I have never heard of Restonica until 2024, but I did heard of Corsica, and actually craving for some time to visit the island. I just didn’t know when and how. Then, at Lavaredo Ultra Trail, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in June 2024, my first “by UTMB” event things escalated. While we were visiting the running expo, two gentleman handed us a flyer with another event. Primarily, my eyes were caught by a bear head, and then we saw the title: Restonica Ultra Trail, by UTMB. In Corsica, on 3rd – 5th of July 2025. That is it! We need to join. And so we did. It was the sign needed to register and get a real chance to see Corsica with a real meaning. What is Restonica, then? We found out, shortly after, that the name of the race comes from a very famous valley, with a breathtaking scenery, mainly owned to its granitic development. We started counting the days, and organized properly.
Meeting the proud Corsican identity
One year forward, we are about to leave Bucharest with initial destination Ajaccio, then Corte, the historic former capital of the former Corsican Republic, which “lived” between 1755 and 1769, only 14 years apart from the initial rule of the Genovese Republic, and after from France. Even if part of France, though, Corse – the name in French – still has a very profound identity, which we where so happy to discover. Going back to our departure, the first layover was at Nice, but in the morning of 3rd of July the Air Corsica flight to Ajaccio was scheduled. We are afraid, though, as exactly in that day a air controllers strike starts in the whole France, and we are not sure if we will take off. Fortunately, we do, even though there was a “plan B”, meaning go by ferry at night, from Toulon to Ajaccio. 11 hours! In the end, everything worked fine and we have arrived to Ajaccio as scheduled.
The train which takes us to Corte, near Restonica
I should add here that, thanks to the subscription, the organizers where fabulous, and provide us a 30% discount to the Air Corsica round trip to and from Nice! Needless to say this saved us a significant amount of money. Arrived at “Napoleon Bonaparte” airport – yes, the well known general and emperor was born in Ajaccio – we figure it out how to go as fast as possible to the train station. Bus no. 8 is about to leave in the correct direction, and so we take off. We arrive in the train station at 10:40, and we have 20 minutes to identify from where to depart. It is not hard, the station has only two lines. It is not very common, though, for an island to have railway, but Corsica does have, and this was one of my bucket list dots. To travel by train on this very rocky island.
Highest peak in Corsica is beyond 2,700 meters!
On top of the 30% discount from the Air Corsica return ride, the organizers made sure we can travel for free with the train, and the ticket issuers knew already, and gave us return tickets. Awesome! We feel very welcomed in a place not so popular on people’s lips, when it comes about tourism or travelling. Don’t really know why. The train departs. Corsica, as said, is an absolute beast when it comes to it’s landscape. There is mountains above 2.700 meters in height, which is more than we have in Romania, for example. Indeed, few countries in Europe can state they have bigger heights comparing to Corsica. The train trip from Ajaccio to Corte takes about two hours. The scenery is absolutely fabulous. You can stare at the surroundings all way up and down, for the whole duration of the ride, and can’t get enough.
Learning about Pasquale Paoli and arriving at the Hotel du Nord
The arrival in Corte is only a few minutes late, and we discover here a very small and picturesque town, the land of famous Pasquale Paoli, exactly the man who proclaimed the Corsican Republic in 1755 and established the capital of the now 7700 inhabitants Corte. We identify it also extremely hot, but we are more preoccupied to discover the beauty of the place, and its people. Our accommodation, Hotel du Nord, it is less than in one kilometer away from the train station, and we will find shortly, also only meters away from the start and finish. Of course we got also a discount here, 10%, because we participate at Restonica Ultra Trail, by UTMB! The location, in a 1833 building, is wonderful, and we find all the comfort we need. Another very pleasant surprise we highly appreciate. From this point on, we start sawing the story from two perspectives: the “by UTMB” edge, and the local culture edge, the one which, at least from my side, was the main trigger to visit Corsica!
Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB has a rich history itself
Being an event with the “UTMB” brand helps a lot, and we can see the unique atmosphere, experience in Italy, slightly more than one year back. Even though, Restonica Ultra Trail has already a tradition of 17 years. The atmosphere is sublime, and in the arrival day, the major event kicks off: the 108 kilometer race starts at 23:00 from the city center, under huge red lights, that flood the whole street. It looks magical, a pure celebration. For us, the events are 17 kilometers for Anca, and the 33 kilometers for me. I know, short ones, but you can’t imagine what these distances even mean in a place like Restonica valley! Initially, I have fancied with the idea to subscribe to the 69 kilometer race, which was anyway significantly shortened in the end, down to 56 kilometers, because of bad weather, but even in this case, to cover 22-23 kilometers more on that terrain would be a major challenge.
