The event, organized by the Clube de Montanha do Funchal, is made up of races over five distances: 115 km, 85, 60, 42 and 16. The first four start on Saturday, April 27, while the shortest distance is scheduled for Sunday, 28, when the prize-giving ceremony will also take place.

The MIUT's premier race, 115 km, has the particularity of crossing the island of Madeira in a northwest-southeast direction, starting in Porto Moniz, at sea level, passing through the island's highest points, and then returning to sea level for the finish line in Machico.

The start in Porto Moniz is at midnight on Saturday, April 27, with the first stage of the race following its route throughout the early hours of the morning, which always makes for beautiful images, with the athletes' lanterns illuminating the trails. A highlight in this regard is the descent to Ribeira da Janela, when the runners practically line up in a zigzag line of light. But there are many other spectacular points of passage, such as Fanal, Pico do Areeiro, Portela or Porto da Cruz, before the finish line in Machico.

The MIUT was first held in 2008. Over the years it has gained prominence at national and international level and is now recognized as an event on a world scale. The MIUT was, in fact, the first trail running event organized in Madeira island. Over the years, it has taken on different formats. In the first edition, in 2008, 141 athletes took on the challenge of linking the Ponta do Pargo lighthouse to the town of Machico. From 2013 onwards, the MIUT organization definitely opted for the current format, starting in Porto Moniz and finishing in Machico. The event was only not held in 2010 and 2020, in the latter case due to the covid-19 pandemic.

In the 2023 edition, victory in the main race went to French athletes. In the men's race, Lambert Santelli (RC FURIANI) completed the 115 km in 14:01:26 hours. In the women's race, the first to cross the finish line was Manon Bohard (HOKA) in 15:48:58.

Entries per race 2024: MIUT'115 km (1,051 athletes), MIUT'85 km (526 athletes), MIUT'60 km (547 athletes), MIUT'42 km (834 athletes) and MIUT'16 km (523 athletes).

In the 115 km main event, the presence of some of the sport's biggest names is guaranteed, such as Miguel Arsénio from Portugal, who became national Trail Ultra champion this year. But there are many elite athletes of international level who will be present at MIUT 2024.

The 115 km race starts at midnight on Saturday, April 27, in Porto Moniz. The 85 km race starts at 7 am in São Vicente. From 9 a.m., the athletes registered for the 60 km race start their journey in Boaventura. Also on Saturday, from 12 noon, the 42 km race will start in Monte, in the parish of Funchal. On Sunday, April 28, the shortest distance, 16 km, will start in Porto da Cruz at 8 am.

In all the races, the finish line is in Machico, where the prize-giving ceremony will also take place on Sunday, April 28, starting at 12:30.

Naturally, the race involves enormous logistics in terms of organization. The 2024 edition will count on 850 volunteers, who will be responsible for various tasks, such as clearing paths, refueling stations (there are 13 stations), security, markings, secretariat, as well as the timing system, communication and other essential aspects for the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail.

Here are the statements made by the race director, Sidónio Freitas: "We expect this to be another great success. The number of athletes is a record. We also have a record number of athletes from outside Madeira. We have an excellent list of entrants for the 115 km race and this will certainly contribute to the interest in the MIUT. Many are doing the race as a personal challenge, but there is also the competitive side. There are top athletes, some of them professionals. The MIUT is also a world elite race"