Events/Atlas Mountain Race

Atlas Mountain Race

Ultra

Date

Sat, 13 Mar 2027

Venue

Morocco (start changes yearly) -> Essaouira, Atlantic coast

Countdown

March

Distance

1,331km

Total climb

24,688m

One of the standout bikepacking races on earth. Roughly 1,300km self-supported across Morocco's High Atlas and Anti-Atlas, finishing on the Atlantic coast at Essaouira. No crew, no markings, no feed stations.

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The course

The route

A one-way traverse from the interior to the coast: gravel and old colonial pistes link the High Atlas passes, the M'Goun gorges and the scorched Anti-Atlas plains before the final windy descent into Essaouira. The route is redrawn most years, so the start town and passes change.

Weather

Mid-March, Morocco (start changes yearly) -> Essaouira

21°CTypical high

8°CTypical low

-1°CColdest in 20 years

26%Days with rain

Highs around 21°C and lows around 8°C, but it has dropped to -1°C. Rain on 26% of days. Pack for the cold end, not the average.

NASA POWER data, 2006-2025, the week either side of race day

Training

Training for the Atlas Mountain Race

We don't do generic plans. We combine deep knowledge of this race's demands with your recent training, then build a plan with you that progresses as you do.

Beina integrates directly with your existing tools to understand your current fitness, and synchronise your planned sessions.

Intervals.icu

Four to eight days across extremes

Typical sessions

Roughly 24,000m of climbing on rough pistes, with hours of hike-a-bike pushing a loaded bike up loose passes

Hot plains by day and near-freezing Atlas nights, with snow possible on the high passes

Long resupply gaps: you plan your own food and carry 2 to 3L of water on the plains

Multiple nights out on minimal sleep, self-navigating with no course markings

What your weeks look like

Typical sessions

Long off-road Z2 endurance rides, building from 4 hours toward 10 plus, for durability and fuelling practice

Back-to-back weekends: a long Saturday then a medium Sunday, training tired legs

At least one 3 to 4 day loaded bikepacking trip with a cold-weather bivvy in the specialise block

Loaded bike pushes and hill walks with a pack, plus night rides on lights, to drill the specific demands

Not a generic schedule

Typical sessions

Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have

Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond

Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo

One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet

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7-day free trial, no card required.

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