After a World Championship that carried runners around an entire Mediterranean island and united the global trail run community in 2026, Gozo welcomes the world back on May 8, 2027.
The 2027 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship will crown age-division world champions in the Trail Marathon and Trail Half Marathon as the culminating event of the XTERRA Trail Run World Series. Open races will also give runners who have not qualified the opportunity to share the same trails and become part of the weekend, the culture and the time spent together on Malta’s island of adventure.
Run it Back
“Last year showed us exactly what Gozo can bring to a World Championship,” said Landry Benoit, XTERRA Trail Run Technical Director. “To those who saw the images, followed the experience and heard the stories now have their opportunity to experience Gozo for themselves.”
The return follows the success of the 17th XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in 2026, when athletes from 30 countries competed along the island’s clifftop edges, limestone paths, wild valleys and coastal villages. World titles were awarded across the Trail Marathon and Trail Half Marathon, with champions ranging from 19 to 79 years old. The 2027 edition will be the 18th championship since the event began in Hawaii in 2008 and the second consecutive year hosted on Gozo.
Making History
Gozo is the second-largest island in the Maltese archipelago, reached by a short ferry crossing from Malta. Its scale allows the Trail Marathon to travel around the island, moving between high sea cliffs, sheltered valleys, quiet villages, limestone tracks, hidden bays and open views across the Mediterranean.
The route carries runners through a place shaped by thousands of years of history. The Ġgantija temples date to approximately 3600 BC, while hilltop churches, fortified citadels, old farm roads, harbours and coastal settlements remain part of the landscape through which the championship travels.
For the Love of Running
XTERRA Gozo has been built by a local team with a direct connection to endurance sport and the island’s trail community. Race Director Nathan Farrugia described the approach behind the event. “Gozo is a race organised by athletes for athletes, and we deeply value the participants’ experience.”
Farrugia also explained why the island fits the championship. “Gozo is the perfect place for us, as the weather, landscape and people create an ideal setting for the sport we love.”
Opening and award ceremonies, food, music, exhibits and lounge areas bring the event into the centre of Għajnsielem, while community gatherings give runners time to meet before the competition and reconnect after it.
A Gozo Welcoming
Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, described the Maltese Islands as “the perfect stage for the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship, where sport meets coastal landscapes, clear sea and a climate suited to outdoor competition.
“Events of this stature reflect our commitment to promoting the island as a destination capable of attracting and hosting high level world championship competitions,” said Minister for Gozo and Planning Clint Camilleri, adding that the event further strengthens Gozo’s international profile.
Qualification for the 2027 World Championship is already underway through the XTERRA Trail Run World Series designed as a global pathway through different landscapes and trail-running communities. Runners can begin close to home or travel farther, earn their place through a qualifying event and arrive in Gozo alongside athletes who have taken their own route from across the planet.
Register for your next XTERRA Trail Run World Series qualifier, or register for an open race at the 2027 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in Gozo.
