Elephant 100 - Course Data, Elevation and Cutoffs
Elephant 100 is the 100 km race of Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB, with around 5,500 m of elevation gain from Wat Nhong Bua Noi in the Mae Taeng valley to Chiang Mai PAO Park. The overall cutoff is 28 hours, and it counts as a 100K in the UTMB Index.
Course profile
- Next edition
- Fri 4 Dec 2026 · 08:00
- Distance
- 100 km
- Elevation gain
- 5,500 m
- Elevation loss
- 5,545 m
- Cutoff
- 28h
- Typical winning time
- ~9h15
Elephant 100 joins the Chiang Dao 160 course at Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi, about 20 km in, and shares everything from there to the finish - so it is the same terrain over a distance most runners can cover in a single night out. Around 55 m of climbing per kilometre, nothing higher than about 1,550 m, and no climb much over 800 m: the difficulty is the humidity and the relentlessness rather than any one ascent. The course runs past Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi and Mae Sa Elephant Camp before the final climbs into Doi Suthep-Pui National Park and the descent past Montha Than Waterfall. The checkpoint table below lists the eight aid stations common to both years, at the organiser's own 2025 distances; the course then changes after A15 Wat Doi Pui (76.3 km), which is where the extra four kilometres sit. The organiser has not published 2026 time barriers yet.
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide.
Course math
Three numbers worked out from this course's distance, elevation and checkpoints.
UTMB Index category
100K
155 km-effort (distance + gain ÷ 100). Calculated from the course figures, not an official classification.
Estimate your UTMB Index →Biggest climb section
+826 m
A18 Wat Ban Iak → A9 Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi · km 9.1–20.3
The largest gain between two checkpoints, not one continuous climb.
Biggest descent section
−1,828 m
A15 Wat Doi Pui → Chiang Mai PAO Park (Finish) · km 76.3–100
The largest loss between two checkpoints. ITRA's km-effort ignores descent; TrailMath counts it: 192 km-effort.
Open in GPX Explorer →Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB - Elephant 100 · 2025
Finish times, 2025 edition
1,078 runners started. 974 came back. Half of them took longer than 22:03:02. That left the median finisher 5:56:58 inside the 28h cutoff.
Median finish
22:03:02
Half of the 974 finishers were still out there at this point.
5:56:58 in hand before the 28h cutoff
Average 21:14:11, 0:48:51 quicker than the median: a fast front pulls it down.
The start line
90.4%
974 of 1,078 starters made it; 104 did not.
still moving when a cutoff closed
stopped by choice or by the medics
Men and women
Two medians on the same scale. The bars run from the start to the cutoff, so the gap between them is the gap in time.
Men
21:55:34
median finish; average 21:08:14
767 finishers, 79% of the field
Women
22:39:00
median finish; average 21:36:13
207 finishers, 21% of the field
0:43:26 separates the two medians, across 767 men and 207 women.
Finish time by age group
Every track runs from the start to the 28h cutoff, so the empty part of a bar is the time that group's median finisher still had. Men and women are drawn on the same scale.
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-34 | 19:56:51 | 180 | |
| 35-39 | 20:00:21 | 145 | |
| 40-44 | 21:56:39 | 146 | |
| 45-49 | 22:04:29 | 131 | |
| 50-54 | 23:14:45 | 81 | |
| 55-59 | 22:53:18 | 53 | |
| 60-64 | 23:41:25 | 20 | |
| 65-69 | 22:56:46 | 11 - small sample, read with care |
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-34 | 23:15:35 | 52 | |
| 35-39 | 18:36:50 | 33 | |
| 40-44 | 23:23:29 | 36 | |
| 45-49 | 23:42:50 | 41 | |
| 50-54 | 21:25:28 | 23 | |
| 55-59 | 22:22:18 | 15 - small sample, read with care | |
| 60-64 | 19:34:16 | 6 - small sample, read with care | |
| 65-69 | - | 1 - too few finishers to publish a time |
Full bar: 20 finishers or more. Tick alone: fewer than 20, too few for a median to say much. The shaded row is the biggest group.
