21st "Race along the Dovžan Gorge" 2011

Jelendol (Slovenia), Sunday 21 August 2011

Participants in the Tek po Dovžanovi soteski in Slovenia run eight kilometres of an out-and-back course along a disused railway track in the Alps. The route is almost entirely on dirt roads. The first four kilometres are mildly uphill (+50m), the second half of the race is downhill.

The start and finish are in the pretty hamlet of Jelendol, situated in a steep wooded valley in the Karavanke mountains on the Slovenia-Austria border. Formerly a centre of the timber industry, Jelendol consists of a number of fine wooden buildings.

The only way to get there is to drive (or run) through the spectacular 19th-century road tunnel in the Dovžanova soteska ("Dovžan Gorge"), a protected natural monument, located three kilometres from the old shoe-making town of Tržič.

Finishers can expect to be greeted with live folk music, snacks and pancakes.

In 2010, around 150 runners took part in the race. The winners were Peter Oblak (26:49) and Valerija Mrak (31:24).

Race report and photos: 19. Tek po Dovžanovi soteski 2009

Country: Slovenia

Venue (Map): Jelendol (6.5km from Tržič, 46km from Klagenfurt, 52km from Ljubljana, 172km from Udine)

Date: 21 August 2011 (Sunday)

Race distance: 8km; children 550m/1000m/1500m

Start time: 10.00 (children); 10.30 (8km)

Entries: on the day 8.00-9.45

Entry fees: 10 euros; children 4 euros; families (2 adults, 2 children) 24 euros

You get: a gift souvenir and snacks after the race

Prizes: trophies to the first man and woman; medals to the first 3 in each category

Award ceremony: soon after the race

Number of finishers 2010: 148 (8km)

Event details in Slovene: www.klub-trmastih.si

No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or thoroughness of the information on this page.