MCC course map and aid stations

From the Swiss vineyards at Martigny-Combe to the finish in Chamonix, over the Col de la Forclaz and the Col de Balme

2027 dates not announced yet, usually in August Martigny-Combe, Switzerland to Chamonix, France

The MCC is the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc race for the people who live around the mountain and the ones who work the event. Most bibs go to residents of the Mont-Blanc area, UTMB volunteers and the event's partners. It runs entirely in daylight on the Monday of race week, so volunteers can race and still work their shifts later in the week. It was first run in 2018.

The course starts in Martigny-Combe in the Swiss canton of Valais and climbs to the Col de la Forclaz, then on to the Col de Balme on the French border. From there it drops through the hamlets of the upper Chamonix valley to Argentière and runs down the valley to the finish in Chamonix.

The map shows the 2026 course, which the organizer published and the race ran. The 2027 course isn't out yet. You have to carry a phone anyway, so put the map on it before race day: it shows where you are with or without a signal, and how far it is to the next food.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with MCC. Check the official site before you enter or race.

MCC course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

Download the MCC map to your phone

Save it in Goat Maps for a recce or race day. GPS shows where you are even without a signal.

Open in web map

MCC courses

Course	Distance	Climbing	Start	Time limit
MCC	38.7 km (24 mi)	2,300 m (7,546 ft)	Mon, Aug 24, 10:00 AM	10 h

Start times are the 2026 edition's.

MCC MCC

Martigny-Combe to Chamonix over the Col de la Forclaz and the Col de Balme

Distance: 38.7 km (24 mi)
Climbing: 2,300 m (7,546 ft)
Start: Mon, Aug 24, 10:00 AM
Time limit: 10 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

From the start in Martigny-Combe at 506 m you climb about 1,000 m in the first 7.6 km to the Col de la Forclaz, the first food stop. The second climb takes you to the Col de Balme at 2,202 m, 17.4 km in, where there are drinks but no food.

After the col it's mostly downhill: past Le Tour, a timing point with no supplies, to Argentière at 27.8 km for food, then down the valley past La Joux to the finish in Chamonix. Plan your food for the 20.2 km from the Col de la Forclaz to Argentière, since the Col de Balme only has drinks. The organizer's 2026 course data measures 38.7 km and 2,300 m of climbing.

aid stations

km	Where	Cutoff
0	Martigny-Combe (start)
7.6	Col de la Forclaz	Mon 12:45
17.4	Col de Balme (drinks)	Mon 15:45
27.8	Argentière	Mon 18:00
38.7	Chamonix (finish)	Mon 20:30

Two walkers on the path along the Dranse near Martigny-Croix, under pines with terraced vineyards beyond — Alain Rouiller / Unsplash

Who can enter

In 2026 the organizer split the bibs like this: 58% for local residents (40% for the Mont-Blanc communes and their inter-municipal communities, 18% for Savoie, Haute-Savoie, the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley), 30% for the event's volunteers, 10% for its partners and 2% for journalists and influencers. You don't need a Running Stone or a UTMB Index to pre-register. Elite runners get no priority.

Since 2026 the local places have been drawn by lottery. Volunteers keep their priority and go through their team leader instead of the draw.

The 2026 fee was €105 for locals and partners and €77 for volunteers, plus an 8% administration fee. The bus to the start is included. Entries can't be transferred or refunded, unless the regulations say otherwise.

Getting to the start in Martigny-Combe

You can't drive to the start. Martigny-Combe has very little parking, so MCC runners have to take the UTMB Mobility shuttles, which in 2026 left from Cluses, Sallanches, Le Fayet, Les Contamines, Chamonix and the Chamonix valley. Swiss residents are exempt, as are runners who spend the night before in Switzerland and upload proof of their lodging. Skipping the shuttle when you're required to ride it costs an hour. The ride is free with the QR code on your bib, but you have to book a seat in MyUTMB: in 2026 bookings ran from May 9 to July 12 at 11:59 PM, with none on site.

Chamonix is about an hour and a half from Geneva airport and two and a half from Lyon Saint-Exupéry. The organizer asks you not to rent a car: buses and trains cover the valley.

Following a runner

No one can help you anywhere on the MCC. Assistance outside the authorized zones costs 30 minutes, and having someone run with you outside the marked spectator zones near the aid stations costs 10 minutes each time a marshal sees it.

Friends who want to watch can follow the MCC only on the UTMB Mobility coaches. The MCC pass was €26 for one adult in 2026, sold from June 9 to July 12, with nothing sold on site. The roads to the Col de la Forclaz, Trient and Vallorcine are closed to private cars during the races, though Vallorcine is still reachable on the Mont-Blanc Express train.

Weather and kit

Flower-filled balconies on a hotel in Chamonix, with the church tower and a mountain ridge behind — Omotolani Badara / Unsplash

In August, Chamonix averages a high of 23.1°C and a low of 8.7°C (Météo-France normals, 1981 to 2010). The organizer warns that the month can top 30°C, or drop to -10°C above 2,000 m, with rain, hail or snow.

The 2026 kit list for the MCC has no headlamp, warm layer, beanie or gloves. You still carry your ID, a hooded waterproof jacket and waterproof overpants, a survival blanket, a whistle, at least 1 liter of water, a 15 cl cup, a food reserve, an elastic bandage and a cap, bandana or neck gaiter, all in a running pack. The organizer can add items such as a warm layer if the forecast calls for it. Your phone needs the LiveTrail app and roaming in all three countries; switching it off or onto airplane mode costs 15 minutes.

MCC aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

Martigny-Combe (start)

506 m (1,660 ft)

46.08651, 7.05591
Col de la Forclaz

1,532 m (5,026 ft)

46.05781, 7.00198
Col de Balme (drinks)

2,202 m (7,224 ft)

46.02834, 6.96710
Argentière

1,255 m (4,117 ft)

45.98412, 6.92705
Chamonix (finish)

1,035 m (3,396 ft)

45.92359, 6.86915

MCC FAQ

When is the MCC 2027?

The 2027 date hadn't been announced when this page was checked. The 2026 MCC started at 10:00 AM on Monday, August 24, in Martigny-Combe, the first day of HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc race week (August 24 to 30).

Who can run the MCC?

Mostly residents of the Mont-Blanc area and the regions around it, plus UTMB volunteers and the event's partners, who share the bibs between them. No Running Stone or UTMB Index is needed.

How long is the MCC, and what is the time limit?

The organizer calls it 40 km; its 2026 course data measures 38.7 km and 2,300 m of climbing, though the race page's headline gives 2,350 m. The time limit is 10 hours. The start goes in waves and the limit counts from the last wave, which left at 10:30 AM in 2026, so the finish cutoff in Chamonix was 8:30 PM.

Do you need a headlamp for the MCC?

The 2026 kit chart doesn't list one for the MCC, which runs entirely in daylight. The regulations' penalty table, which the MCC shares with the OCC and ETC, still lists having no headlamp as grounds for disqualification, so check the kit page before you pack. A waterproof jacket with a hood, waterproof overpants and a phone are on the list either way.

Do you get Running Stones for finishing the MCC?

Yes. In 2026 an MCC finish was worth 2 Running Stones, and finishers get a UTMB Index in the race category.

Who won the MCC in 2026?

Gatien Airiau won the men's race and Noemie Lepoutre the women's.

Try Goat Maps free.

Topo and satellite maps, slope angle shading, public land, track recording, waypoints and GPX import are free. Membership adds offline maps and the route planner for $29.99 a year.

Or open the web map

Updated October 15, 2026. An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.