Many of our readers will be familiar with Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc – the classic mountain ultra-marathon that starts and finishes in Chamonix. Some may even have run the 170km course that traverses three countries (France, Italy, Switzerland).

This year's event is scheduled from 23-29 August but with international travel a bit of a lottery this summer, why not tackle the 170km Tour du Mont Blanc virtually with ACE Races instead? 

Of course, nothing can match the real thing but with your imagination and ACE Races' support you could lose yourself in a real challenge, rewarded with an impressive medal (pictured).

Tour du Mont Blanc Virtual Challenge is inspired by the original event that has taken place annually since 2003, in the shadow of the 4810m Mont Blanc massif. Mere mortals can take up to seven days to walk the circuit; top ultra-trail runners trim that to between 20 and 40 hours non-stop.  

You'll get a generous 30 days from sign-up to complete the 170km trek to qualify for your conversation-starter medal. Oh, and there's no requirement to include the 10,000m of ascent in the original race – although you can if you like!

Tour du Mont Blanc Virtual Challenge is just one of a multitude of ACE Races virtual challenges for all abilities, ranging from 5K awards to the 320km Viking March Virtual Challenge. You might like to tackle this particular one in...March!  

The essence of ACE Races is in their simplicity. You pay your participant fee (£15 across the board); choose your distance; select your favourite themed-medal from the many collector's items available; track your progress towards your goal with any fitness app (within 30 days); submit your evidence and once verified, your medal will be posted to you.  

Adam from ACE Races puts it like this: “Taking on one of our challenges provides the motivation needed to reach long-term fitness goals. It puts the fun back into fitness and gets you out running on days when you might have just given it a miss because life has got in the way. Receiving that shiny custom medal at the end makes it all worthwhile'"

Visit the ACE Races website here to find your rewarding virtual challenge.

Image courtesy Adam at ACE Races