RacesAtlantic Islands

Destination100KLottery

MIUT

Demand

5 out of 5

How much it asks

Worth

5 out of 5

Worth the flight + fee

Madeira, Portugal

Pico Ruivo from Pico do Areeiro, Madeira highlands Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Scorecard · is it worth it?

Worth the flight if the mountains match what you want.

The card

MIUT is the Madeira 115K that earns 5 and 5 without being an icon name. Demand is 5 because 115 kilometers with on the order of 7,100 meters of climb, with steps, ridges, levadas, a night start, and Atlantic weather, is a mountain ultra at the top of the scale even though the distance label is 100K. Altitude is a 2. Pico Ruivo is not a 14er. The steps are the altitude. Technicality is a 5. Vertical is a 5. People who trained on rolling 100Ks find out on the first long descent.

Worth is 5 because Madeira does not have a mainland substitute. Laurel forest, knife ridges, Atlantic drop-offs, a compact island that still takes all night. Destination, not icon: icon in this catalog is a name that still means something after the expo lights go off for people who do not already live in the sport. MIUT is famous among people who like this sport. That is destination 5, not a slight. Organization confidence is medium. madeiraultratrail.com is the public face.

The next date is not yet posted by the RD. Transvulcania is the other Atlantic volcanic card, shorter, worth 5, demand 4. Diagonale is the icon in another ocean. If you wanted Chamonix, look at CCC. If you wanted an island 100K that is actually a mountain, this is the one. We are not going to call it an icon to inflate a catalog. We are not going to call it regional because it is an island. Fly if you wanted this. Stay home if you wanted a path.

Who it is for

Technical mountain ultra runners who want a 115K that climbs like a 100, on an Atlantic island that does not look like Colorado or Chamonix.

Who should skip

Anyone who wanted a runnable island 100K, or a first mountain 100K. MIUT is not the gentle Atlantic vacation race.

Elevation

Tap or hover for miles, clock, and aidft

Night = sunset 9:44pm to sunrise 8:28am at the start (Apr 24), mid splits.

Bottom ticks are aid. Longest gap 9.0 mi.

Course line from official GPX. Dots are aid. Tap or hover for mile, elevation, and clock.

Finisher pace · 2026

Median finishers (~50th percentile of 581 finishers). Not a predicted you. · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Fanal 7.6 mi
Aid–aid
2.5 h
Elapsed
2.5 h
Clock
2:29 am +1d
1.0 h slack
Chão da Ribeira 12.6 mi
Aid–aid
1.4 h
Elapsed
3.9 h
Clock
3:53 am +1d
1.4 h slack
Estanquinhos 18.6 mi
Aid–aid
2.6 h
Elapsed
6.5 h
Clock
6:29 am +1d
2.8 h slack
Chão dos Louros 27.3 mi
Aid–aid
2.8 h
Elapsed
9.3 h
Clock
9:17 am +1d
3.2 h slack
Curral das Freiras 36.3 mi
Aid–aid
3.7 h
Elapsed
13.0 h
Clock
12:59 pm +1d
3.5 h slack
Pico Ruivo 43.1 mi
Aid–aid
3.8 h
Elapsed
16.8 h
Clock
4:47 pm +1d
3.7 h slack
Chão da Lagoa 49.1 mi
Aid–aid
2.1 h
Elapsed
18.9 h
Clock
6:53 pm +1d
4.6 h slack
Portela 56.5 mi
Aid–aid
2.1 h
Elapsed
21.0 h
Clock
8:59 pm +1d
5.5 h slack
Larano 59.7 mi
Aid–aid
1.2 h
Elapsed
22.2 h
Clock
10:11 pm +1d
6.8 h slack
Machico 67.7 mi
Aid–aid
2.6 h
Elapsed
24.8 h
Clock
12:47 am +2d
7.2 h slack

