TDS - Elevation Profile, Aid Stations and Cutoffs
- Courmayeur, Italy
- 148 km
- 9,300 m D+
- 21 aid stations
Map, checkpoints and cutoffs Map · checkpoints · forecast opens Aug 14 Race-day forecast is live
Race-day conditions
Weather, daylight and your arrival time at all 23 checkpoints, set to the 23:50 start.
- Start
- 23:50
- Daylight at the start
- 06:41-20:28
- Aid stations
- 21
Course profile
Courmayeur, Italy
- Distance
- 148 km Finishes 187 m lower than it starts
- Elevation
- +9,300 m -9,487 m About 63 m of climb per km
- Highest point
- 2,580 m Col Chavannes
Next edition Est. Mon 23 Aug 2027
Our estimate for Mon 23 Aug 2027. The organiser has not announced the date for this race yet.
- Start
- Sunrise 6h53 after the start
- Winner ~18h30 18h30 after the start
- Sunset 20h37 after the start
- Median finisher 2026 median 37h31 after the start
- Cutoff 44h55 after the start
A median finisher runs 17h10 in the dark.
The TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie) is a 148km ultra-trail with around 9,300m of elevation gain, running from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France through the Aosta Valley, the Tarentaise, and the Beaufortain. The overall cutoff is 44 hours 55 minutes, and the highest point is the Col Chavannes at 2,580m.
The race starts in Courmayeur on a Monday at 23:50, so the Col Chavannes is crossed in the dark. TDS is widely considered the most technical of the UTMB-week races: the Passeur de Pralognan (2,552m) above Bourg Saint-Maurice is steep, exposed, and often bottlenecked. Beaufort at km 92 is the main crew hub and the only drop-bag point before the finish.
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide.
Other distances at UTMB Mont-Blanc
| Race | Distance | D+ | Cutoff | Next start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTMB Mont-Blanc | 174 km | 10,000 m | 45h45 | Aug 27, 2027 (est.) |
| TDS (this page) | 148 km | 9,300 m | 44h55 | Aug 23, 2027 (est.) |
| CCC | 107.8 km | 6,200 m | 28h30 | Aug 27, 2027 (est.) |
| OCC | 60 km | 3,500 m | 15h15 | Aug 26, 2027 (est.) |
Plan against the cutoffs
Enter a goal finish time and see estimated arrivals vs checkpoint cutoffs.
Estimate your finish
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Course math
Four numbers worked out from this course's distance, elevation and checkpoints.
TrailMath effort-km
288 effort-km
About 38 h for a mid-pack finisher (index 500). Not a pacing guarantee.
Distance + gain ÷ 100 + loss ÷ 200, beside ITRA's gain-only km-effort. Model TM1.0.
How TrailMath works →UTMB Index category
100M
241 km-effort (distance + gain ÷ 100). Calculated from the course figures, not an official classification.
Estimate your UTMB Index →Biggest climb section
+1,149 m
Les Contamines → Col de Tricot · km 122.8–130.2
The largest gain between two checkpoints, not one continuous climb.
Les Contamines cutoff: Wed 13:15
Plan against barriers →Biggest descent section
−1,462 m
Pas d'Outray → Beaufort · km 83.6–92.3
The largest loss between two checkpoints. ITRA's km-effort ignores descent; TrailMath counts it: 288 km-effort.
Open in GPX Explorer →Share this race
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TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie) · 2026
Finish times, 2026 edition
1,287 runners started. 714 came back. Half of them took longer than 37:30:47. That left the median finisher 7:24:25 inside the 44h55 cutoff.
Median finish
37:30:47
Half of the 714 finishers were still out there at this point.
7:24:25 in hand before the 44h55 cutoff
Average 36:45:11, 0:45:36 quicker than the median: a fast front pulls it down.
