ISKRA 19K

Race strategy

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

• 347m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Start easy and control your HR up to 9.6km.
• Hold your race pace up to 18.1km, but stay in control.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 4.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 18.1km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–9.6km · Descent of 347m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 9.6km–18.1km · 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Home · 18.1km–19.9km · Descent of 107m averaging 6%, high point 569m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course.

Course

The course climbs 1074m+ and descends 1074m−. With 56m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 45% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 4.9km at an average 6.3% grade (306m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.7km at an average 7.4% grade (347m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 24.1% over 0.7km. The steepest descent drops at 23.4% over 0.7km. Surface: 79% trail, 8% smooth, 7% technical, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 27.6 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mali vis (576m), 0.0km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 2.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 16 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 4.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 18.1km.
• #1 · 0.0–4.7 km · 347 m D−, -7.4% · 15.2 km ahead → control
• 9.6–11.7 km · 284 m D−, -13.6% · 8.2 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 16°C to 28°C, with around 26°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 42%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.

Results

89 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Slavko Panić (Serbia) in 1:47:57. Women's winner: Marija Alimpijević (Serbia) in 2:39:08.