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Next UTC Edition:ย Sun. May 31, 2020

Make A
Difference.

What keeps you from achieving anything is simply one step forward. Go ahead and take that step, and we'll assure you the next thing you know, you're crossing the finish line with a journey to remember forever...

Besides nature's blessing on our 5 senses, running on soft terrains at a gentle pace won't leave you battered. A full body exercise and mental power. Your finish is nothing compared to a tarmac victory...

As you'll be exercising for six hours or so, your body will need plenty of fuel, which means you can stuff your cakehole all day long!

In ultras, the tortoise beats the hare. Though some people race hard at the front, most just relax, enjoy the views, socialise and eat a lot of cake!

Most ultrarunners train much as they would for a marathon, but make the long run a little longer, or run some back-to-backs - meaning a longer run followed by another the next day.

Some say completing an ultra is 50 per cent in the mind; others say it's as much as 90 per cent. Either way, it's much more about your levels of determination than about the size of your quads or calves.

Making new friends is almost inevitable and you'll be swapping life stories before you know it. Just try to befriend ultra runners with good navigation skills!

The ULTRA

A sneak peak...

25
KM

Course 1

45
KM

Course 2

75
KM

Course 3

1542
Meters (avg.)

Above sea level

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TESTIMONIALS.

It is different. It is insane. Was I running in a dream? Why were trees talking to me? Why were the butterflies cheering and pacing? It took 75 Kilometers, 3,000 meters elevation gain, 11 hours 25 minutes, to become an ultra-marathoner.. I want to write it all out.. get a feel of what I went through.. the least I can do, is share it with you.. It all started while the world was sleeping.. Our 75K mountain trail ultramarathon began at 3 am. Each runner had a different pace and it didnโ€™t take much time to separate. And so it was, just you and nature for more than 11 hours. How can I bring the mountainโ€™s sacred sounds of silence to you? How can I describe the joy of running with and against the wind currents? Every micro detail was beautifully maximized yesterday. Sounds, we tend to take for granted, that we stop realizing, blend in to a harmonic symphony. Then, the pain, the hits, the slips, the ankle twists, all happened.. I had to endure more than distance.. a knee injury caused by a harsh slip at the beginning of the race. But in the mighty mountains, such stuff become micro.. irrelevant.. insignificant.. The mountain invites you to explore, to go on, to dream, to listen, to breathe, to laugh at your own madness, to tolerate, to imagine, and more.. How many metaphors ran in my head? A lot.. But, the one that kept on coming, was related to stones my feet were stepping on.. oh, that word, โ€˜stonesโ€™.. I want them to vanish elsewhere and stop hurting.. a prayer throughout the run.. I hope they vanish for good, mom.. I canโ€™t possibly imagine what pain you endure.. you will overcome.. The โ€˜highโ€™ feeling running usually gives is multiplied by a million during an ultra mountain trail. Trees became people. Rocks became water stations. You hallucinate. You stop seeing at times.. You do get dizzy, then wake up again.. You have to let go but stay in control.. Itโ€™s a long conversation with Earth surface.. You might feel Iโ€™m exaggerating.. but this is what mother nature does.. it exaggerates what we donโ€™t see and feel every other day.. No matter how much I thank the ultra-marathoner hero Coach Ali Kedami, I wonโ€™t give him enough credit. This man is indeed a mountain. The most humble mountain you can ever live with and learn from. Thank you for being who you are (despite adding a surprise extra 3k to the route)! While I was approaching the finish line, I was dreaming of cold water and beer. I hydrated a lot but the noonโ€™s sun was very heavy. I forgot thirst as soon as I arrived. That was due to a long hug with words of praise by my dearest friend and Coach, Ghassan Hajjar.. He made it extremely special and unforgettable. I owe to you for bringing dreams closer to reality.. โ€˜The mountain humbles youโ€™ is not a figure of speech. Having lived most of my life in mountains, I truly believe it does. I wish one day Lebanonโ€™s mountains stop being identified with religion and sects; but ultramarathons, races, trails, biking events, triathlons.. etc.. I wish one day we unselfishly live the magic of Lebanonโ€™s mountains. A Max-Million thanks to every single organizer and volunteer of Ultra Trail des Cedres.. and a Max-Million thank you to Lebanonโ€™s extreme sports icon Maxime Chaya for bringing this unprecedented Ultra-Trail des Cedres come to life and bringing more runners closer to the Mountain! If this was the most extreme and thrilling adventure Iโ€™ve completed, I wonder whatโ€™s next.. What do you think DOC? #FuckYouDoc

