The first weekend of spring: you can feel it in the temperature, and you can see it in the trail running calendars, which are getting busier and busier and featuring longer and longer races… that’s right, trail running season is officially here!

On Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Castiglion Fiorentino, in the province of Arezzo, the Trail delle Valli Etrusche will take place, featuring three courses:the 50k Ultra Trail with 2,700 meters of elevation gain, which qualifies for the UTMB and counts toward the IUTA Ultra Trail Grand Prix and the Valli Aretine Endurance Trail, the 32k Trail with a positive elevation gain of 1,500 meters, which will award two ITRA points, and the 14k Short Trail with a total elevation gain of 500 meters, which counts toward the Valli Aretine Sprint Trail.

Still in Tuscany, buton the island of Capraia, the Capraia Rock Trail will take place, featuring a competitive 24k race and a competitive 14k race; In San Pietro al Natisone, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the Trail delle Valli del Natisone will take place—a 25k mountain running race entirely along historic trails and mule tracks.

On Sunday, the 26th, at Lago Superiore di Fusine in the province of Udine, the Tarvisio Winter Trail will make its debut, featuring three different events: the 14.8-kilometer Monte Mangart Winter Trail with 790 meters of elevation gain, the 8.5-kilometer Monte Mangart Short Winter Trail with 270 meters of elevation gain, and the 1.5-kilometer Young Winter Trail for children ages 6 to 15.

On the Brescia side of Lake Garda, the Magnifica Salodium will return on Sunday, March 26, for its fourth edition, which—once again this year—will feature two races:an 18.5k competitive urban trail with 900 meters of elevation gain and a 10.7k non-competitive trail with 350 meters of elevation gain.

Between Lavagna, Sestri Levante, and Santa Giulia, in Liguria, the Marina Trail will take place— a mountain running race featuring a moderately easy course, but punctuated by steep climbs and changes in pace that will challenge athletes throughout the race’s 21 km and 1,100 meters of elevation gain. Also on Sunday, in the province of Savona, the eighth Marmorassi Trail— the tenth Pertini Memorial—will take place, featuring a 30-kilometer trail race with 1,500 meters of elevation gain and an 8-kilometer Nordic walking course.

Rounding out the trail running calendar at the end of March will be the fourth edition of the Trail dei 2 Monti in Almese, Piedmont—a mountain running race featuring a 22k course with 1,500 meters of elevation gain and an 11k course with 800 meters of elevation gain for the non-competitive category.