20th Race along the Dovžan Gorge

Jelendol (Slovenia), Sunday 22 August 2010

Eight kilometres along a disused railway track in the Alps

 

The Dovžanova soteska (‘Dovžan Gorge’) in Slovenia cuts deep into the southern slopes of the Karavanke mountain range which runs along the border with Austria.

It is protected as a natural monument and well-known for its deposits of marine fossils.

The 8-kilometre Tek po Dovžanovi soteski does not run through the gorge, actually. The race travels along a steep wooded valley, but the only way to get there is through the gorge and the spectacular 19th-century road tunnel (pictured below).

The start/finish area is in Jelendol, three kilometres from the road tunnel and six kilometres from the old shoe-making town of Tržič.

Formerly a centre of the timber industry, Jelendol is nowadays a sleepy village with a small football pitch, a boules field and a handful of pretty wooden buildings.

The course is out and back along a dirt road that follows a disused railway track. The first half of the route is mildly uphill with an elevation gain of 50 metres, the second half is downhill.

In 2009, the finishers were greeted with live folk music, snacks and pancakes. The winners were Tone Kosmač (26:31) and Neža Mravlje (32:06).

 

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

 

The road tunnel through the Dovžan Gorge.

 

Country:

• Slovenia

Venue (Map):

• Jelendol (6.5km from Tržič, 46km from Klagenfurt, 52km from Ljubljana, 172km from Udine)

Date:

• 22 August 2010 (Sunday)

Race distance:

• ca. 8km
• children 500/1000/1500m

Start time:

• 10.00: children
• 10.30: 8km

Entries:

• on the day 8.00-9.45 (children until 9.30)

Entry fees:

• €10
• children €4
• families (2 adults, 2 children) €24

You get:

• a present and a meal
• children get pancakes

Prizes:

• trophies to the first M/F
• medals to the first 3 in each category
  

Number of finishers 2009:

• 8km: 166
• children's races: 67

Event details in Slovene:

• www.klub-trmastih.si

 

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