Today, people mainly run for pleasure. Mountain running has also been popularised due to competitions, which began to be organised in the 1980s on a more massive scale in Alpine countries and in England.

In recent years, mountain running has been experiencing a true heyday in Slovenia, too: two extreme trails are well-known – The Šmarna Gora Record and Grintovec Mountain Race.  There’s also a competition named Vertical Kilometre, where the competitors try to conquer a 1000-metre elevation difference as fast as possible; the current record is half an hour.

In addition to competitions, you can choose from many diverse non-competitive trails.  Currently, mainly trail running is in the forefront.

The Šmarna Gora Record

You can take on a rather extreme running challenge by going up Šmarna Gora Hill on the outskirts of our capital city, Ljubljana.

The slopes of Šmarna Gora Hill have served the locals in Ljubljana as a course for getting physically fit for decades. The Šmarna Gora Record has a 1.8 km trail with a 360-metre elevation difference. The fastest runners need just over 11 minutes to cover the entire trail.

Grintovec Mountain Race

In the Grintovec Mountain Race, competitors try to cover an almost 2000-metre elevation difference on a 9.6-kilometre trail from Kamniška Bistrica Valley to the top of Mt Grintovec. The fastest competitors need less than one hour and twenty minutes. This is a true mountain running experience, which occasionally includes technically more demanding sections.

Good luck!

If you’re still deciding whether or not to go mountain running, take the following advice into consideration:

Mountain running footwear must provide stability and cushioning. Ordinary running shoes are not suitable.

Make sure to have additional equipment to protect you in changing weather conditions and in the event of potential minor injuries (blisters).

When planning your journey, take into account all of the safety precautions that apply whenever you go to the mountains.