Valdivia’s Los Ríos region is earning status as a trail-running destination after the UTMB Torrencial expanded to 3,000 participants this year, drawing athletes from almost 30 countries and becoming the largest trail race in Latin America.
The Story in Pictures
The growth is stark: the event began 10 years ago with 300 local runners and, amid a reported 900 per cent participation increase, now fields mass entries across 6km and 12km distances while ultra runners tackle routes up to 100km. Organiser Marcela Escalona says, "Valdivia in winter is a good place to learn to love the rain," and the race hub backs that promise with warm showers, massage tables, and communal asado for finishers.
The terrain itself is the draw. In the Punucapa rainforest, a canopy of evergreen, moss-covered trees and a floor of giant ferns sets a humid, weather-beaten course where runners often start at night. One writer recalled standing at 3 a.m., in zero degrees and drizzling, among 80 other runners as a Mapuche singer offered an ancestral welcome. The route includes steep climbs, notably a 350 meter ascent that reshapes familiar notions of "hilly", locally compared to running 105 stories rather than a usual 15.
For newcomers, the region’s conditions force focus. The writer described trading a six-and-a-half minute kilometer pace for a five-minute burst under the pressure of the field and head-torch light, while navigating mud, exposed roots and knee-deep streams. Practical precautions were visible: competitors carried running vests stocked with safety whistles, tracking chips, first-aid kits and emergency thermal blankets.
Beyond sport, the Valdivian rainforest offers a sensory contrast to urban life. Runners reported the balsamic scent of Mañío and the peppery notes of Canelo trees, and praised the Valdivian air. Many participants said the race unlocked a different kind of travel: off-peak, weather-forward experiences that combine physical challenge with immersion in a temperate rainforest wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes.
By morning the finish line culture reinforces the event’s appeal. The writer finished at 4:25 a.m., greeted by cheers and the urge to keep running rather than stop. Later, soaking in Hotel Puerto del Sur’s hot tub and looking across the Cruces River at the mountain she had scaled, the immediate effect was clear: for a growing number of travellers and new runners, Valdivia now offers both a rigorous course and a reason to visit Chile’s oft-overlooked Los Ríos region.
