Trail 52K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1260m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 31% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 626m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 29.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 44.2km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.5km–14.7km · Climb of 1261m, high point 1656m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 14.7km–38.3km · Descent of 626m averaging 10%, descent of 678m averaging 13%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. 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 · 38.3km–44.2km · Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 44.2km–51.8km · Descent of 473m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 2450m+. With 47m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 25% flat. The longest climb runs 8.7km at an average 14.5% grade (1261m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.6km at an average 6.2% grade (473m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 35.0% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 28.7% over 0.5km. Flat-equivalent effort: 69.2 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Gradišče (Njivica) (1667m), 14.7km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Planjava (1647m). The course also passes close to Zeleni rob (1622m).