Blue Race

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• Start easy and control your HR up to Jablanik.
• Final 805m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 4.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.5km–4.5km · Climb of 773m, high point 1258m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 4.5km–14.1km · Descent of 805m averaging 8%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 4.5km at an average 17.0% grade (773m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.5km at an average 8.4% grade (805m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.2% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 22.5% over 0.3km. Surface: 71% smooth, 23% trail, and 5% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 19.2 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Jablanik (1274m), 4.6km from the start.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 3.0km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 13 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 4.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 4.5–14.1 km · 805 m D−, -8.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Results

164 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Aleksa Banković (Serbia) in 1:15:30. Women's winner: Mina Kosanovic (Serbia) in 1:29:49.