Independent Nice 100M course analysis · 2026 edition
The 2026 Nice 100M runs 165 km from Auron to Nice with 8,900 metres of climbing. This guide adds a route map, elevation data, 16 race sections, terrain analysis and lessons from previous finishers.
Last meaningfully updated: 15 September 2026 · GPX download added; official race information remains the leading source.
Every €60 still adds one symbolic mile. The campaign is now heading towards €10,000 for Alzheimer Nederland.
Nice 100M 2026 · quick answer
Official headline figures: about 165 km and 8,900 m of climbing, starting in Auron on Friday 25 September at 13:00 and finishing on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.
My detailed route and timing model: 167.2 km · +8,549 m · −10,129 m. I use those detailed figures for pacing, crew and checkpoint planning rather than as a replacement for the official roadbook.
Nice 100M route at a glance
The 2026 Nice 100M starts in Auron on 25 September and follows a 165 km route through the Mercantour towards Nice. The early part reaches high-Alpine terrain above 2,650 metres near Rabuons before a remote, technical descent into the Tinée valley.
Further south, the character gradually changes from high mountains to warmer Mediterranean terrain. The route still contains four final hills before the descent towards the sea and the finish on the Promenade des Anglais.
Course visualisation
The coloured line is an approximate split of the supplied GPX using the personal 16-segment model. It is not an official checkpoint map. Prefer not to use the map? Jump to the segment list.
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Five race phases
The sections are grouped by race logic: high-Alpine opening, first night, hard middle, heat and the long finish to the sea. Detailed chapter pages are currently available in Dutch.
A deceptively fast opening descent is followed by the first 1,400-metre climb and a remote technical passage around Rabuons and Colle Longue.
38.0 km · +2196 m / −2837 m
Temperature drops, vision narrows and eating becomes a task. Saint-Sauveur is the first major reset and decision point.
25.7 km · +1359 m / −1726 m
After the first drop-bag stop comes the biggest climb in the segment model, sunrise and a long descent into warmer terrain.
46.1 km · +2481 m / −2364 m
The course is less Alpine here, but heat, fatigue and another steep climb make this a decisive phase.
18.5 km · +1576 m / −791 m
Long descents, a second evening and the final hills still stand between Levens and the Promenade des Anglais.
38.9 km · +969 m / −2214 m
2025 results · our analysis
The 2025 results add useful context to the course. They do not predict an individual runner's finish probability, but they show where the field was selected most heavily.
Of 846 registered starters, 584 reached the finish in Nice. That means 262 runners — about 31% — did not finish.
846 starters · 584 finishersIn our checkpoint analysis, the field fell from 844 at Isola to 695 at Valdeblore. That is 149 of the 262 non-finishers: 56.9% of all DNFs.
Isola 844 · Valdeblore 695632 runners reached Levens. Of those, 584 eventually finished in Nice: a 92.4% finish rate from Levens onward.
Levens 632 · Nice 5842025 survival curve
The main statistical lesson is that the field was not primarily lost in the final kilometres. The section after Isola and through the first night was the biggest attrition zone in 2025.
Method: this is our analysis of 2025 participant and checkpoint data, not an official UTMB DNF report. An isolated missing chip read was not automatically treated as a DNF; the survival curve uses the furthest later checkpoint reached. These figures describe the 2025 field and are not an individual finish probability.
Why this guide exists
The Nice 100M combines a high-Alpine opening above 2,650 metres, remote and technical descending, long transitions through the Tinée and Vésubie valleys, warmer southern terrain and four final hills before the coast opens.
The official information gives the outline. This guide adds section logic, terrain and weather notes, finisher patterns and my own preparation: where to save the legs, where to keep eating and where not to spend too much too early.
Who built this guide
I’m Volker van de Kerke, a trail runner from Hilversum in the Netherlands. Since 2021 I have built my mountain-race experience step by step: Matterhorn Ultraks, Villars Ultraks, the X-Traversée in Verbier, the 82.9 km Monte Rosa Trail with 6,350 metres of climbing, and the Indian Summer Ultra beyond 100 kilometres.
The Nice 100M will be my first 100-mile mountain ultra. This guide is therefore not a retrospective written by someone who has already finished the race. It is a public preparation file combining official race information, my personal section plan and lessons from previous participants. Where something is personal, estimated or uncertain, I label it clearly.
My parents-in-law live with dementia. I am using this preparation and race to raise money for Alzheimer Nederland, making the guide both a practical resource and part of the 100 miles for Alzheimer campaign.
