Skyrace

Race strategy

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

• Big early climb with 1120m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 475m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1034m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 13.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 14.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–13.3km · Climb of 1122m, high point 1450m, descent of 475m averaging 11%. 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 · 13.3km–14.2km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 14.2km–23.8km · Descent of 1034m averaging 11%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 1700m+. With 71m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 49% downhill and 11% flat. The longest climb runs 9.0km at an average 12.5% grade (1122m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.5km at an average 10.8% grade (1034m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 46.1% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 29.2% over 0.4km. Surface: 66% trail and 33% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 45.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Smiljevac (1445m), 9.0km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Galinik (1305m) and Velika stena (1140m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.0km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 24 of 100), with 33% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 13.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 14.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 9.0–13.3 km · 475 m D−, -11.0% · 10.5 km ahead → control
• 14.2–23.8 km · 1034 m D−, -10.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 18°C to 28°C, with around 20°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 34%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 4% of days around this date.

Results

25 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Jovan Mitrović (Serbia) in 3:22:34. Women's winner: Ivana Tadić (Serbia) in 3:20:54.