L'Automnal 05 2026

L'Automnal 05 sends runners onto steep Hautes-Alpes trails as the larch forests turn orange and gold. The race is based around Puy-Saint-Pierre near Briançon, with autumn mountain running in early October and a compact field capped at about 500 runners across two races. The current program includes short and middle-distance trail options around 3.3 km, 12 km, and 25 km, plus a vertical race that climbs 1,000 meters in only 3 km. The 12 km route has 500 meters of climbing, while the 25 km route is a harder outing with about 2,100 meters of ascent. The routes sit above the Serre-Chevalier valley, with Mont Prorel and its slopes over Briançon as the main backdrop. Earlier versions of Automnal 05 also used high mountain terrain between Ecrins National Park and the Queyras Regional Park, including a 51.62 km course with 3,505 meters of gain, four aid stations, and an 11-hour limit. That longer route started from the mountain center toward Fort de Bretagne, passed Les Ayes, climbed Col des Ayes and Col de Néal, then linked high lakes such as Cogour, Favière, Marion, the Escurs lakes, and l'Ascension before descending through hamlets and valleys. The race is small, steep, and very alpine: more about climbing legs, cool air, and high trails than road speed.