Grand Raid du Cromagnon: the Return of a European Trail Classic

The Grand Raid du Cromagnon returned on 26 September 2026, bringing one of European trail running’s historic races back to life with an exclusive, invitation-only edition traversing the Italian Alps to the Mediterranean.

First held in 2001, the 100-kilometre race, also known as “CroTrail”, runs from Limone Piemonte to Sanremo, crossing the Marguareis Natural Park and the ridges of the Ligurian Alps before descending through the villages of Triora and Bajardo to the sea. With around 6,000 metres of elevation gain and 7,000 metres of descent, the course takes runners from high mountain terrain to Mediterranean coastal scenery.

Under the leadership of Sanremo native and One Hundred ambassador Michele Graglia, and with the support of the One Hundred World Championship, CroTrail has now begun a new chapter.

Rather than reopening immediately to the wider trail running community, the 2026 edition was deliberately delivered as an exclusive “year zero” invitational. A select field of athletes was brought together to test the renewed event, including its organisation, route, logistics and safety systems, ahead of CroTrail’s full public return in 2027.

“For me, taking over the Cromagnon was a personal choice, first of all,” said Graglia. “It is a historic race, which I know and which I feel deeply linked to our territory. In recent years it had been through difficult times and I think it was time to try to give it a new life, to bring it back to the glory it deserves.”

Seventeen invited athletes took on the 100km route, bringing together some of Italy’s leading trail runners with an international field that included One Hundred Head of Events & Logistics Nuno Marques of Portugal, Ladakh Trail to Heaven 2025 champion Shashwat Rao of India and Brazilian documentary filmmaker Gabriel Duran.

Clear conditions greeted the field at the start, with runners setting off above the clouds before beginning their long journey towards the coast.

Sanremo’s Maurizio Ferratusco led the way, winning the men’s race in 14:20. Alessandro Ramò and Giorgio Pulcini completed the podium. Valentina Minniti was the first woman to reach Sanremo, finishing in 22:55.

Full results may be viewed here.

For Oliviero Alotto, the finish carried additional significance. By completing CroTrail, he became the first Gold Slam Legend, having already completed Ladakh Trail to Heaven in 2025 and Costa Rica 200 in 2026.

The Gold Slam brings together three of One Hundred’s defining long-distance challenges: Costa Rica 200, representing heat and jungle; Ladakh Trail to Heaven, representing altitude; and CroTrail, representing the classic Alpine mountain environment. Athletes who complete all three within two seasons become Gold Slam Finishers and earn a place in the One Hundred Hall of Legends.

Following the successful invitational return, the next chapter begins in June 2027, when CroTrail will celebrate its 20th edition and open to the wider trail running community, welcoming runners from around the world to take on the historic journey from the Alps to the Mediterranean.