Kackar 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1760m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 39% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 566m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 903m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 31.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 33.1km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–15.8km · Descent of 267m averaging 8%, climb of 1755m. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 15.8km–21.9km · Descent of 566m averaging 9%. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 21.9km–33.1km · Climb of 645m, high point 2907m, descent of 880m averaging 15%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 33.1km–43.4km · Descent of 903m averaging 9%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 3000m+. With 68m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 53% downhill and 9% flat. The longest climb runs 12.4km at an average 14.2% grade (1755m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.3km at an average 8.8% grade (903m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 38.7% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 21.9% over 2.1km. Surface: 48% trail, 31% road, and 9% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 73.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 7.5km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 38 of 100), with 35% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 31.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 33.1km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 0.0–3.5 km · 267 m D−, -7.7% · 39.9 km ahead → control
• #1 · 15.8–21.9 km · 566 m D−, -9.3% · 21.5 km ahead → control
• #3 · 25.9–31.7 km · 880 m D−, -15.1% · 11.7 km ahead → control
• 33.1–43.4 km · 903 m D−, -8.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 19°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 11% of days around this date.

Results

259 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Antonio Martínez Pérez (Spain) in 4:29:25. Women's winner: Tuğçe Karakaya (Turkey) in 5:54:10.