Where the finishers came from
17% of the finishers came from Thailand alone.
| Nation | Finishers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand TH | 168 17.2% | |
| China CN | 161 16.5% | |
| Japan JP | 116 11.9% | |
| Hong Kong SAR China HK | 74 7.6% | |
| South Korea KR | 69 7.1% | |
| Vietnam VN | 65 6.7% | |
| Malaysia MY | 47 4.8% | |
| France FR | 41 4.2% | |
| Indonesia ID | 32 3.3% | |
| Taiwan TW | 26 2.7% | |
| Curaçao AN | 17 1.7% | |
| Singapore SG | 17 1.7% | |
| Philippines PH | 14 1.4% | |
| United Kingdom GB | 13 1.3% | |
| United States US | 12 1.2% | |
| Australia AU | 11 1.1% | |
| Saudi Arabia SA | 10 1.0% | |
| Türkiye TR | 8 0.8% | |
| Germany DE | 7 0.7% | |
| Poland PL | 7 0.7% | |
| Iran IR | 5 0.5% | |
| Spain ES | 4 0.4% | |
| India IN | 4 0.4% | |
| Canada CA | 3 0.3% | |
| Kazakhstan KZ | 3 0.3% | |
| Pakistan PK | 3 0.3% | |
| Bangladesh BD | 2 0.2% | |
| Belgium BE | 2 0.2% | |
| Czechia CZ | 2 0.2% | |
| Laos LA | 2 0.2% | |
| Netherlands NL | 2 0.2% | |
| Nepal NP | 2 0.2% | |
| Romania RO | 2 0.2% | |
| Sweden SE | 2 0.2% | |
| Armenia AM | 1 0.1% | |
| Austria AT | 1 0.1% | |
| Bahrain BH | 1 0.1% | |
| Brazil BR | 1 0.1% | |
| Bhutan BT | 1 0.1% | |
| Finland FI | 1 0.1% | |
| Hungary HU | 1 0.1% | |
| Italy IT | 1 0.1% | |
| Cambodia KH | 1 0.1% | |
| North Korea KP | 1 0.1% | |
| Myanmar (Burma) MM | 1 0.1% | |
| Mongolia MN | 1 0.1% | |
| Macao SAR China MO | 1 0.1% | |
| Norway NO | 1 0.1% | |
| New Zealand NZ | 1 0.1% | |
| Oman OM | 1 0.1% | |
| Portugal PT | 1 0.1% | |
| Rwanda RW | 1 0.1% | |
| Tunisia TN | 1 0.1% | |
| Vanuatu VU | 1 0.1% | |
| South Africa ZA | 1 0.1% | |
| 45 other nations 35 other nations 25 other nations 15 other nations 5 other nations | 175 18.0% 59 6.1% 29 3.0% 15 1.5% 5 0.5% |
Showing 20 of 55 nations. Showing 30 of 55 nations. Showing 40 of 55 nations. Showing 50 of 55 nations. Showing 55 of 55 nations.
Bar length is against the largest nation. The smallest counts are drawn at a minimum visible width, so their bars are not to scale.
Share these numbers
A card with the 2025 finisher statistics, sized for Instagram and Strava.
How these numbers were computed
These are times for runners who finished. They exclude everyone who started and did not, so they describe how long finishing took, not how long the race takes. Bands with only a handful of finishers move a lot from one edition to the next.
We plot the median, not the average. A handful of very quick runners drags the average well below the time half the field actually beat, so the median is the honest number to plan against.
Nationality here shows who travels to this race, not who runs it best. That alone is why a host nation tops almost every list.
Computed from the full official results, verified September 13, 2026 - Official results
Talk to your race
Ask Elephant 100 anything about climbs, pacing, crew or cutoffs.
Which climb should I respect most?
A18 Wat Ban Iak to A9 Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi: +826 m over 11.2 km, from km 9.1. Hike the steep sections at an effort you could hold for hours - the race is decided after this climb, not on it.
