Gauja 53K is the 53.0km trail race at Gauja Trail by UTMB 2026 (Ratnieki, Latvia). The race starts on August 2, 2026 at 05:30 AM. It starts in Ratnieki and finishes in Cēsis, Rozu laukums.
The course climbs 1200m+. With 23m/km of climbing, the course is predominantly runnable. By gradient, 23% of the distance is uphill, 19% downhill and 58% flat. Surface: 57% trail, 27% smooth, and 12% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 62.1 FlatKM.
The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.
Quad damage risk is low (index 10 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 18°C, with around 17°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 46%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 6% of days around this date.
786 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Miguel Benitez (Spain) in 3:40:58. Women's winner: Dominika Stelmach (Poland) in 4:38:56.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Gauja 53K.
Other distances of Gauja Trail by UTMB 2026Gauja 91K (91.0km)
Official websitegauja.utmb.world