Miles	Station	Aid–aid	Elapsed	Clock
7.6	Fanal	2.5 h	2.5 h	2:29 am +1d1.0 h slack
12.6	Chão da Ribeira	1.4 h	3.9 h	3:53 am +1d1.4 h slack
18.6	Estanquinhos	2.6 h	6.5 h	6:29 am +1d2.8 h slack
27.3	Chão dos Louros	2.8 h	9.3 h	9:17 am +1d3.2 h slack
36.3	Curral das Freiras	3.7 h	13.0 h	12:59 pm +1d3.5 h slack
43.1	Pico Ruivo	3.8 h	16.8 h	4:47 pm +1d3.7 h slack
49.1	Chão da Lagoa	2.1 h	18.9 h	6:53 pm +1d4.6 h slack
56.5	Portela	2.1 h	21.0 h	8:59 pm +1d5.5 h slack
59.7	Larano	1.2 h	22.2 h	10:11 pm +1d6.8 h slack
67.7	Machico	2.6 h	24.8 h	12:47 am +2d7.2 h slack

Local clock derived from published start + finisher splits, not a forecast.

Finishers only (DNFs missing, so the real back of the field is slower).

Start: 60 ft18 m
Finish: 23 ft7 m
Net: −37 ft−11 m
Longest climb: 3,875 ft1,181 m

Start and finish are within 400 ft. Treat net as a loop.

Weekend

Official handbook facts

Start: 23:59
Kit: Required · Jacket, 1 L, blanket, whistle, phone, 2 lights, red rear light, cup/bowl.
Course file: Open

23:59 start is the product.

MIUT Legend race page / regulations · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Climate

Typical April at the start area · historical race-week weather

Typical high: 48°F (9°C)
Typical low: 37°F (3°C)
Typical precip: 2.8 in (70 mm) / April
Days with rain: 41% of days
High point: 6,109 ft (1,862 m)

BewareRain on race weekend in 2 of the last 3 years.

2015–2024 April means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)

Dimensions

Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.

Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium

Distance & format

How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask?

115 km of Madeira with a night start. A 100K that behaves like a mountain 100.

Vertical

How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker?

On the order of 7,100 m of climb in 115 km. Density is brutal.

Technicality

Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road?

Steps, ridges, levadas, technical descents. Hands and poles, not a path 100K.

Climate

Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon?

Late April: Atlantic humidity, rain, wind on the high ridges, heat in the south.

Altitude

Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point?

Pico Ruivo is under 2,000 m. The air is not the weapon. The steps are.

Logistics

How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules?

Island flight, a compact race that still asks for a plan. Easier than Réunion, not a drive-up 50K.

Prestige & field

Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like?

A serious European mountain-trail field on an island. Not an icon name outside the sport.

Organization

From public evidence, does the event look competently run?

Mature Madeira ultra, public, practiced. Medium-high from the public record.

Value

Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course.

A long-haul or a cheap European island hop depending on where you live.

Adventure & scenery

Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score?

Laurel forest, ridges, Atlantic drop-offs. Madeira is the reason.

Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
Dimension	Score	Why
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask?	5 out of 5	115 km of Madeira with a night start. A 100K that behaves like a mountain 100.
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker?	5 out of 5	On the order of 7,100 m of climb in 115 km. Density is brutal.
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road?	5 out of 5	Steps, ridges, levadas, technical descents. Hands and poles, not a path 100K.
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon?	4 out of 5	Late April: Atlantic humidity, rain, wind on the high ridges, heat in the south.
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point?	2 out of 5	Pico Ruivo is under 2,000 m. The air is not the weapon. The steps are.
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules?	4 out of 5	Island flight, a compact race that still asks for a plan. Easier than Réunion, not a drive-up 50K.
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like?	4 out of 5	A serious European mountain-trail field on an island. Not an icon name outside the sport.
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run?	4 out of 5	Mature Madeira ultra, public, practiced. Medium-high from the public record.
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course.	4 out of 5	A long-haul or a cheap European island hop depending on where you live.
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score?	5 out of 5	Laurel forest, ridges, Atlantic drop-offs. Madeira is the reason.