Is 22h a realistic finish for me?
22h would put you in the faster half of 2025 finishers - the median was 22:03:02. It means holding 13:12/km overall.
Your long runs peak at 30 km, so the plan builds to 4-hour long runs, two of them at night.
To answer this for you, the Coach uses your training and your race plan.
Example answer
Your long runs peak at 30 km, so the plan builds to 4-hour long runs, two of them at night.
14 days of Premium included.
Try asking Elephant 100
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Pick your weekly volume and training days to preview the plan structure - no account needed.
~11 weeks · peak ~8 h/week · 5 run + 2 strength days
For a 100 km race, aim for about 12 h/week at peak. Set your availability to 14 h/week in the app for the headroom to build there gradually.
Typical structure for your volume - your live plan adjusts sessions inside each week.
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Aid stations and checkpoints
| Checkpoint | Km | Cumulative gain (m) | Cumulative loss (m) | Crew | Drop bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Wat Nhong Bua Noi | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
| A18 Wat Ban Iak | 9.1 | 399 | 217 | - | - |
| A9 Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi | 20.3 | 1,225 | 530 | - | - |
| A10 Mae Ka Piang Village | 28.2 | 1,633 | 1,272 | - | - |
| A11 Ban Pang hai School | 37.7 | 2,228 | 1,753 | - | - |
| A12 Chao Mae Luang Upatham 2 School | 43.5 | 2,767 | 1,892 | - | - |
| A13 Maesa Elephant Camp | 57.3 | 3,271 | 3,110 | - | - |
| A14 Chao Pho Luang Upatham 7 School | 66.5 | 3,991 | 3,344 | - | - |
| A15 Wat Doi Pui | 76.3 | 4,725 | 3,717 | - | - |
| Chiang Mai PAO Park (Finish) | 100 | 5,500 | 5,545 | - | - |
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide. Source: official race guide, verified September 13, 2026 - Official race website
FAQ
How long is Elephant 100?
Elephant 100 covers approximately 100 km (about 62 miles) point to point, from Wat Nhong Bua Noi to Chiang Mai PAO Park in northern Thailand.
How much elevation gain does Elephant 100 have?
The 2026 course carries around 5,500 m of cumulative elevation gain and about 5,545 m of loss, finishing some 45 m below the start. The biggest single climb is a little over 800 m.
What is the cutoff time for Elephant 100?
The overall cutoff is 28 hours from the 08:00 start on Friday 4 December 2026, with intermediate barriers at the major aid stations. The winning time in 2025 was 09:14:20.
What is the difference between Elephant 100 and Chiang Dao 160?
Both finish at Chiang Mai PAO Park on the same day, and Elephant 100 runs the southern 80 km of the longer course, joining it at Wat Phraphutthabat Si Roi. Chiang Dao 160 covers the whole northern section from Wat Tham Chiang Dao instead, which is why it is 73 km and 4,300 m of climbing longer.
How do you qualify for Elephant 100?
Entry requires 6 Running Stones. As the UTMB World Series Asia-Pacific Major, Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB awards double Running Stones and ten-deep automatic entry to the UTMB World Series Finals.
What is the average Elephant 100 finish time?
Across the 974 finishers of the 2025 edition the median finish time was 22:03:02 - half the field took longer than that - while the average was 21:14:11. Men finished in a median 21:55:34 and women 22:39:00, and the median finisher crossed the line 5:56:58 inside the 28-hour cutoff. Note that the 2025 edition ran 96 km against the 100 km of the 2026 course.
How many people finish Elephant 100?
974 of the 1,078 starters finished the 2025 edition, a finish rate of 90.4 per cent - one of the highest of any race in this catalogue. All 104 non-finishers are recorded as withdrawals rather than time-outs, so nobody was stopped by a barrier.
Training for this race?
TrailMath builds periodized trail training plans around your goal race.
One Strava connection reads your last 90 days and estimates your finish on this course. Free, no plan needed.