Practical intel from previous runners
Several previous runners shared personal race experiences with me. I do not mention them by name here, and the official race information always remains leading, but their common thread is useful: Nice is not a polished Alpine path rolling gently towards the beach.
Expect technical terrain, a lot of singletrack, steep descents and sections that may be overgrown or hard to follow during a summer recce. On race day the course is marked, but before the race not every path is obvious or heavily used.
The key warning is simple: save the downhill legs. If I create too much braking damage early, the long descents in the second half can become physically and mentally brutal.
Unofficial, but useful
These points come from personal race experiences of previous participants. They do not replace official information, but they help me read the course more realistically.
Previous runners describe the course as rough, technical and at times surprisingly wild. Singletrack and steep descents ask for more control than the elevation profile alone suggests.
Practical experience · anonymisedCold-weather kit and layering are not formalities. Previous runners experienced snow, wind and ice high in the mountains, while the race became warm closer to Nice. The goal is not to start overdressed, but to be able to layer up quickly.
Practical experience · anonymisedSoup, broth, cola and water can help a lot, but previous experiences show that real food is not always available exactly when you hope for it. My own nutrition and tested gut strategy must remain the basis.
Practical experience · anonymisedThe final kilometres are unforgettable once the coast appears, but the approach to Nice is not only glamour and villas. I should also expect less romantic stretches along edges, fences and urban zones before the Promenade makes it all worthwhile.
Practical experience · anonymisedAlong the route
The Nice 100M passes hydropower traces, fortifications, pilgrimage sites, medieval villages and the seafront boulevard in Nice.
Above Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, the route follows traces of a major hydropower ambition. The Grand Bancairon project aimed to use high lakes and streams for electricity; the Chemin de l’Énergie was cut into the mountainside as a dramatic work path.
In the race: For runners it is an early symbolic section: technical, high, remote and still early enough for mistakes to echo through the race.
Lac de Rabuons lies at around 2,500 metres in the Mercantour and is described as the largest lake in the Alpes-Maritimes. A hydropower project was considered there in the 1930s; a water intake was installed in 1939.
In the race: This is where the race first feels truly high-Alpine and remote.
The fort above Rimplas, originally Ouvrage de la Madeleine, was the first ouvrage of the Maginot Line to begin construction. It sits strategically above approaches to the Tinée and Valdeblore valleys.
In the race: After Saint-Sauveur, Rimplas marks the moment the race climbs again on stiff legs.
The heights of La Brasque formed a strategic position above the Vésubie. In the personal segment model, this point comes directly after the heavy climb toward Venanson.
In the race: The terrain may feel less spectacular than the high-Alpine opening, but fatigue makes this section vulnerable.
Additional source verification is still pending.
Madone d’Utelle is a mountain sanctuary above Utelle. Local legend says Spanish sailors built an oratory there around the year 850 after being saved from a storm.
In the race: In the race this belongs to the warmer southern part, where cooling and restraint matter more than pace.
Tourrette-Levens grew around a strategic height north of Nice. Its castle dominates the village and the routes between the inland valleys and the coast.
In the race: Here Nice is close on the map, but the descents still demand precision on tired legs.
Complete planning model
Distances, ascent and descent per section come from my personal planning model. The official 2026 totals remain 165 km and 8,900 metres of elevation gain.
The opening
A fast net descent from Auron with several short climbing interruptions.
Symbolic miles 1.0–4.8.
Keep heart rate deliberately low and do not follow fast early descenders. Use liquid fuel to let the stomach settle.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The race starts downhill, making restraint more important than speed.
First major climb
The first real wall of the race, climbing into high-Alpine terrain above Rabuons.
Symbolic miles 5.8–10.2.
Power-hike steadily, cap the effort and take frequent small carbohydrate doses.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The official course reaches its highest point above 2,650 metres near Rabuons.
High-Alpine traverse
Rough, remote and technical terrain close to the Italian border.
Symbolic miles 11.2–17.3.
Use short steps, stay highly focused and do not try to recover time on the descent.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The organiser explicitly describes the descent towards Colle Longue as remote and technical.
First long descent
A major net descent into the Tinée valley that is technical and highly demanding on the quads.
Symbolic miles 18.3–22.7.
Walk the steepest sections, keep cadence high and protect the quadriceps.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
A descent of this size early in the race can create disproportionate damage later.
Transition into night
Rolling terrain with repeated climbing and descending as darkness arrives.
Symbolic miles 23.7–30.0.
Allow pace to drop with the temperature, organise lights and clothing early and keep eating.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The shift from afternoon warmth into a cold night is a separate race phase.
