Sky Trail 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1290m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 37% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 1331m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 35.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 48.5km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.5km–12.0km · Climb of 1286m, high point 1851m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 12.0km–21.9km · Descent of 490m averaging 8%. Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. 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.
• Fade · 21.9km–48.5km · Descent of 1331m averaging 10%. Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 48.5km–54.0km · Descent of 211m averaging 4%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 2828m+. With 51m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 12.0km at an average 10.7% grade (1286m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.6km at an average 9.8% grade (1331m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.0% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 38.8% over 0.2km. Surface: 77% trail and 20% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 73.7 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Golica / Kahlkogel (1834m), 21.8km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Krvavka (1784m). The course also passes close to Kamnitnik (1858m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 5.7km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 53% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 35.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 48.5km.
• #2 · 12.0–18.2 km · 490 m D−, -7.9% · 35.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 21.9–35.5 km · 1331 m D−, -9.8% · 18.4 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 7°C to 17°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 41%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 12% of days around this date.

Results

1,138 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Dominik Hohenleitner (Germany) in 4:38:05. Women's winner: Greta García Morán (Spain) in 5:21:20.