Porto Moniz, Portugal · Trail
Official site ↗Madeira Island Ultra-Trail
A crossing of Madeira every April. The 110 km Legend starts at midnight in Porto Moniz on the north-west coast, climbs over Pico Ruivo, the island's highest peak, and finishes in Machico, where an 80 km and a 56 km finish too.
Distances
MIUT Legend
- Distance
- 110 km (68 mi)
- Vert gain
- 7,200 m (23,600 ft)
- Start
- 12:00 AM GMT+1
- Cutoff
- 32 hr
Starts at midnight in Porto Moniz and finishes in Machico · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-29:00)
MIUT Advanced
- Distance
- 80 km (50 mi)
- Vert gain
- 4,760 m (15,600 ft)
- Start
- 7:00 AM GMT+1
- Cutoff
- 25 hr
Starts in São Vicente at 7 a.m. and finishes in Machico
MIUT Discover
- Distance
- 56 km (35 mi)
- Vert gain
- 2,800 m (9,200 ft)
- Start
- 9:00 AM GMT+1
- Cutoff
- 15 hr
Starts in Boaventura at 9 a.m. and finishes in Machico
| Distance | Vert gain | Start | Cutoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 km (68 mi) | 7,200 m (23,600 ft) | 12:00 AM GMT+1 | 32 hr | Starts at midnight in Porto Moniz and finishes in Machico · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-29:00) |
| 80 km (50 mi) | 4,760 m (15,600 ft) | 7:00 AM GMT+1 | 25 hr | Starts in São Vicente at 7 a.m. and finishes in Machico |
| 56 km (35 mi) | 2,800 m (9,200 ft) | 9:00 AM GMT+1 | 15 hr | Starts in Boaventura at 9 a.m. and finishes in Machico |
About
The Madeira Island Ultra-Trail, MIUT, is put on by the Clube de Montanha do Funchal, and 2027 is its eighteenth edition. Its flagship, the Legend, starts at midnight in Porto Moniz and runs 110 km with 7,200 m of climbing to Machico on the far side of the island, on a 32-hour limit. It goes through the laurel forest that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, up into the central massif over Pico Ruivo at 1,862 m, and down to the cliff trails of the south-east coast.
Two more ultras finish on the same square in Machico. The Advanced starts in São Vicente at 7 a.m. and covers 80 km with 4,760 m of climbing in 25 hours; the Discover starts in Boaventura at 9 a.m. and covers 56 km with 2,800 m in 15 hours. The Legend had 581 finishers in 2026. A Legend finish inside 29 hours counts as a Western States 100 qualifier.
Course
The Legend leaves Porto Moniz at midnight with a short, steep climb and then the zigzag descent to the mouth of the Ribeira da Janela, run by headlamp. The first big climb goes to Fanal at 1,150 m and the first aid station. The course then crosses the central massif over Pico Ruivo before dropping to the south-east coast. Every race finishes at Praça Fórum Machico. The weekend's 40 km Marathon and 17 km Starter are shorter than an ultra.
How to register
About 3,800 places across the five races: 80 percent go by direct registration, first come, first served, and 20 percent by lottery. Direct entry for 2027 opened one race a day, at 3 p.m. Madeira time: the Legend on October 12, 2026, the Advanced on October 13 and the Discover on October 14. The Legend has 1,000 places in all, and its first phase had sold out by October 13. Lottery pre-registration runs October 26 to November 9, 2026, with the draw on November 14. Every runner needs a qualifying result from a single race on their ITRA profile since January 1, 2024, and the lottery does not waive it: 4 ITRA points (or a 115 km-effort) for the Legend, 2 for the Advanced and 1 for the Discover.