Durmitor SkyRace

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 793m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 46% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 892m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 16.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 24.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.2km–10.0km · Climb of 722m, descent of 371m averaging 21%, climb of 578m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 10.0km–20.0km · Descent of 793m averaging 13%, climb of 690m, high point 2393m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Fade · 20.0km–24.3km · Climb of 619m. Plus 1 more descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 24.3km–33.4km · Descent of 892m averaging 10%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 39% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 11% flat. The longest climb runs 5.8km at an average 12.3% grade (722m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.0km at an average 9.9% grade (892m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 52.5% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 55.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 76% trail and 19% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 75.6 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Prutaš (2393m), 20.0km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Planinica (2330m) and Sagorjele ploče (2214m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 6.4km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 33 of 100), with 47% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 16.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 24.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 5.8–7.6 km · 371 m D−, -21.2% · 25.8 km ahead → control
• #1 · 10.0–16.1 km · 793 m D−, -13.0% · 17.3 km ahead → control
• 20.0–22.7 km · 689 m D−, -25.7% · 10.7 km ahead → your pace
• 24.3–33.4 km · 892 m D−, -9.9% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Results

140 finishers completed the 2024 edition. Men's winner: Dane Krstulovic Opara (Croatia) in 5:39:00. Women's winner: Alena Pabortsava (Belarus) in 6:22:38.