Velika staza

Race strategy

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

• Start easy and control your HR up to 11.2km.
• Hold your race pace up to Astalcici, but stay in control.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–11.2km · Climb of 272m, high point 521m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 11.2km–20.2km · Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort.
• Home · 20.2km–23.3km · Climb of 194m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.

Course

The course climbs 1200m+. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 46% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 3.5km at an average 7.7% grade (272m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.0km at an average 5.2% grade (464m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 22.4% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 23.6% over 0.4km. Surface: 96% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 31.4 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Astal (485m), 9.9km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Astalcici (271m). The course also passes close to Brdo (392m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 15 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• 11.2–20.2 km · 464 m D−, -5.2% · 3.1 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 15°C to 26°C, with around 22°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 45%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 8% of days around this date.