VINCENT ESMIOL SETS COURSE RECORD AT 2026 MIUT; HARTMUTH WINS WOMEN'S RACE

Vincent Esmiol of France set the course record at the 2026 MIUT — Madeira Island Ultra-Trail in 12:48:03 on April 25. Katharina Hartmuth of Germany won the women's race in 14:54:59 over the 115-kilometer route from Porto Moniz to Machico.

Esmiol broke the previous men's course mark over the second half of the race. His 12:48:03 places him among the elite of European trail running and adds to France's strong recent run on the MIUT podium. The course's roughly 7,000 meters of elevation gain and technical terrain across Madeira's volcanic spine make any sub-13-hour finish a top-tier performance.

Hartmuth controlled the women's race after the long climbs in the middle third and held off late charges to win in 14:54:59. Her time fell short of Courtney Dauwalter's 2022 course record of 14:40:35 but confirms her place as one of Europe's top trail runners of 2026.

For the full background on MIUT's evolution from a local Madeira event to a UTMB World Series anchor, see our MIUT history.

Weather across the day held cool with low cloud cover over the central plateau, conditions that historically favor fast times on the technical course. Race organizers reported a high finish rate for the elite field.

The men's race produced a tight lead group through the first 50 kilometers before Esmiol pushed ahead on the climbs out of Curral das Freiras. His ability to climb fast and descend cleanly on the technical sections separated him from the chasers.

Hartmuth has built her trail career on European mountain races and shorter ultras. The MIUT win extends her résumé into the 100-kilometer-plus distances and positions her for selection to deeper international fields heading into UTMB Mont-Blanc in August.

The race remains a UTMB World Series Major and a 100M-equivalent qualifier through the UTMB Index. The MIUT podium continues to draw entries from the wider European and North American trail scenes.

The 2027 MIUT is scheduled for April 24, 2027 in Madeira, Portugal. Race organizers will release the elite field and registration details later in 2026.