Sky Trail 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.3km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 1315m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 33.5km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–12.6km · Climb of 1324m, high point 1851m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 12.6km–33.5km · Descent of 297m averaging 9%, descent of 1315m averaging 10%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 33.5km–46.5km · Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 46.5km–52.0km · 5.5km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 2800m+. With 56m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 26% flat. The longest climb runs 12.6km at an average 10.5% grade (1324m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.6km at an average 9.7% grade (1315m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 41.3% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 38.4% over 0.2km. Surface: 78% trail and 21% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 73.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Golica / Kahlkogel (1834m), 19.8km from the start. The course also passes close to Kamnitnik (1858m) and Suhi vrh (1339m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 10.4km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 57% 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 33.5km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 12.6–15.7 km · 297 m D−, -9.4% · 36.3 km ahead → control
• #1 · 19.9–33.5 km · 1315 m D−, -9.7% · 18.5 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 9°C to 19°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 39%.

Results

1,001 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Dawid Malina (Poland) in 4:45:23. Women's winner: Natalina Neuenschwander (Switzerland) in 5:48:05.