Deep night
A long night section with almost equal amounts of climbing and descending.
Symbolic miles 31.0–38.1.
Do not rush technical passages. Stay warm, keep food on schedule and use the aid station as a planned reset.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The first night adds cognitive load on top of the physical work.
Restart after first drop-bag stop
A short but direct climb on stiff legs after the first major aid station.
Symbolic miles 39.1–40.9.
Restart the engine gradually instead of forcing race pace immediately.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The official drop bag is available here for the first time at roughly kilometre 63.7, then moves on to Levens.
The monster climb
The largest climb in the personal segment model, mostly during the early morning.
Symbolic miles 41.9–49.9.
Use a constant power hike, frequent small carbohydrate doses and let sunrise act as a mental reset.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
This segment combines major vertical load with accumulated overnight fatigue.
Morning reset
More runnable terrain and a net descent after the long climb.
Symbolic miles 50.9–56.1.
Find rhythm again without turning recovery into an early speed session.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
Sunrise often changes both temperature and the mental experience of the race.
Long descent into heat
A long net descent with very little muscular relief for the quadriceps.
Symbolic miles 57.1–65.7.
Plan water and sodium ahead, stay technically precise and do not accelerate just because the profile drops.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The route gradually becomes warmer and more Mediterranean.
The heat peak
Rolling and exposed terrain during the warmest part of the day.
Symbolic miles 66.7–72.8.
Adjust pace to heart rate and temperature, cool actively and use the same drop bag again at Levens for a full-body check.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The same official drop bag is available here for the second time at roughly kilometre 121.8.
Afternoon wall
Short in kilometres but exceptionally steep and potentially hot.
Symbolic miles 73.8–76.7.
Keep cooling and do not underestimate the climb because of its limited distance.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
One of the final major climbs before the route turns towards the coast.
Chassis test two
A long descent on which tired legs still need to function technically.
Symbolic miles 77.7–84.0.
Keep cadence, limit braking forces and prevent small errors.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
Concentration and leg control remain decisive in the southern finale.
The valley
A shorter transition section with another net descent.
Symbolic miles 85.0–88.2.
Continue drinking and eating despite the feeling that the finish is close.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
Heat can remain trapped in the lower valleys.
The final obstacle
A late climbing phase as the second evening approaches.
Symbolic miles 89.2–93.6.
Use simple carbohydrates, a clear task rhythm and never rely on “almost finished”.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
The official course describes four final hills before the descent to the sea.
The finish to the sea
Several remaining hills followed by the final descent to the Mediterranean.
Symbolic miles 94.6–100.0.
Run light, stay alert and only accelerate once the safe finale begins.
Personal strategy, not general race advice.
Finishers repeatedly describe the first view of Nice and the sea as a mental turning point.
Finisher evidence
Direct 100M evidence carries the most weight. 50K evidence is only used for the final terrain near Nice.
The winner found the descents more technical than expected and stressed that colder temperatures and equipment guidance influenced his race management.
100M · official finish interviewDauwalter described the course as demanding and technical, referenced overnight rain and described the first view of Nice and the sea as a strong emotional shift.
100M · official finish interviewThe official recap records rain, snow and wind on the 100M. A Côte d’Azur finish does not rule out winter-like conditions in the Mercantour.
100M · official event recapAlbon found the 50K relatively benign on paper but technical and challenging on the ground. This evidence applies to the final terrain near Nice, not to the full 100M.
50K · official finish interviewNordskar described seeing the sea as the moment the finish became emotionally close. This only supports the final approach to Nice.
50K · official finish interview100 miles for Alzheimer
The first 100 miles are filled. The counter keeps going.Sources and method
The official race information comes first. What I add here is my own preparation: how I read the course, where I see risks and which lessons I take with me.
The official UTMB pages and GPX files are the basis for distance, elevation, course logic, mandatory gear and time limits.
Leading source when in doubtMy segments, ETAs, water plan and race approach are personal. They help me make the race smaller, but they are not an official roadbook.
Personal preparationI use online videos, GPX files and race reports. I also received extra insider information through TrailTalk and Strava contacts. Some reports were shared with me personally; I use those experiences anonymously and only keep the main lessons.
Anonymised when needed17 August 2026 — sharpened the English search-result copy around “course”, route map, elevation and the 16-section structure while keeping the underlying route analysis unchanged.
Updated only when the content actually changesTransparency
Courses, aid stations and mandatory equipment can change. Always check the official roadbook for your edition.