Route description:
High-difficulty course - Mountain experience and a minimum ITRA index of 400 required
Cut-off times: 4 hours and 20 minutes at the Cacova 1 checkpoint -> 8 hours in total. Runners who reach the finish after 8 hours will be listed in the results as DNF (did not finish).
The race starts at the stage in the Otăsău valley, at the upper end of Bărbătești village. After about 2.5 km of forest road, where the first water point of the course is located, the climb begins on the hiking trail marked with a red cross up to Pătrunsa Monastery, a checkpoint and aid station (food and water). By this point we have covered about 5 km and 500 m of elevation gain.
The course then follows the yellow dot trail for 300 m and bypasses Pătrunsa Monastery, following a single-track trail for one kilometre, then a forest road to the aid station above Pahomie Hermitage (Pahomie spring - km 10, with 600 m of elevation gain). From here we follow the blue dot marking on a 3 km climb with 900 m+ of elevation gain up to Șaua Ștevioara, continuing on the red stripe marking to the summit of Buila (km 13.5, 1550 m+), then on to Curmătura Builei, the next aid station (food and water), at km 15 of the race.
From there the course follows the red stripe along the western ridge of the massif, reaching the Cacova 1 checkpoint at km 17 (1650 m of elevation gain), where there is a cut-off time of 4 hours and 20 minutes. From here the course descends on the back side of Buila following the red triangle for almost 1 km, then another yellow dot trail down to the forest road in the Prislop valley. After 3 km of forest road we reach the aid station (food and water) at km 25.
Next comes a 2.8 km climb with 500 m of elevation gain on the red stripe trail, which takes us back up to the ridge above the Cacova sheepfold.
From here the course follows the red triangle trail along a 1.5 km section of forest road, then a hiking path to the junction with the yellow dot trail. The yellow dot trail is followed, alternating between forest roads and paths, to the finish, passing through the last checkpoint and aid station (food and water) in Poiana Scărișoara, at km 31 of the course.
- In the event of withdrawal or disqualification, participants must make their own way to the finish, on their own responsibility (injuries excepted).
- In the event of withdrawal at Curmătura Builei, the return is along the 18K course or back the way the 18K runners climbed.
- In the event of withdrawal at Pahomie Hermitage or on the climb to Buila summit (Vârful Buila), the return follows the forest road from Pahomie Hermitage to Pătrunsa Monastery, then descends to the finish the way the course climbed.
