Morzine, France becomes host to a race that many dare not even consider, never mind signing up and toeing the start line. This race isn’t just any other race. It’s not even just any other Spartan Ultra.
This is the Spartan Ultra World Championship.
Related: More Than Just a Race: Why Morzine Was One of The Most Iconic Event in Spartan History
A race that tests the resolve of every Spartan who dares to stand on the start line, where the mountains stare back, daring you to conquer them instead of being conquered.
For some, the achievement of finishing and being awarded the coveted medal is enough to go home satisfied. For others, they’re here for glory, to go down in history.
If you’re wondering what we’re talking about, let us help you out.
What’s A Spartan Ultra?
You likely already know the three standard Spartan Race formats: Sprint, Super, and Beast. The Ultra is the next challenge up, equal to 10 Sprints, 5 Supers, or 2 Beasts and a Super combined.
That’s at least 50km with at least 60 obstacles.
Cross the finish line and you’re awarded something special: the coveted Spartan Ultra medal, doubling as a belt buckle. For the World Championship, the medal is a one-of-a-kind design you won’t find anywhere else.
History of the Ultra World Championship
Morzine may be the current home of the Ultra World Championship, but it isn’t where it all began. The format and location have changed several times over the years.
The championship launched in 2017, fought over 24 hours, with athletes covering as many miles as possible on a standardised course. The race moved to Iceland in 2018, then to Åre, Sweden in 2019, before heading to Telluride, Colorado, USA. After a pause through 2020 and 2021 due to world events, it returned to the calendar in 2024 in its current home of Morzine, switching format to a single 50km distance, with the winner decided by whoever crosses the line first.
It’s been a pilgrimage for Spartans around the world ever since.
Why Morzine Is Special
There are a number of reasons Morzine keeps earning its return, now hosting for the third year running. Tucked away in the French Alps, there’s a festival feeling when athletes from across the world come together against a backdrop of stunning scenery. Whether reuniting with old Spartan friends or making new ones, you’re never far from a fellow Spartan, all chasing the same goal.
Out on course, a handful of landmarks make this race unforgettable and a “must do” on every Spartan’s calendar.
Swimming across a lake in the Alps is an epic experience on its own. Add a log to carry and an Ultra distance, and you take things to a whole new level.
Is there a more iconic A-Frame climb in all of Spartan Race? The A-Frame at the top of Point d’Angolon delivers scenic vistas as you conquer the heights of the course, a picture-perfect moment.
It’s the perfect spot to cool off mid-race, and also home to one of the toughest tests on course: the vertical cargo net at Cascade de Nyon.
It isn’t only the course that makes the Ultra World Championship special. It’s the athletes who come to conquer it, bringing the best out of each other in the heat of battle and showcasing the true limits of human potential.
Here are a few names to watch as they look to come away with the title of Spartan Ultra World Champion.
Athletes To Watch: Female
Ladies first, with a look at some of the names in contention for those much-desired podium places. With previous champions returning to the start line alongside multiple past podium finishers, this is shaping up to be a hotly contested race in the mountains.
Mallaury Cabaud
After debuting at the 2024 Ultra World Championship, Mallaury achieved a top 10 finish, an impressive result for a first Spartan Ultra on the world stage. In 2025, she returned and improved to a top 5 finish. With that result banked, what can Mallaury achieve in 2026 in the mountains?
Fuli Xu
A previous podium finisher in 2024, Fuli Xu knows what it takes to come away with silverware at the Ultra World Championship, having finished 3rd that year. She returned in 2025 hoping for more and missed out on repeating the feat by just 8 minutes. Returning in 2026, does she have what it takes to get back on the podium, and perhaps go even higher than 2024?
Rea Kolbl
Some athletes need no warm-up act. At 35, Rea Kolbl is a living legend of extreme sports: a two-time Spartan Ultra World Champion under the original 24-hour format, winning back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and a multiple Skyrunning winner to boot. After years away, she returns to Morzine with no ambiguity about her intentions. She is here to win. The question is whether the field can stop her.
Sandi Menchi Abahan
Last year, Sandi Menchi Abahan came to Morzine to make her debut, not only at the Ultra World Championship but in a Spartan Ultra itself. That debut delivered a 3rd place finish. After that result, is 2026 the year she’s crowned champion of the world?
Ulrikke Evensen
Injury kept Ulrikke from returning in 2025 to defend her title after she dominated the 2024 race, finishing nearly 48 minutes ahead of second place. This year she’s back to reclaim the crown of Ultra World Champion. Will we see her blow away the field once again?
Athletes To Watch: Male
Just like the female field, the men’s field is fiercely competitive, with a number of Spartan world champions and past podium finishers on the start line. This one is going to be hard to predict.
Joshua Fiore
Another returning historic Ultra World Champion, this time from 2017 under the old 24-hour format. His more recent accolades include back-to-back 2nd place finishes at World’s Toughest Mudder, completing 110 and 105 miles respectively. After winning this year’s Tri-State New Jersey event, Joshua is in good form heading into a new format for him. Will he see success once again at the Spartan Ultra World Championship?
Antoine Freymond
2025 saw Antoine make his Spartan Ultra debut in style, finishing 3rd in Morzine in a highly competitive field, just 10 minutes behind 1st place. Will 2026 see him climb higher up the podium?
Jonathan Garcia
The Frenchman returns to terrain he knows well, and that familiarity could be a weapon. Garcia brings experience, composure, and a strong shot at a result that turns heads. On home soil in the Alps, he'll be one to watch from the gun.
Thibault Jean
After finishing second to Luca in 2024, Thibault returned to the mountains hoping to go all the way. He duelled with Luca and Ryan Atkins before falling down the order to finish 5th, an emotional result for an athlete who wanted more. Will 2026 be the year he’s crowned Ultra World Champion?
Gregory Basilico
This man needs no introduction. Gregory Basilico has been Spartan world champion multiple times, with several further podiums on the world stage. After his Beast World Championship win in 2025 and a strong start to 2026, he’s making his Ultra debut. Will Gregory claim a world title at a brand new Spartan distance?
Luca Pescollderungg
Last but by no means least, the returning champion, Luca Pescollderungg. In 2025, Luca came out on top after a fierce battle with Thibault Jean and Ryan Atkins, reclaiming the title he first won here in 2024. Will he make it three titles in a row?
This is only a selection of five athletes from a strong field on both sides. There are dozens more with a genuine shot at greatness in Morzine.
For the full list of athletes to watch, see the men here and the women here.
Where You Can Follow The Action
Can’t be there in person? Head to the Spartan Race social channels for pre-race coverage and build-up, primarily shared by Spartan Race France and Spartan Race Europe.
On race day, the live action unfolds on the Spartan Race YouTube page.
Not Too Late To Sign Up
It’s not too late to join those on the start line and take on one of the ultimate Spartan challenges. Whether you’re ready to take on the best in the world, see how you stack up against your Age Group, or simply find out if you have what it takes to beat the course.
This is one location where your medals are truly earned, not given.
Head to fr.spartan.com/en/races/morzine to sign up. You won’t regret it.