Glad to take only the 33 kilometer race from Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB
I am a marathon guy, ran a lot of city and trail marathons, and even some ultras of 42-50 kilometers, peeking a 65 kilometer around a stadium in 2021, for the national ultrarunning championship in Romania, 6 hours, where I’ve finished sixth, but to try and replicate such a long distance in Corsica would have been pure suicide. Luckily I have followed Anca’s advice and went for the 33. How was this? I’ll get to that, because first we explored the city and the surroundings. Some buildings don’t look to be upgraded in terms of façade, it is quite old and looks neglected, but then we saw more important things: the city is very clean. No garbage anywhere. No clothes hanging anywhere! No horns blown from cars. People are very polite, even though they don’t ridiculously faking politeness like in other touristic places.
Meeting Dawa Sherpa, first winner of UTMB queen race. In 2003!
We love their style: pure, direct, open, but not trying to be more welcoming than necessary. It is the kind of population we like so much, with which you can bound a kind of relationship based on mutual respect, and genuine style of life. This is translated into the event as well. The organizers are very capable in doing this. You can easily see their experience and their passion for the event. It seems to be one of the flavors of Corsica, this Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB. In fact, I found out that in my race, Dawa Sherpa finished 26th overall. Maybe the name of this 55 years old Nepalese doesn’t say too much for many, but 22 years ago he was the first winner of the famous Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 100 (almost back then) miles run, from Chamonix, around the might peak. Then, what can I say? I’ve shared a race with a pure living legend. Another huge bonus on our experience.
They are the winners of the Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB!
On 4th of July, more than 16 hours into the race, Alexis Sevennec crosses the finish line as winner of the queen race from the event. Taking by the hand his two small kids looks magical. It is the first live finish I see. Five hours or so later, just a few minutes before Anca finishes her shorter yet brutal race, Maud Combarieu, becomes the first women to finish the 2025 long race. I catch this on camera as well. The atmosphere is magical. For the 108 kilometer race, the cut-off is 48 hours. It seems quite long, comparing to other running events, but it is not. And I will explain in a few moments. Because, as I am enjoying the atmosphere, the culture, the surroundings, a thought that I need to get up at 5:30 AM in the morning the next days bothers me a bit. My race starts at 06:30 AM, and the cut off is 9 hours 30. I didn’t understand initially why that early, but I will get to know in the last part of it, after kilometer 20.
Tavignanu Trail, my challenge from Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB
The Tavignanu Trail, the name of my race, looks short, but with an expected 2.300 – 2.400 meters elevation it can prove to be not a walk, or a run, in the park. And it is not. The first kilometer is merely downhill, which is good, also on asphalt, which, again, I like more, but as time passes quickly, I face the first huge challenge of the race: around 7 kilometers with a total of 1500+ meters climb. Huh? Yes, you might exclaim that, but I am not joking. This is the reality. We have to climb that much. Up to the first hydration point, and a bit beyond. This is why the race starts at 06:30 in the morning! The climb is brutal, but because it is so early, the air is breathable and actually a bit chilly, which helps us to push forward without being exposed to the burning sun, because the first part has very little forest in which we entered. At the first hydration station, I find cold drinks and a decent selection of food. I replenish my liquid flasks, I drink some water and Cola, and eat a bit of cheese and some dried apricots.
First climb, infinite
Everything is going great. I push forward, I find landscapes I am quite familiar with from my past trail running experience, and push the climb up: more than 2.000 meters up to kilometer 20 and a bit. Our third and last hydration point until finish. In theory, the remaining path is mainly downward, and with four hours and almost a half under my belt, in theory, I should manage that great. Unfortunately, depending on the terrain, the downhill can become my Achilles, as I have zero common sense in doing a fast descent. The path is not that steep, or difficult, but it is paved with granite, and while I can risk a bit, I prefer not to. Especially considering another huge factor: the sun. Now, we are past 11:00 AM, and even in theory it should be fine, the heat picks up quickly and even if the majority of the trail is going thru forest, the shade is rather rare. I am significantly exposed to the sun. I still have liquids, budget them carefully, but I still feel a need not to push.
