At 1816 meters, nestled among the Alps on the border between Italy and Switzerland, Livigno is preparing to host one of the most extreme appointments in world endurance sports. From September 2-5, the valley once again becomes home to ICON Xtreme Triathlon, the toughest race of the XTRI World Tour, the international circuit that brings together the most iconic triathlons on the planet, from the mountains of Norway to the peaks of the Himalayas. Now in its tenth year, the 2026 edition will start at dawn on Friday, September 4, following a week of preparation including briefings, course reconnaissance, lake familiarization, and guided meditation on the eve of the race.

If ICON can push itself where no other race can reach, it is because it finds in Livigno the context that makes it possible. Few territories in the world bring together, in a single place, everything that a challenge of this magnitude requires: the constant altitude above 1800 meters, an amphitheater of great Alpine passes reachable from a fixed point, a lake that becomes a stage, world-class infrastructure for preparation and recovery, and a culture of hospitality built around the needs of athletes. It is the same environment that professionals and national teams choose every year to train at altitude, and that ICON brings to its most extreme expression.

It is no coincidence that the course coincides with the symbolic places of the territory. After the swimming leg in Lake Livigno, athletes cross the passes of Forcola, Bernina, and Forno, tackle the legendary 48 hairpin turns of Passo dello Stelvio (the second highest paved pass in Europe) and return through Passo del Foscagno: 195 kilometers and over 5000 meters of elevation gain on the roads that have made cycling history. To close it out, the marathon that climbs from Trepalle up to 3000 meters at Carosello 3000, the highest finish line of the entire XTRI World Tour. In total 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 195 of cycling and 42.2 of running: the geography of Livigno that becomes, stretch after stretch, the race course.