Red Race

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• Steep 26% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 714m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 12.4km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 30.3km.
• 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–4.4km · Climb of 779m, high point 1258m. 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 · 4.4km–30.3km · Descent of 714m averaging 9%, climb of 657m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Home · 30.3km–33.4km · Descent of 339m averaging 11%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 45% downhill and 23% flat. The longest climb runs 7.4km at an average 8.9% grade (657m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.9km at an average 9.0% grade (714m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.9% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 20.5% over 0.8km. Surface: 79% smooth and 19% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 45.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Jablanik (1274m), 4.5km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Medvednik (1244m). The course also passes close to Toletina (846m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 4.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 24 of 100), with 47% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 12.4km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 30.3km.
• #1 · 4.4–12.4 km · 714 m D−, -9.0% · 21.1 km ahead → control
• 30.3–33.4 km · 339 m D−, -10.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Results

59 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Stefan Pavlovic (Serbia) in 3:03:26. Women's winner: Jelena Janežić (Serbia) in 4:05:08.