The start line
55.5%
714 of 1,287 starters made it; 573 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
37:33:55
median finish; average 36:49:47
629 finishers, 88% of the field
Women
37:03:19
median finish; average 36:11:12
85 finishers, 12% of the field
0:30:36 separates the two medians, across 629 men and 85 women.
Finish time by age group
Every track runs from the start to the 44h55 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 | 35:34:17 | 194 | |
| 35-39 | 35:47:02 | 118 | |
| 40-44 | 37:13:53 | 104 | |
| 45-49 | 38:15:48 | 106 | |
| 50-54 | 40:37:18 | 75 | |
| 55-59 | 42:53:41 | 22 | |
| 60-64 | 36:53:57 | 6 - small sample, read with care | |
| 65-69 | 42:17:41 | 3 - small sample, read with care | |
| 70-74 | - | 1 - too few finishers to publish a time |
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-34 | 34:20:33 | 32 | |
| 35-39 | 35:15:16 | 13 - small sample, read with care | |
| 40-44 | 36:40:32 | 11 - small sample, read with care | |
| 45-49 | 39:53:55 | 15 - small sample, read with care | |
| 50-54 | 39:19:20 | 7 - small sample, read with care | |
| 55-59 | 40:57:10 | 4 - small sample, read with care | |
| 60-64 | 42:36:44 | 3 - small sample, read with care |
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
75% of the finishers came from France alone.
| Nation | Finishers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| France FR | 536 75.1% | |
| Italy IT | 25 3.5% | |
| Belgium BE | 21 2.9% | |
| United Kingdom GB | 16 2.2% | |
| United States US | 16 2.2% | |
| Germany DE | 11 1.5% | |
| Japan JP | 9 1.3% | |
| Poland PL | 9 1.3% | |
| Spain ES | 8 1.1% | |
| Canada CA | 5 0.7% | |
| Switzerland CH | 5 0.7% | |
| China CN | 4 0.6% | |
| Denmark DK | 4 0.6% | |
| Mexico MX | 4 0.6% | |
| Netherlands NL | 4 0.6% | |
| Hong Kong SAR China HK | 3 0.4% | |
| Lithuania LT | 3 0.4% | |
| Portugal PT | 3 0.4% | |
| Argentina AR | 2 0.3% | |
| Brazil BR | 2 0.3% | |
| Finland FI | 2 0.3% | |
| Hungary HU | 2 0.3% | |
| Ireland IE | 2 0.3% | |
| Norway NO | 2 0.3% | |
| Romania RO | 2 0.3% | |
| Andorra AD | 1 0.1% | |
| Curaçao AN | 1 0.1% | |
| Australia AU | 1 0.1% | |
| Gabon GA | 1 0.1% | |
| Greece GR | 1 0.1% | |
| Israel IL | 1 0.1% | |
| South Korea KR | 1 0.1% | |
| Luxembourg LU | 1 0.1% | |
| Latvia LV | 1 0.1% | |
| Malaysia MY | 1 0.1% | |
| New Zealand NZ | 1 0.1% | |
| Sweden SE | 1 0.1% | |
| Slovenia SI | 1 0.1% | |
| Tunisia TN | 1 0.1% | |
| 29 other nations 19 other nations 9 other nations | 58 8.1% 24 3.4% 9 1.3% |
Showing 20 of 39 nations. Showing 30 of 39 nations. Showing 39 of 39 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.
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
Ask the course
Ask TDS anything about climbs, pacing, crew or cutoffs.
Answers come from this course's data, your plan and your training.
Which climb should I respect most?
Les Contamines to Col de Tricot: +1,149 m over 7.4 km, from km 122.8. Hike the steep sections at an effort you could hold for hours - the race is decided after this climb, not on it.
Where can my crew meet me?
Bourg Saint-Maurice, km 51.1 - the first of 3 crew points. The next is Beaufort, km 92.3. Have them bring warm layers: the course tops out at 2,580 m, through the night, in August.
Is 37h a realistic finish for me?
