100 Miles of Istria

Numerous sports and active holiday lovers will find enough reasons to come toIstria even in the winter months, but the first days of spring bring a bounty of activities providing everyone with a reason to visit Istria - both recreational and extreme sports enthusiasts. And this will be confirmed once again in April when Istria is hosting a ultratrail event 100 Miles of Istria.

We are delighted to invite you to the fourth edition of the ultra trail race "100 miles of Istria". We are particularly proud to point out that as many as 700 competitors from 30 countries participated in the third edition of the race! It is the qualification race for the unofficial world trail championship Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. All the finishers receive ITRA and UTMB qualification points.

The 100 miles course is the hardest and the most beautiful course that we offer. It stretches from the eastern part of Istria, over its highest mountain down to the mainland, and ends on the western part of the peninsula in the city of Umag. Along the route you will experience every possible aspect of trail running – really technical terrain, a little bit of coastering, old medieval towns, deep forests, city centres, old train route, muddy valleys, all spiced up with breathtaking panoramas. The course starts in the 3000 years old town Labin, climbs the Učka mountain and descends in Buzet where your drop bag will wait for you. After the well-deserved rest, the trail leads you to the smallest town in the world, the town of Hum, then to the medieval pearl Motovun and back to the finish in Umag. 173 km with 6.230 m doesn’t seem so hard but trust us, this course is very demanding and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The second largest course offers you “the climb”, right in the beginning, from the sea level directly to the top of the Učka mountain at 1400 m above sea level, all that in just 8 km. Reaching the foot of the mountain peak, the 110 km trail merges with the100 miles trail until Buzet. From Buzet, the trail leads you towards Oprtalj. However, the trail is not as easy as it may seem. You will have to climb twice, cross the stream and you’ll see the ruins of the Pietrapelosa castle. Apart from “the climb” and the part between Buzet and Oprtalj, the trail follows the 100 miles trail. As for the terrain, the part that leads to Buzet is very rocky and demanding, but it gets easier towards the finish in Umag. While 110 km with +4.120 m probably doesn’t sound very demanding, it is nevertheless very challenging, especially if you bear in mind that you will have to cross the mountain during the night. The time limit for completing the race is 33 hours.

The third race, 69 kilometres long trail with the climb of +2373 m is an excellent start for participants who would like to try the 110 km or 100 miles trail next year. The time limit for completing this race is 16 hours.

The fourth race is quite a novelty and is dedicated to beginners in trail running. It starts at the bottom of the town of Motovun, climbs up the town and merges with the 100 miles trail. With the elevation difference of 1.100 m and a time limit of 10 hours, this trail is not very challenging, but nevertheless has all the elements of a real trail race: it leads you through steep climbs and slopes, wide paths, intact single tracks and charming hill towns – a real treat!

The finish of all the races and the centre of events will be in Umag where the road race at 5 km and Ledo 1 mile children race will be held.

Schedule:
Start 100 miles: Labin, 15 April 16:00
Start 110 kilometres: Lovran, 15 April 20:00
Start 69 kilometres: Buzet, 16 April 09:00
Start 42 kilometres: Motovun, 16 April 12:00
Start 5 kilometre: Umag, 17 April 12:00
Start Ledo 1 mile: Umag, 17 April 13:00

Welcome to the fourth edition of the ultra trail race ''100 miles of Istria''!