Published on 22/03/2026
The final day of the 2026 Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB delivered two thrilling races through the Tuscan hills, with Italian stars Francesco Puppi and Cesare Maestri headlining a day that belonged to the home nation. After yesterday's dramatic Ultra Trail Chianti Castles 120K and Chianti Ultra Trail 75K, the shorter distances proved just as compelling.
Reigning CCC champion Francesco Puppi made it back-to-back victories at the Chianti Marathon Trail, conquering the 46-kilometer course (920m D+) in 3:09:39. The Hoka-sponsored Italian was in a class of his own over the white roads and vineyard trails south of Florence.
Fellow Italian Daniel Pattis (Brooks) delivered a strong performance to claim second place in 3:11:13, while Spain's Alex Garcia Carrillo completed the podium in 3:13:48. Poland's Dawid Malina (3:15:32) and Marcin Kubica (3:16:38) filled out the top five in a competitive field.
A notable moment came at seventh place, where the French duo of Baptiste Chassagne and Simon Gosselin crossed the finish line together in an identical 3:23:08.
Norway's Ida Amelie Robsahm (Asics), who finished second here last year and fifth at the OCC at UTMB Mont-Blanc 2025, stepped up to claim the women's title in 3:39:10. Spain's María Teresa La Chica Lhoëst took second in 3:42:36.
Out of 1,059 starters, an impressive 1,024 reached the finish — a 96.7% completion rate across the rolling Tuscan terrain.
The vice-champion of the ETC at UTMB Mont-Blanc 2025, Cesare Maestri (Nice ACG), lived up to his billing as pre-race favorite in the 21K (2,000m D+), storming home in 1:19:01. The Italian star was nearly three minutes clear of the field on a technically demanding course with significant vertical gain for its distance.
Alberto Vender (New Balance), the 2025 Valtellina Wine Trail winner, claimed second in 1:21:41, while Samuel Demetz — fresh from winning the Chianti Wine Run 10K on Friday — completed a remarkable double weekend with third place in 1:22:15.
The Italian contingent dominated the top 10, with Iacopo Brasi (1:22:34), Luca Merli (1:23:30), and Andrea Elia (1:24:15) all finishing strongly. Great Britain's Jake Collier was the top non-Italian in eighth place (1:24:18).
Caterina Stenta, who recently won the 21K at the Istria 100 by UTMB, continued her fine form with a commanding victory in 1:34:58. Arianna Del Pino finished second in 1:37:24, with winter triathlon mixed relay world champion Axelle Vicari rounding out the podium in 1:38:21.
The Chianti Half Trail attracted 925 starters with 903 finishers, completing a successful final day of racing.
With Sunday's two races in the books, the 2026 Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB wrapped up a festival that saw over 4,000 runners take on five different distances across four days. From Courtney Dauwalter's dramatic 120K comeback and Thomas Cardin's sub-10-hour victory to today's Italian showcase, Radda in Chianti once again proved its place as a key stop on the UTMB World Series calendar.