There have been 5 race categories in the most recent years of LOUZANTRAIL Ultra Trail (43 km and 3000 metres of positive climbing); Long Trail (28 km and 000 meters of positive climbing); Short Trail (15 km and 1260 meters of positive climbing), the Walk (10 km and 500 meters of positive climbing) and the Little Foxes’ Run, for the younger ones.
Participants will not miss out on the most beautiful landscapes and iconic places in the Serra da Lousã, such as the Mirante (overlooking the town), the Terreiro das Bruxas, the Caves of N.ª Sr.ª da Piedade, the mystic 11th century Arouce Castle and the highest point, Trevim, with a magnificent view. They will race along the innumerable and unforgettable trails hidden in these magical mountains, through the famous Aldeias do Xisto, where the highlights are Talasnal, Casal Novo, Vaqueirinho, Candal, Cerdeira, Chiqueiro (with its photogenic veranda overlooking the village), and so many other places of pure beauty and endless stories.
To reach these places of rare beauty, the athletes must follow the most emblematic trails of the Serra da Lousã - Amazónia de Baixo, Trilho do Rochedo, Trilho da Raposa, Trilho do Javali, Trilho do Escorrega and Trilho da Cascata do Candal.
These are just some of the examples that will ensure the participants never forget the Serra da Lousã.
The history of the race
The Mountain Club organised the first edition of LOUZANTRAIL on 23rd September 2000, which at the time was called “Enduro Serra da Lousã”.
The race was designated as Mountain Athletics and formed part of the championships of Coimbra District Athletics Association. The club, with its long and proven experience in organizing endurance events, introduced this timing method to the very early stages of trail running in Portugal, using a system of four classifying sections with interconnecting routes which participants had to complete within certain time limits.
In 2000, athletes from teams that still compete in the national trail circuits were already participating, such as the Mountain Club itself, CRP Ribafria, CA Barreira and Confraria Trotamontes.
In 2013, the race was renamed LOUZANTRAIL, and was always held in June. In 2019, the race was brought forward to January, due to another edition of the World Trail Championships taking place in June.
Over the years, the number of participants has grown steadily. In 2000, there were 131 athletes. In recent years the race has had over a thousand participants.
