Long Distance

Race strategy

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

• Steep 31% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 707m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 14.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–11.0km · Climb of 721m, descent of 268m averaging 5%, high point 1283m. 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 · 11.0km–14.4km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 14.4km–21.8km · Descent of 707m averaging 10%. 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

The course climbs 1332m+. With 60m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 53% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 5.8km at an average 12.3% grade (721m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.3km at an average 9.6% grade (707m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 31.3% over 0.7km. The steepest descent drops at 19.3% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 30.2 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 3.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 19 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 14.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 5.9–11.0 km · 268 m D−, -5.2% · 10.8 km ahead → your pace
• 14.4–21.7 km · 707 m D−, -9.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 22°C, with around 14°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 46%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 6% of days around this date.

Results

541 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Szcześniewski Miłosz (Poland) in 1:39:45. Women's winner: Krčálová Olga (Czech Republic) in 1:58:07.