UTMB
& IronHikeComparisonOne lap around Mont Blanc.
Or 120+ laps up and down our Mountain.
The most famous trail ultra on EarthWe have enormous respect for UTMB, the most famous trail ultra on Earth and a bucket-list goal for trail runners everywhere. It sends the world’s best on one great loop around Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland. The Olympus Mons Ultra asks a different question: 72,000+ feet up and down one Mountain in 84 hours, with no lottery to get in.
UTMBThe Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc: one 174 km (about 108 miles) loop around Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland: about 9,700 meters (about 31,800 feet) of climbing in 45.5 hours. Entry by lottery.
IronHike Olympus Mons UltraIronHike’s hardest Event: 72,000+ feet of gain and the same back down in 84 hours, on 1.25 to 1.5 mile laps at Mohawk Mountain or on the Amicalola Falls staircase, with no flat miles. Open registration, three Series a year. Three finishers, ever. Veteran-owned and operated.
The honest assessmentIronHike is better on 10, UTMB on 5, and 4 are a tie. UTMB wins on price, scenery, aid stations with hot meals and beds, and the world stage. IronHike wins on the Mountain: more than double the vertical, 84 hours, open registration, and a finishers club of three.
UTMB & Olympus Mons UltraLegend: ✓ Better = Tie ✓ Good – Not offeredUTMB Mont-Blanc
UTMB 174 km
Chamonix - FranceIronHike
Olympus Mons Ultra
All venues - USADistance ✓ 174 km (about 108 miles) ✓ 152.5 to 180 miles Vertical Elevation ✓ 9,700 m (about 31,800 feet) up, and the same down ✓ 72,480 – 72,590 feet, and the same down Vertical Density ✓ About 294 feet per mile ✓ About 403 to 477 feet per mile Duration ✓ 45 hours 30 minutes ✓ 84 hours Location = Chamonix, France, around Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland = Mohawk Mountain, Cornwall, Connecticut and Amicalola Falls, Dawsonville, Georgia Scenery ✓ Around Mont Blanc over high mountain passes up to 2,537 meters (about 8,320 feet) in three countries ✓ The Old Appalachian Trail route in the Litchfield Hills at Mohawk; Amicalola Falls, one of the tallest cascading waterfalls in the eastern US Dates ✓ Once a year, late August ✓ 3 Series a year: spring and fall at Mohawk, December at Amicalola Falls Lap Definition = One loop around Mont Blanc on the Tour du Mont Blanc = 1.25 to 1.5 miles, up & down the Mountain, 120 to 122 laps Registration ✓ Lottery, with a valid UTMB Index required ✓ Open to any Mountain Athlete Price Range ✓ €479 entry, about $546 ✓ $1,260 Solo, $630 each as a Trail Family Cost per Hour ✓ About $12 an hour ✓ $15 an hour Alumni Discount – None listed ✓ Generous Cause-Friendly = Yes: solidarity bibs with a €2,200+ (about $2,500) charity donation skip the lottery = Yes Relays – No. Solo only. ✓ Solo, Trail Buddy or Trail Family FlexRelay Crew ✓ One assistant at certain aid stations, one 30-liter bag ✓ Cadre and up to 6 spectators at Base Camp Trekking Poles = Allowed, carried start to finish = Allowed and recommended on the Mountain; discouraged on the Amicalola Falls stairs Meals and Snacks Included ✓ Food and drink every 10 to 15 km (6 to 9 miles); hot meals, beds and massage at 4 major aid stations ✓ Snacks and hot drinks at Base Camp. Bring your own meals. Finishers Club ✓ 1,664 finishers in 2025 alone ✓ 3 finishers, ever World Stage ✓ The world’s best: fastest time ever, 18:16:29 (Ben Dhiman, 2026) ✓ No podium. Not a race. Scorecard= Tied on 4 of 19 comparisonsUTMB✓ Better = 5✓ Good = 8– Not offered = 2Olympus Mons Ultra✓ Better = 10✓ Good = 5– Not offered = 0We built this comparison from each organizer’s public information, with real respect for every event on it. Scenery and the Better / Tie / Good marks are our own honest judgment, and “Not offered” means not offered to the best of our knowledge. Details change, so check with the organizer before you register, and if you spot something we should update, tell us. We’ll gladly fix it. IronHike is not affiliated with or endorsed by any event on this page. Last checked October 2026.
See the Olympus Mons Ultra 🌋💬 “My calves were burning so bad on the first few laps I didn’t think I was going to make it. Once I got into a groove I could see it was possible.”
— Jack “Quadzilla” Jones · 2nd Olympus Mons Finisher
▲ ▲ ▲We want to see you on our Mountain too!UTMB is the bucket-list event of trail running. If you have run it, or you are building your Index to get there, the Olympus Mons Ultra is the next benchmark: open registration, three Series a year, and a finishers club of three.
Add it to your plans and see what 72,000+ feet of up and down does to legs that already know Mont Blanc.
It’s you versus the whole mountain (up and down) and you against who you were yesterday.
Current EventsPick your Series 🎯12 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 12 laps · 15 miles · 7,140’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 11 laps · 16.5 miles · 6,644’ · 13,288 stairsSee Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 23 laps · 28.75 miles · 13,685’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 22 laps · 33 miles · 13,288’ · 26,576 stairsSee Double Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 24 laps · 30 miles · 14,280’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 24 laps · 36 miles · 14,496’ · 28,992 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Basic48 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 35 laps · 43.75 miles · 20,825’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 34 laps · 51 miles · 20,536’ · 41,072 stairsSee Denali72 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 49 laps · 61.25 miles · 29,155’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 49 laps · 73.5 miles · 29,596’ · 59,192 stairsSee Everest84 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 84 laps · 105 miles · 49,980’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 84 laps · 126 miles · 50,736’ · 101,472 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Full84 Hours · Top 4 Hardest Ultra Events in the World⛰️ Mohawk: 122 laps · 152.5 miles · 72,590’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 120 laps · 180 miles · 72,480’ · 144,960 stairsSee Olympus Mons Ultra💬 “The hardest thing I’ve ever done. It took me three attempts to finish it.”
— Jason Dow · 3rd Olympus Mons Finisher
❓ Get your questions answered here.
Training, gear, tenting, night laps, what to expect at Mohawk and Amicalola, and plenty more. Or ask your own.
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