Madeira, the Pearl of the Atlantic, is a volcanic island some 500km west of Morocco. The landscape is varied from a dry southern coast through to woodlands, rainforest, scrubland, and rocky mountains, which rise steeply from the coast.
Now in its 15th year the MIUT attracts top runners from around the world and is a qualifier for UTMB® World Series and Western States 100. The 115km route traverses the island from Porto Moniz in the northwest to Machico in the southeast passing over two of the island’s highest points of Pico Ruivo and Pico Areeiro. The maximum time limit is 32 hours, the benchmark is to complete the traverse in less than 24 hours, with winners taking around 14 hours. The race is limited to 1,000 runners, of which 100 are reserved for Elite runners with entries filling up within a couple of hours of opening. I had been keen to do the race since first visiting the island back in 2020 and John Ryan and myself were fortunate to secure places.
With just one weekly flight from Scotland we were forced to spend a week on the island, and so had a few days exploring some of the race trails. We soon realised how steep the climbs were, typically gaining 200m to 300m a kilometer. Our Airbnb hosts had provided us with an endless supply of eggs and bananas from their mountain farm as pre-race fuel.
The race organisation buses competitors to the start from the island’s capital Funchal, and Machico, for a midnight start time. April can bring variable weather, and the forecast was for rain throughout the race.
Arriving at Machico an hour before the start we bought coffee and huddled in the start pen for warmth. The sight of over 1,000 headtorch and red rear-lighted runners climbing away from the coast was mesmerising. There are four major climbs with a total ascent/descent of 7,100m and nine aid stations stocked with the usual fruits, cheese, chocolate, biscuits and bread, including three with a hot meal of bolognese rice or bolognese pasta. There was also a vegan option…..
The rain started on the 1,600m climb to the third aid station at Estanquinhos and soon become a deluge. Interestingly the safety kit requirements were limited to a waterproof jacket and a couple of headtorches. Having seen the forecast we had decided to pack heavy-duty waterproofs and an additional warm layer, hat, buff and gloves which we were grateful for as runners crammed around patio heaters attempting to dry themselves, soaked through in their inadequate lightweight jackets. The best option was to keep moving and lose some altitude into the shelter of the trees, although by this point (33km in) around 100 runners had decided to quit. The thick clag limited visibility and trail finding was only possible by looking for the reflective markers in the beam of your headtorch. Underfoot conditions became a slippery mud fest, and keeping upright was a challenge. I was happy to step aside on the descents and let the faster descenders go by, often passing them later on the climbs or at an aid station where they lingered to shelter from the weather.
With first light, the rain eased, but the steep climbs and hundreds of steps were unrelenting. The midway point was located in the Curral das Freiras (Valley of the Nuns; although I didn’t see any nuns, maybe they didn’t want to get their habits wet) where you were reunited with a drop bag. From here there was just one big climb remaining to the twin summits of Pico Ruivo (1,862m) and Pico Areeiro (1,818m) separated by an airy ledge path cut into the rock face with the occasional tunnel.
Summit temperatures were a cool 5C, and after some lukewarm soup, it was time for a gradual descent down to the coast with the rain again turning heavy. The trails had become a test of balance skills, which I failed once, landing heavily on my backside. It was a relief to reach the pretty eastern coastal village of Porto da Cruz, the final aid station, before a short 300m climb to the dramatic coastal path following the levadas back to Machico. I made it back around sunset with John arriving before midnight. We were both thankful to have finished unscathed.
The following day we attended the prize giving and then had a recovery swim in the sea before meeting up with our Airbnb hosts who insisted on us sampling the craft cider they made from the 7,000 apple trees on their farm to celebrate our finish.
MIUT is a big race event with options from 16km through to the main 115km. Definitely worth the week trip out. Just go easy on the cider and avoid the Poncha.
Race info: https://www.miutmadeira.com/en/race/115-course
Results: https://ts.uma.pt/Checkpoints/129/327/MIUT%20115
Graham Nash