Small Eastern Extreme Marathon

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 361m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Start easy and control your HR up to 15.2km.
• Hold your race pace up to 21.0km, but stay in control.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 15.2km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–15.2km · Descent of 361m averaging 5%, high point 520m. Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. 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.
• Work · 15.2km–21.0km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Fade · 21.0km–33.1km · 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 · 33.1km–41.6km · Climb of 329m. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.

Course

The course climbs 2100m+ and descends 2100m−. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 16% flat. The longest climb runs 8.6km at an average 3.8% grade (329m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.3km at an average 5.0% grade (361m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 34.9% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 25.0% over 0.5km. Surface: 89% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 57.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Ledinačka Kapija (503m), 38.2km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Crni cot (482m). The course also passes close to Astal (485m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.4km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 24 of 100), with 60% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 15.2km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 8.0–15.2 km · 361 m D−, -5.0% · 26.4 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 18°C, with around 15°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 36%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 4% of days around this date.

Results

60 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Omar Khudiev (Russia) in 3:55:28. Women's winner: Jasmina Djurdjevic (Serbia) in 7:16:19.