FZ

Testimonials.

C'est ร  Rio, au Brรฉsil, en 2004 , lors du Redbull Giants of Rio que j'ai rencontrรฉ pour la premiรจre fois l'extraordinaire et passionnรฉ Maxime Chaya, nous avons depuis dรฉveloppรฉ une trรจs belle amitiรฉ. Maxime Chaya dont le parcours est exceptionnel: sportif รฉmรฉrite, alpiniste, aventurier de l'extrรชme, premier Libanais ร  avoir gravi l'Everest, Poles Nord et Sud, Ocรฉan Indien a la rame, dรฉsert dโ€™Arabie ร  vรฉloโ€ฆ cโ€™est un homme ร  multiples exploits . J'ai rรฉpondu avec grande joie ร  son invitation au premier Ultra Trail des Cรจdres qui a eu lieu au Liban et dont il est l'organisateur. Maxime Chaya a longtemps prรฉparรฉ cet Ultratrail et je sais combien il s'est investi dans ce projet pour son beau pays qu'est le Liban, ce pays cher ร  ses yeux. Rien n'a รฉtรฉ laissรฉ au hasard, une organisation minutieusement prรฉparรฉe, avec un respect total de la nature tout le long du parcours. Nous avons รฉvoluรฉ dans un parcours riche et trรจs variรฉ, au milieu des emblรฉmatiques cรจdres. Le parcours atteignant les 1900 m d'altitude. Cet Ultratrail a รฉtรฉ l'opportunitรฉ de conjuguer le Trail et la dรฉcouverte du Liban. Grรขce ร  son invitation, j'ai dรฉcouvert un pays d'une rare beautรฉ, ainsi qu'un peuple d'une extrรชme gentillesse et des plus accueillants. Je te remercie mon ami, pour ton invitation, ton accueil, ta gรฉnรฉrositรฉ. Ce sรฉjour et dรฉcouverte du Liban et son peuple restera un souvenir inoubliable!

Lahcen Ahansal (10x laurรฉat MdS)

TESTIMONIALS.

Lโ€™autre chose qui mโ€™a touchรฉe, cโ€™est quand je suis arrivรฉe, je crois ร  la moitiรฉ du parcours, tu รฉtais lร  et tu as pu remarquer quโ€™un de mes bรขtons รฉtait brisรฉ et tu as pris le temps de lโ€™arranger et รงa je te remercie infiniment pour รงa, ย car jโ€™en avaisย absolument besoin , et je nโ€™aurais pas รฉtรฉ capable de continuer sans mes bรขtons, surtout aprรจs avoir รฉtรฉ blessรฉe au genou. Merci pour cette attention.

JS

TESTIMONIALS.

Thanks again for the organisation of this superbe Ultra. Surely will be there next year to participate, along with other friends.

RH

TESTIMONIALS.

Thanks again for this great experience - good job performed! Hope there will be plenty other trails to come.

LR

TESTIMONIALS.

