Ivanjica trail 23K

Race strategy

Run the downhill at race pace, but focus on the climb.

• 358m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 25% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 528m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 14.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–14.8km · Descent of 358m averaging 8%, climb of 855m, high point 1478m. 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.
• Home · 14.8km–22.9km · Descent of 528m averaging 7%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 52% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 10.2km at an average 8.4% grade (855m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.1km at an average 6.5% grade (528m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 25.0% over 0.7km. The steepest descent drops at 15.4% over 0.3km. Surface: 48% road and 44% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 27.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Stragacinsko brdo (1026m), 9.4km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.6km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 14 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 14.8km.
• #1 · 0.0–4.7 km · 358 m D−, -7.7% · 18.3 km ahead → control
• 14.8–22.9 km · 528 m D−, -6.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 20°C, with around 14°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 51%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.

Results

202 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Damir Raovac (Individual Neutral Athletes) in 2:03:32. Women's winner: Sanja Despotovic (Individual Neutral Athletes) in 2:34:20.