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 Mali Povlen.
• Final 416m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 10.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.2km–10.6km · Climb of 376m, high point 1334m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Home · 10.6km–16.1km · Descent of 416m 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, 35% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 23% flat. The longest climb runs 5.3km at an average 7.1% grade (376m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.4km at an average 7.7% grade (416m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 22.6% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 26.6% over 0.3km. Surface: 73% smooth, 19% trail, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 19.6 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mali Povlen (1346m), 10.6km from the start.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

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

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 10.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 10.6–16.1 km · 416 m D−, -7.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 3°C to 14°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 26%.

Results

92 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Stefan Tovilovic (Serbia) in 1:11:41. Women's winner: Anastasiia Grishakova (Serbia) in 1:27:44.