Grand Raid des Cathares 2026
Forecast published: 48°F feels-like at the coldest, 56°F at the warmest, no notable rain.
Here you'll find the elevation profile, an estimated finish time based on your UTMB Index and details of the 13 aid stations to plan your nutrition and hydration segment by segment.
What's your time based on your UTMB?
Times estimated by the RAVIT model, learned from real ultra-trail finish times. Enter your UTMB Index (utmb.world) to get a personalized estimate.
Cut-off times and crew - Grand Raid des Cathares · 2026
Data from the official race rules, checked for every edition. The race rules prevail. Positions are interpolated along the GPX track and are a guide, not official course marking.
What you'll find at each aid station
| Product | Molières-sur-l'Albertekm 20.0 | Caunette-sur-Lauquetkm 33.0 | Château d'Arques (aller)km 49.0 | Fourtoukm 58.0 | Cubières-sur-Cinoblekm 73.0 | Bugarachkm 87.0 | Sougraignekm 91.0 | Château d'Arques (retour)km 105.0 | Villardebellekm 119.0 | Greffeilkm 128.0 | Ladern-sur-Lauquetkm 135.0 | Palaja Montjausse (camp de Villemaury)km 146.0 | Arrivée Carcassonne, salle du Dômekm 157.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available | available |
| Brand products | available | available | unavailable | available | unavailable | available | available | unavailable | unavailable | unavailable | unavailable | available | available |
| Hot meal | unavailable | unavailable | available | unavailable | available | unavailable | unavailable | available | available | available | available | unavailable | unavailable |
Elevation profile
The course and its aid stations
Grand Raid des Cathares: times, aid-station stops and fuelling needs by UTMB® Index
Between a UTMB® Index of 500 and 800, the estimated finish time on this race runs from 32h09 to 21h00, and the aid-station stop budget from 2h05 to 0h43. The longer the race, the more stops weigh: this is time you should plan to spend standing still, not only running.
Source
Below a UTMB® Index of roughly 330, the overall cut-off of 42h00 is no longer reachable at the estimated pace.
| UTMB® Index | Estimated time | Of which stops | Night hours | Carbs | Fluid | Sodium | Cut-off margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 32h09 | 2h05 | 18.2 | 1,929 g | 22.5 L | 16,077 mg | +9h51 |
| 550 | 30h22 | 1h42 | 16.4 | 1,822 g | 21.3 L | 15,183 mg | +11h38 |
| 600 | 28h19 | 1h24 | 14.3 | 1,699 g | 19.8 L | 14,161 mg | +13h41 |
| 650 | 25h56 | 1h09 | 11.9 | 1,556 g | 18.2 L | 12,969 mg | +16h04 |
| 700 | 24h23 | 0h59 | 10.4 | 1,463 g | 17.1 L | 12,189 mg | +17h37 |
| 750 | 22h58 | 0h51 | 10 | 1,378 g | 16.1 L | 11,480 mg | +19h02 |
| 800 | 21h00 | 0h43 | 10 | 1,260 g | 14.7 L | 10,499 mg | +21h00 |
Figures based on 60 g of carbohydrate, 700 mL of fluid and 500 mg of sodium per hour, "average" preparation and mild conditions (15–25 °C). Above 25 °C, count on roughly 900 mL/h and 700 mg/h. Carbohydrate intake is trained: 60 g/h is a floor, 90 g/h assumes a glucose-fructose blend and a gut used to it.
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Sources and method
- Time projection — times by UTMB Index are taken from the actual splits of runners in each level band on previous editions of this race, aid station stops included. No formula is used as long as these results exist.
- Trail nutrition — hourly targets for carbohydrate, fluid and sodium follow the commonly accepted ultra-endurance guidance. La Clinique du Coureur — Fuelling in trail running
- Course, aid stations and cut-offs — taken from the event's official rules, which prevail in case of any discrepancy. Official site — Grand Raid des Cathares
Weather for Grand Raid des Cathares
Section-by-section forecasts for Grand Raid des Cathares, calculated at the estimated passing time: feels-like temperature, rain or snow, wind and thunderstorms. Three models — AROME (Météo-France), ICON (DWD) and ECMWF IFS — served from the finest to the farthest-reaching.
Forecasts for a 600 UTMB Index runner, at their estimated passage time. Start Thu, 10/22 09:00 PM: Overcast, 56°F. Coldest: 48°F feels-like at Château d'Arques (aller) (Fri, 10/23 05:50 AM); warmest: 56°F at Start (Thu, 10/22 09:00 PM). No notable rain forecast on the course. The models currently cover 5 of 15 segments; the rest will be published with the next forecasts.
Forecast, not guaranteed: in the mountains a model describes a grid of several hundred meters, not the slope you're on.
Weather data: Météo-France (AROME), DWD (ICON), ECMWF (IFS) — CC BY 4.0, via Open-Meteo
Frequently asked questions
How many checkpoints?
Grand Raid des Cathares has 14 checkpoints: 13 aid stations and 1 checkpoint without aid station (Lac de Cavayère, km 6.0). Details are in the two tables above.
What's the longest segment without aid?
The one leading to Molières-sur-l'Alberte: 20.0 km and 772 m elevation gain. That's the one to load up for first.
How do I find the exact location of an aid station?
The Google Maps icon in the “Access” column opens the aid station's location: handy for planning your crew's routes.
What distance and elevation gain?
Grand Raid des Cathares is 157 km long with 6534 m of elevation gain.
How long to finish?
With a UTMB Index of 600 (average runner), the estimated time is around 28h19 for Grand Raid des Cathares.
What's the weather forecast?
Forecast published: 48°F feels-like at the coldest, 56°F at the warmest, no notable rain. RAVIT publishes the weather for Grand Raid des Cathares section by section: feels-like temperature, rain or snow, wind and storms, at the estimated passage time. Forecasts come from AROME (Météo-France), ICON (DWD) and ECMWF IFS, refreshed several times a day.
Want to stack the odds in your favor for Grand Raid des Cathares?
In 2 minutes, RAVIT generates your complete plan: segment-by-segment time, carbs, water and sodium at every aid station, printable roadbook.
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