Mala staza

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 6.9km.
• Final 399m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 6.9km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–6.9km · Climb of 385m, high point 521m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 6.9km–15.7km · Descent of 399m averaging 5%. 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

The course climbs 550m+. With 34m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 6.9km at an average 5.6% grade (385m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.8km at an average 4.5% grade (399m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 10.5% over 1.5km. The steepest descent drops at 21.3% over 0.2km. Surface: 93% trail and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 19.7 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Ledinačka Kapija (503m), 11.5km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Debeli hrast (442m). The course also passes close to Astal (485m).

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 8 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 6.9km.
• 6.9–15.7 km · 399 m D−, -4.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 15°C to 26°C, with around 21°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 71%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 54% of days around this date.