GARMIN RUN-UP! CHALLENGE

Medvednica trail is a race where you push your limits. Whether you’re moving up from a 5K to a 15K race or daring to tackle the longest route, Kameni svati, it’s all about pushing boundaries.

To ensure there’s no shortage of challenges this year, we’ve devised an additional challenge for all participants on the Plazur 30K, Ponikve 45K, and Kameni svati 60K. We want to further motivate you to tackle (perhaps) the toughest part of the course, the ascent of Veliki Plazur, and we’ll reward the fastest male and female racers who conquer it.

What are the participation conditions?

Simply by participating in one of the courses of Plazur 30K, Ponikve 45K, or Kameni svati 60K, you qualify for participation in the challenge. Of course, the main condition is also that you finish the race and that we acknowledge your result.

How does the challenge work?

At a certain point in the race, you’ll reach the start of the ascent to Veliki Plazur hill, where we’ll need to record your time (manually or electronically). From that moment, your challenge time, i.e., the time of ascent, begins. When you reach the end of the ascent, we’ll record your passage again. The difference between these two recordings represents your ascent time, which will be included in the Garmin Run-Up! ranking.

Where is this segment located?

The Garmin Run-Up! segment is situated on the trail sections of Plazur 30K, Ponikve 45K, and Kameni svati 60K, near Medvedgrad. Its starting point is at the foot of the hill, at the intersection of hiking trails 1 and 12, and the finish line is at the chapel of St. Jakob at the top of Veliki Plazur hill.

Don’t worry about finding the segment; it’s on the course you’re running, and there will be people at the starting and finishing points to guide you.

Estimated segment positions by sections:

Plazur 30K: between the 21st and 22nd km
Ponikve 45K: between the 6th and 7th km
Kameni svati 60K: between the 22nd and 23rd km

Segment/Ascent Description

As mentioned, this may be the toughest ascent on the entire trail.

Length: approx. 800 meters
Elevation gain: approx. 240 m
Average gradient/ascent: approx. 31%

This segment also exists on Strava, and the statistics are as follows:

421 individuals have completed the ascent.
The fastest woman is Dominika Zupancic Valant with a time of 11:42 (March 29, 2024), and the fastest man is Nikola Špoljar with a time of 09:00 (April 18, 2024).
Nikola Jurić has the most recorded ascents – a staggering 11.
The lowest point is 621, and the highest point is 851.

Prize for the male and female winners

For our king and queen of the ascent, who participate in the race on Sunday, May 26, 2024, on one of thecoourses of Plazur 30K, Ponikve 45K, or Kameni svati 60K, and achieve the best result on this ascent, our dear sponsor Garmin has provided a durable GPS smartwatch equipped with solar charging – Garmin Instinct® 2 Solar.

This rugged GPS smartwatch with solar charging is resilient enough to keep up with your pace and unique enough to fit your style.

This watch is durable, so you no longer have to hold back.
No need to stop with unlimited battery life in smartwatch mode provided by solar charging.
Train your way with built-in wrist-based sports apps.
With smart notifications, you won’t miss a thing.
Push your limits while staying on track with access to multiple satellites.
Get to know your body better with continuous health monitoring.