37h would put you in the faster half of 2026 finishers - the median was 37:30:47. It means holding 15:00/km overall.
The assistant answers that once it can see your training.
Build your TDS plan and your question is the first thing waiting in the TrailMath Assistant. Your first 5 questions are free, no card.
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To answer this for you, the Course Assistant 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. Cutoff buffer at La Gittaz: 1h28.
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~45 weeks · peak ~8 h/week · 5 run + 2 strength days
For a 148 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.
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Aid stations and checkpoints
| Checkpoint | Km | Cumulative gain (m) | Cumulative loss (m) | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Courmayeur Services not published | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Checrouit - Maison Vieille | 7.7 | 808 | 74 | - |
| Arete du Mont-Favre | 12.2 | 1,271 | 81 | - |
| Lac Combal | 16.5 | 1,292 | 543 | Tue 03:30 |
| Col Chavannes | 20.6 | 1,894 | 543 | - |
| La Thuile - Petit St Bernard | 36.2 | 2,386 | 1,425 | Tue 08:30 |
| Seez | 47.5 | 2,401 | 2,719 | - |
| Bourg Saint-Maurice Crew | 51.1 | 2,433 | 2,817 | Tue 11:00 |
| Fort de la Platte | 55.7 | 3,566 | 2,818 | Tue 13:45 |
| Passeur de Pralognan | 61.9 | 4,325 | 2,993 | - |
| Cormet de Roselend | 66.1 | 4,328 | 3,581 | Tue 17:15 |
| La Gittaz | 73.6 | 4,695 | 4,260 | Tue 19:30 |
| Entre deux Nants | 76.7 | 5,203 | 4,260 | - |
| Pas d'Outray | 83.6 | 5,629 | 4,684 | - |
| Beaufort Crew Drop bag | 92.3 | 5,664 | 6,146 | Wed 03:00 |
| Hauteluce | 98.6 | 6,162 | 6,206 | Wed 05:30 |
| Barrage de la Girotte | 107.1 | 7,044 | 6,491 | - |
| Le Signal | 115.3 | 7,477 | 6,824 | Wed 11:15 |
| Les Contamines Crew | 122.8 | 7,492 | 7,562 | Wed 13:15 |
| Col de Tricot | 130.2 | 8,641 | 7,746 | - |
| Bellevue | 136.8 | 9,041 | 8,467 | Wed 18:15 |
| Les Houches | 141.4 | 9,041 | 9,254 | Wed 19:15 |
| Chamonix (Finish) Crew | 148 | 9,300 | 9,487 | Wed 20:45 |
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide. Source: official race guide, verified September 7, 2026 - Official race website
FAQ
How long is the TDS?
The TDS covers approximately 148km from Courmayeur (Italy) to Chamonix (France), passing the Petit Saint-Bernard, Bourg Saint-Maurice, the Beaufortain, and Les Contamines, with around 9,300m of cumulative elevation gain.
How much elevation gain does the TDS have?
The TDS has around 9,300m of cumulative elevation gain over 148km - nearly as much climbing as UTMB in 26 fewer kilometres, which is why it is considered one of the hardest races of UTMB week.
What is the cutoff time for the TDS?
The overall TDS cutoff is 44 hours 55 minutes, with intermediate time barriers at every major checkpoint from Lac Combal onwards. Winning times are typically around 18-19 hours.
What is the highest point of the TDS?
The highest point of the TDS is the Col Chavannes at 2,580m, crossed at roughly km 20 above the Vallee des Glaciers. The Passeur de Pralognan (2,552m) at km 61 is the most technical passage.
How many aid stations does the TDS have and which allow crew?
The checkpoint table lists 22 major aid points between Courmayeur and the finish in Chamonix. Crew access is allowed at three of them: Bourg Saint-Maurice (51.1km), Beaufort (92.3km), and Les Contamines (122.8km). Drop bags are available at Beaufort only.
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