Puglia by UTMB - Trail Running

Puglia by UTMB takes runners on a wild crossing of southern Italy, from the ancient cave dwellings of Matera through the dramatic karst canyons of the Terra delle Gravine, finishing on the golden beaches of Castellaneta Marina. Five distances range from a coastal 10K to an epic 144K through Mediterranean wilderness.

Puglia by UTMB is the newest jewel of the UTMB World Series, a journey across the heel of Italy that links two UNESCO wonders to the warm waters of the Ionian Sea. Born in 2025, the race starts in the Sassi di Matera, the prehistoric cave city of Basilicata, and traces a wild line south through the Terra delle Gravine Regional Natural Park before reaching the finish on the dunes of Castellaneta Marina.

The terrain is unique in Europe. Runners follow narrow singletracks along the rims of the gravine, deep karst canyons carved into the Murgia plateau and considered among the largest on the continent. The course passes ancient rock churches frescoed in medieval times, hilltop villages perched above the ravines, and groves of holm oak, fragrant maquis, and ancient olive trees. Five distances welcome every kind of trail runner: 144 km with 3,800 m of climb, 85 km, 50 km, 35 km, and a flat 10 km on the coast.

What makes Puglia by UTMB special is the contrast. From the silence of Matera at dawn to the wind in the canyons, from rural sanctuaries lost in the scrub to the Mediterranean light bouncing off the sea at the finish, every kilometre tells a different story of this corner of southern Italy. It is a race for runners who want to discover Apulia at its most authentic, where wild nature, archaeology, and Magna Graecia heritage all share the same trail.