Talking to myself
I am right, because as kilometers pass, I get overheated, and see a lot of people almost collapsing to rest for some moments or more beneath some shade. They are fit people, they look good runners, with experience. Regardless, they can’t continue without a break. I decide to do it as always, push forward steady, not to risk any collapse. It gets really hot, I walk everywhere I see a patch of shade, to take as much advantage as possible. I try running, where possible, the rest of the path. I like going down on granite, but I still need to be careful. Corsica it really is hot during July! I hear birds singing, but in my head there is room only for counting kilometers. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. One after another. I crave for some fresh, cold water. I know there is no more hydration point, and I am a bit upset. I see a spring at around kilometer 27, but the queue is huge. “I do have only 5-6 kilometers”. You can do it!
Finished 361 / 701 my Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB race
I can, but I don’t like at all to be thirsty. However, pushing forward, while other collapse to rest pays off: I see another spring, at around kilometer 30, and there are not too many people there to enjoy the water. I stop, fill a flask, put some cold water over my head, and then head forward, drinking half a liter like it was nothing. I am almost there! I enter the town, the last climb, then down the stairs, and then the last straight line: 6:48:55. Almost 40 minutes more comparing to my UTMB prediction, but I knew from the start a 6:09 is not realistic. I might do 6:25, but absolutely not more. In the end, I don’t care so much. I came here mostly for the experience, so then I needed to challenge the race like finishing in one whole piece. Being 361 out of 701 male runners is not great, but either not terrible. You can’t be ashamed with this. I feel good, and I know from now on, the nervousness is gone. We both finished our races, and now we can relax.
Wonderful local beer: Paolina and Pietra
We taste some Paolina and Pietra local beers. Actually, the first one was one of the main sponsors of the race, and I could taste it immediately after the finish. Yes, a good beer really works wonders for recovery after a huge effort! Ate some fruits, but mostly drank a lot of liquids, water, traditional Corsican clementine juice, and then went to a great boulangerie, Casanova, to enjoy some real food. After, we need to explore a bit the Citadel and also a camping spot, where you can use some fresh running water from a local river to cool down your legs. Contenders from the 108 kilometer race are still expected. Myself, I have passed a couple during my finish. I like telling them to acknowledge they really have only a bit left. Most of them were French. Actually, from the total number of participants, around 3.500, 2.800+ where French. Which means around 80% of total. People from France really like sports, and from Corsica, in particular, in this case, really know how to organize an international event.
A lot of foreigners at Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB
At 23:00 PM, on 5th of July, the event ends. Slightly before, around 20:00, the award giving ceremony happens. We can’t miss that, of course, as it was basically in “our” backyard. It is only in French held, but you don’t need to understand the language ad literam to feel the vibe. The 33 kilometers run, Tavignanu Trail, was won by a guy from Kenya, from team Salomon. They won also the women race, both Salomon and Kenya. Two guys from Slovenia where also on the podiums. Italy and Spain represented as well. The international vibe is real. People from all around the world are here, under the Corsican flag, and under the Corsican magic, I would say. I am not sure when, but for sure we will come back to Corsica. Neither I am sure if at Restonica Ultra Trail by UTMB, but for sure there will be at least one extended, most likely, beach vacation on this beautiful island.
Air Corsica, another beautiful experience, even with delay
Until then, our time here is done, and on 11:26, on 6th of July we are set to leave back to Ajaccio, with the same wonderful train. We have some time to take a walk in the current capital of Corsica’s city center, but being a Sunday, we discover almost everything is closed. We stop to drink a coffee and some water, and after taking some pictures to remember, we decide to take the bus to the airport. A 18:00 Air Corsica flight should bring us back to Nice. It has a big 90+ minutes delay, but so has, of course, our Wizz Air flight to Bucharest, so then the only big “inconvenience” is that we spend some more idled time waiting news about the flight to mainland France. We take some great goat local cheese from Corte, which we enjoyed a lot there, and some authentic clementine & fig jam. Actually, we were fairly surprised how many local food products, from Corsica, could be found in Corte. And how good they taste!
