The seventh edition of the Chartreuse Terminorum will take place from 20 to 22 June 2025. Inspired by the legendary Barkley event in the United States, the French version offers the 40 selected runners the chance to tackle a 300km course with 25,000 metres of ascent, in total autonomy. No assistance, no GPS, no signposting, no precise start time, where the checkpoints are like hidden books whose pages you have to rip out. To top it all off, these ultra-trail specialists will have to complete each of the five loops in under 16 hours. An impossible race for some, the challenge of a lifetime for others. A mix of trail running, adventure, orienteering and problem solving, the Chartreuse Terminorum is undoubtedly the toughest race in France.
The start will be given on Friday, between midnight and noon, without further details. Once the bugle has sounded, the competitors will have to get ready for the big start, which will be an hour later.
Touching your limits, sometimes going beyond them without knowing if you'll reach the end of the road: that's what thrills Raidlight ambassador Mickael Berthon, who will be starting the race on Friday. Accustomed to races with dizzying mileage and vertical drops, Mickaël has made this race a real passion and completing his 5 laps an obsession. Taking part for the fourth time, the runner is serene and ready to take on the trails of the Chartreuse, his favourite playground.
That same year, Aurélien Sanchez, who had just become a legend in March 2023 by becoming the first Frenchman to finish the legendary Barkley, also set off on the Chartreuse Terminorum. For his second participation, he had the ambition of becoming the very first finisher, in the image of his feat on the other side of the Atlantic.
For a long time, the Chartreuse Terminorum remained unbeaten. But the 2023 edition marked a historic turning point: for the first time, not one but five riders managed to cross the finish line after covering 300km and 25,000m of ascent. Among them, Mickaël Berthon made his dream come true, alongside Raichon Sébastien, Herrero Casas Alberto, Bachelet Benoît and Moyroud Nicolas. An achievement in a race as formidable as it is iconic.
