SKYRACE

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 593m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 45% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1087m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 20.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 22.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–9.5km · Climb of 745m, descent of 419m averaging 20%, climb of 508m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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.
• Work · 9.5km–18.3km · Descent of 593m averaging 12%, climb of 656m, high point 2357m. 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 · 18.3km–22.4km · Descent of 662m averaging 27%, climb of 614m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 22.4km–33.9km · Descent of 1087m averaging 9%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 3000m+. With 88m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 39% of the distance is uphill, 51% downhill and 10% flat. The longest climb runs 5.7km at an average 13.2% grade (745m of vertical). The longest descent runs 11.5km at an average 9.4% grade (1087m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 51.5% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 51.8% over 0.4km. Surface: 80% trail and 16% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 76.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Prutaš (2393m), 18.3km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Planinica (2330m). The course also passes close to Balja greda (2111m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 7.3km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 34 of 100), with 38% of the load in the first half: 3 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 20.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 22.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 5.7–7.8 km · 419 m D−, -19.8% · 26.2 km ahead → control
• #1 · 9.5–14.4 km · 593 m D−, -12.2% · 19.5 km ahead → control
• #3 · 18.3–20.7 km · 662 m D−, -27.2% · 13.2 km ahead → control
• 22.4–33.9 km · 1087 m D−, -9.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 6°C to 15°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 31%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 6% of days around this date.

Results

71 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Aldin Rizvic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 5:30:24. Women's winner: Milusa Boskovic (Montenegro) in 7:37:58.