105KM AND 7’000M+

 

For our 10th anniversary, we wanted to offer our participants a gift. Then we remembered that we are trail organisers. So we created a brand‑new course: 105 km and 7,000 metres of elevation gain.

​

This year, both the start and finish will take place on Montreux’s Market Square. A simple idea on paper. Well… simple until you look at the mountains surrounding the Riviera.

Because no, the alpine character hasn’t disappeared. Quite the opposite.

From the very first metres, runners head straight toward the Rochers de Naye. No warm‑up. No gentle transition. Just nearly 1,700 metres of climbing while the rest of Montreux quietly finishes its morning coffee.

Once at the summit, the Vaud Alps begin their seduction campaign. In the distance, the Hongrin valley and its reservoir offer a spectacular backdrop and a few relatively runnable kilometres.

Emphasis on relatively.

From La Lécherette onward, the mountains quickly take back control.

After the Pra Cornet aid station, the course rises toward the magnificent Lac Lioson, often called the blue pearl of the Vaud Alps. Then comes the ascent of Pic Chaussy, the race’s high point at 2,298 metres.

This is usually where runners begin alternating between awe and internal negotiation.

The descent into the Ormonts valley and the charming village of Vers‑l’Église offers a brief return to civilisation before heading back toward Lac des Chavonnes.

From here, MXTREME regulars will feel a familiar atmosphere. The trails become known again, landmarks reappear, and some may even nostalgically recall the moments when their legs still worked normally.

The almost‑mythical Sépey life base marks an important milestone before moving on to the final act.

And what an act.

Because at the Montreux Trail Festival, we’ve always believed a race should end beautifully, the Malatraix ridges await runners with a final festival of panoramas. In front of them: Lake Geneva, the Alps, and that strange mix of joy, fatigue, and mild confusion about why they signed up in the first place.

But the course still has one last word to say.

Because for us, one visit to Rochers de Naye is good. Two visits is obviously better.

So you’ll head back up one final time before the long descent toward Montreux. The last kilometres gradually guide runners back to the lakeside, the Market Square, and the finish line.

Then comes the true objective of the day:

A plunge into Lake Geneva, right in front of the Freddie Mercury statue.

After 105 kilometres, it’s no longer a tradition. It’s a moral duty… even at night.​