ุตุจุงุญ ุงู„ุฎูŠุฑ ู…ุดูƒูˆุฑูŠู† ูˆู„ุง ูŠู‡ู…ูƒู… ุจุชุณูŠุฑ ู…ุดูƒูˆุฑูŠู† ุนู„ู‰ ุญุซ ุงู„ุดุจุงุจ ุนู„ู‰ ุงู„ุชุฏุฑูŠุจ ูˆุงู„ู…ุดุงุฑูƒุฉ ููŠ ุงู„ุชู†ุงูุณ ุนู„ู‰ ุจุทูˆู„ุงุช ุฑูŠุงุถูŠุฉ ูˆุชุนุฑูู†ุง ุนู„ู‰ ุงุจุทุงู„ ู…ู† ุจู„ุฏุงู† ุตุฏูŠู‚ุฉ ูˆู„ู‡ู… ูƒู„ ุงู„ุชู‡ุงู†ูŠ ูƒู„ ุงู„ุชู…ู†ูŠ ู„ูƒู… ุจุงู„ุชูˆููŠู‚ ุงู„ู‰ ุงู„ุงู…ุงู…

Noura Azbaa

TESTIMONIALS.

It was a great experience many thanks to Maxime, Ali And to all the crew.

Nayla Cortas

TESTIMONIALS.

Hello Maxime! First, allow me to thank you a Max Million for organizing such an unprecedented mountain ultratrail event! It was an incredible feeling to take part in this race and finish it! Thank you always for the genuine passion and incredible efforts.

FZ

TESTIMONIALS.

Cher Maxime, Je tiens ร  te remercier pour nous avoir offert cette opportunitรฉ de faire ce magnifique parcours, qui รฉtait ร  la fois demandant et agrรฉable. Jโ€™ai รฉtรฉ impressionnรฉe par lโ€™organisation du parcours, cโ€™est comme si tu lisais dans notre tรชte comment nous pourrions รชtre perdus et nous nโ€™รฉtions jamais perdus , tout รฉtait bien indiquรฉ. Bravo โ€ฆ/โ€ฆ dans ce parcours jโ€™ai vรฉcu de la joie, de la frustration, de la gratitude, de la peur, de la reconnaissance, des hallucinations, des douleurs โ€ฆ Presque toutes les รฉmotions รฉtaient prรฉsentes, mais cโ€™รฉtait la plus belle expรฉrience de ma vie, et cโ€™รฉtait un dรฉpassement personnel inattendu. Le dernier 10k jโ€™ai รฉtรฉ blessรฉe aux genoux et jโ€™ai continuรฉ le parcours ร  un pied. Mais cโ€™รฉtait quand mรชme agrรฉable. Merci encore et bravo. Continue ton bon travail, le monde a besoin des gens comme toi. Fรฉlicitations

JS

TESTIMONIALS.

Hello! Failed to catch you at the end to say thank you and good bye. The efforts in preparation for today are very well appreciated and Iโ€™m sorry some people expressed things differently. I also want to say thank you for the encouragement and motivation you provided. This was one of the best things Iโ€™ve ever done. I canโ€™t wait for the medal! Thank you again w ya3tikon l 3afe!

RY

TESTIMONIALS.

Really thx Maxime for the effort that u made to achieve this trail, god bless u and your family 2 And cu in a new achievements inshalla!

CR

TESTIMONIALS.

In 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis. With it comes it's ups and downs. Instead of letting it get the best of me, I use it as motivation to prove to myself that I can overcome it and not let it defy me.ย Trail running allowed me to push my limits and showed me I am more than capable of conquering killer hills.

Suzette S.

TESTIMONIALS.

Once I discovered Ultra trail-running I was immediately drawn towards nature. So much that I want to move up here! Go Ultra!

Firas A.

TESTIMONIALS.

I used to struggle to run 10 K on tarmac. Today, I ran a 22K Trail with more than 800 m of ascent and I feel great!

Kelly C.
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Trail 2019

Join the ULTRA-TRAIL Runners Club! Feel Free to join on weekends and on trails with stunning views! Guaranteed more than 90% GREEN! For more info, call +961 3 35 19 57

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UTC 2020 Pre-Registeration

Registration deadline is provisionally set on May 15, 2020
along with registration payment, bib pick up, symposium, and briefing.

Updates will be received by e-mail.