ŠKODA Stara Planina 15km

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Hold your race pace up to 9.9km, but stay in control.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Work · 2.7km–9.9km · Climb of 319m, high point 1747m. Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 9.9km–15.0km · 5.1km of runnable trail. Kick for the line: give it everything you've got. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 37% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 5.8km at an average 5.5% grade (319m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.1km at an average 9.7% grade (399m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 15.9% over 0.8km. The steepest descent drops at 14.8% over 0.9km. Surface: 40% smooth, 23% trail, and 13% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 14.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Babin Zub (1758m), 5.8km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Cuke Solnce (1678m). The course also passes close to Jabucko ravniste (1472m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 0.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 8 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• 5.8–9.9 km · 399 m D−, -9.7% · 5.1 km ahead → your pace

Results

74 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: SINISA SAVIC (Serbia) in 1:11:00. Women's winner: MINA KOSANOVIC (Serbia) in 1:18:32.