For many it could be an almost impossible distance to run, even without considering the more than 3000mt of elevation gain. On this curse many sports and mountain enthusiasts can have a taste of trail running in its purest form and appreciate every feature of the Mount Baldo range. A journey for true trailers!
This circular course starts and ends on the lakefront of Malcesine. For the first 9km it follows the same path as the 24K race, and takes the athletes to an elevation gain of 1340mt. After the first 2km on tarmac, the course exits from the town to immediately climb on a panoramic path, first on cart tracks and dirt roads, then on singletrack through oak and chestnut forests.
At Km 9, near Bocca di Navene (1420mt ASL), where the view discloses the eastern slope of Mount Baldo, there are the first refreshment station and the split time checkpoint. From here the course climbs further north on singletrack towards Mount Altissimo; above 1700mt ASL the vegetation thins out giving way to meadows and open spaces.
At Km 13 near the Altissimo refuge, competitors will reach the highest elevation point of the entire event at 2060 meters above sea level where they can take advantage of an additional water point. At that point, the track turns southwards to explore the eastern slope of Mount Baldo, where one can appreciate the morphologic and climate diversity compared to the western slope, which is mitigated by the influence of Lake Garda. There begins a more runnable stretch, with ups and downs, allowing to increase the stride length and enjoy the wide panoramas of Corna Piana.
At Km 21 at the Fos-Ce refuge is the second refueling point. From here on alternating between cart track and trail, continue for another 9 km with a loss of elevation of about 300mt until reaching the third refreshment point in loc. Madonna della Neve.. In this stretch, the course is surrounded by malghe, typical shepherd huts, and pastures.
From the 31st km, the route again begins to gradually regain altitude until the 37th km where the fourth refueling point is located in loc. Prà Alpesina (1450 m asl) to then engage the athletes with an uphill tear on single track of 2 km useful to gain again the summit of Monte Baldo at the top station of the cable car; here is placed the time gate, the fifth refueling point and also the third intermediate chronometric survey.
From this point onward, the course follows a progressive descent, connecting to the second part of the 24K race. Some of these steep slopes consist of technical sections, some others are more smoothly runnable, crossing forests of conifers first and beech then. The descent, passing through loc. i Prai, leads in about 9 km to lose a little more than 1100mt of altitude until reaching the intermediate station of the Cable Car in loc. St. Michael’s at which the sixth refueling point will be available. There the course enters the “fascia costiera dell’Ulivo” (“coastal strip of olive trees”) and descends on cart tracks and trails to reenter the town for the last 2km on cobbled road and tarmac.
