Castellaneta Underground Trail

Castellaneta Underground Trail

Fifty kilometres and 1,000 m of climbing from the town the organiser introduces as the birthplace of Rudolph Valentino down to the shore of Castellaneta Marina on the Gulf of Taranto. On the way the course passes caves and rock churches carved into the local stone, stretches of the ancient Appian Way, centuries-old olive trees, Mediterranean scrub and a shaded pine forest before it reaches the coast.

The waves are assigned by UTMB Index, and the organiser applies a two-hour penalty to anyone who starts ahead of their own wave. The maximum time is 8 hours 45 minutes, which makes this a run with a clock rather than a long walk: about 5.7 km an hour on average to stay inside it.

This page covers the 2026 edition. Because the waves are fifteen minutes apart, the gun time is not the runner’s time. On the runner’s own Livebib link, friends see the position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. Anything estimated, including a position carried forward where the canyon blocks the signal, is marked as estimated.