your level. The short distance allows an intensity close to threshold, but the profile dictates the rhythm: one hard climbing block in the first half, then one long descent. Both need targeted preparation.

The double climb between kilometres 2.5 and 7.7, totalling more than 650 metres of gain, is where the race is decided. At an average of 17 percent on the first section, strong purposeful hiking usually beats running. Train steep uphill repeats of 10 to 25 minutes in which you deliberately alternate between running and power-hiking, and learn what effort level still leaves you able to run when you crest the top.

The second half belongs to descending. Over half the course drops, partly steeply, and technique counts for more than endurance there: short steps, stable hips, eyes ahead. Schedule regular downhill sessions on trails and progress their length and steepness gradually so your quads and joints adapt to the eccentric load. Runners who first practise descending on race day lose exactly the time the compact climb never gave them a chance to gain.

Support the specific work with leg and trunk strength training and a sound aerobic base. With the race held in June, spring is your window for the mountain-specific sessions, so plan them in weekly.