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Tryavna Ultra 100 km trail running route — Bulgaria · Gabrovo Province (Balkan Mountains)

BULGARIE · Gabrovo Province (Balkan Mountains)

Tryavna Ultra 100km: Balkan Mountain Loop from Historic Tryavna -- UTMB 100K Points, Night Start, and the Spirit of the Balkans

Distance

100 km

Date

July 18, 2026

Droit d’inscription

82 EUR

€ / km

€0.82

📅

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Old folkloric towns, climbs thru Communist relics, and overnight paths through Bulgaria´s forests in a growing summer ultra.

Tryavna Ultra 100km is a Balkan mountain loop through the cultural heartland of central Bulgaria, starting and finishing in the historic town of Tryavna at 443m in the Stara Planina range. The course delivers 4,000m D+ over 100km (40 m/km; D+/km rank 261/~390 -- upper two-thirds of the DTR database), with the route passing through architectural park Bozhentsi, eco-park 'Bulgarian Woman', three municipalities, and dozens of villages. Maximum elevation 1,515m; average 936m throughout. UTMB 100K Index race (2025: 97.2km / 4,000m D+ / 140 finishers). Night start: Saturday 21:00; 20-hour cutoff Sunday 17:00. 8 aid stations including drop bag at Mladost (km 60.6, 14-hour cutoff). Entry 72-100 EUR (2026 tiered). Organised by iRun.bg since 2015.

Élévation et Terrain

Mètres totaux

4,000m

D+/KM

40.0m/km

Pour référence, le Tor des Géants 330 km a 73 D+/km.

Pente montante moyenne

10.2%

Pente descendante moyenne

-9.8%

Distribution du gradient de montée

Tryavna Ultra 100 km — uphill gradient distribution (GPX-derived, analysed 2026-05-02)
2–5%		10.2 km
5–10%		13.7 km
10–15%		6.8 km
15–20%		3.7 km
20%+		4.1 km

Profil de parcours

Analysed 2026-05-02

Détail du terrain

Tryavna Ultra 100 km — terrain breakdown (GPX-derived, analysed 2026-05-02)
	39.3%	Montée
	20.1%	Plat
	40.6%	Descente

Terrain

Pre-Alpine

Ascensions

Principales montées

Tryavna Ultra 100 km — top climbs (GPX-derived, analysed 2026-05-02)
1	9.1 km · 815 m gain starts km 41 · avg 9% · max 82%
2	3.9 km · 241 m gain starts km 83 · avg 6.2% · max 33%
3	2.1 km · 232 m gain starts km 55 · avg 11.1% · max 35.6%

Principales descentes

Tryavna Ultra 100 km — top descents (GPX-derived, analysed 2026-05-02)
1	11.3 km · 617 m drop starts km 72 · avg -5.4% · max -34%
2	5.7 km · 517 m drop starts km 31 · avg -9.1% · max -37.7%
3	3.1 km · 291 m drop starts km 95 · avg -9% · max -49.1%

Tryavna Ultra 100km: Balkan Mountain Loop from Historic Tryavna -- UTMB 100K Points, Night Start, and the Spirit of the Balkans

Night Start at 21:00 -- What Running Tryavna Ultra in Darkness Means▼

Q: What is Tryavna Ultra 100km? A: Tryavna Ultra 100km is a Balkan mountain loop starting and finishing in Tryavna, a historic National Revival-era town in Bulgaria's Gabrovo Province. The course delivers 4,000m D+ over ~97-100km (40 m/km; D+/km rank 261/~390 -- upper two-thirds of the DTR database) through architectural park Bozhentsi, eco-park 'Bulgarian Woman' (Bulgarka Nature Park), and dozens of Balkan mountain villages. The race starts Saturday 21:00 (night start) with a 20-hour cutoff (Sunday 17:00). UTMB 100K Index (2025: 97.2km / 4,000m D+ / 140 finishers). ITRA 4 points. 8 aid stations including drop bag at Mladost (km 60.6, 14-hour cutoff). Entry 72-100 EUR (2026 tiered). Organised by iRun.bg since 2015.

Bozhentsi, Shipka, and the Bulgarka -- Three Cultural Landmarks in One 100km Loop▼

Q: Does Tryavna Ultra 100km count for UTMB qualification, and how hard is the course? A: Yes -- Tryavna Ultra 100km is UTMB 100K Index listed (2025: 97.2km / 4,000m D+ / 140 finishers). Difficulty: D+/km rank 261/~390 (40 m/km -- upper two-thirds of the DTR database), with moderate-to-moderately steep average climbing (AvgUphill rank 262/~390) and notably gentle average descent (AvgDownhill rank 118/~390 inverted -- top ~30% gentlest). The course is more mountainous than ~61% of the DTR database (PctFlat rank 151/~390). It is not a technical alpine race -- the descent gradient is accessible and the loop terrain follows Balkan forest trail and village paths without extreme rocky sections. The primary challenges are: 40 m/km across 100km on a loop; night start at 21:00 (first 6-8 hours in darkness); July heat during the day (20-30 C); and the Mladost 14-hour cut-off at km 60.6 which requires consistent pacing.

UTMB 100K Points at 72-100 EUR -- The Value Case for Tryavna Ultra▼

Q: What are the aid stations and drop bag options at Tryavna Ultra 100km? A: 8 aid stations provide food and beverages throughout: Bozhentsi (11.2km), Sechen Kamak (19.4km), Yabalka (35.9km), Shipka (49.2km), Mladost (60.6km), Balgarka (70.6km), Stanchov Han (84.9km), Plachkovtsi (94km). The one intermediate time barrier is at Mladost (km 60.6): 14-hour cut-off. Drop bag access is available at Mladost (km 60.6) only. Important: there are no plastic cups at aid stations -- bring your own reusable cup. Mandatory equipment includes a 1L water container (required to receive water at aid stations), waterproof jacket, headlamp (2 light sources), whistle, survival blanket, first aid kit, and 500 kcal of food. Missing mandatory items incur 1hr penalties (whistle, food, jacket, under-capacity water container) or disqualification (no water container).

40 m/km, 8 Aid Stations, and the Mladost Cut-Off -- Course Strategy for Tryavna Ultra▼

Q: What are the entry fees and registration process for Tryavna Ultra 100km? A: Entry 2026 fees for 100km (tiered by registration date): 72 EUR early (until 09 Feb 2026) / 82 EUR regular (10 Feb-25 May 2026) / 100 EUR standard (26 May-29 Jun 2026). Registration closes 29 June; no on-site registration. Registration is not finalised without completed payment. All participants undergo a mandatory on-site medical check-up before race pack collection (no extra cost). If the medical team deems a runner unfit, 100% of the entry fee is refunded. Entry includes: water, medical care, aid stations, electronic results, branded Tryavna Ultra shirt, and a finisher medal for sub-cutoff completers. Part of the BG Ultra Slam #UltraCube challenge (collect 6 Bulgarian ultra medals 2025-2027). 2027 pricing TBC.

Fichiers de course

Logistique

Aéroport le plus proche

Sofia (SOF)

Notes

Start: ~2.5–3.5 hrs by car to Tryavna / Public transport: train/bus Sofia→Tryavna feasible (often 1–2 changes) / Accommodation: guesthouses/hotels in Tryavna; book early (summer tourism)

FAR

It’ll possibly take 3+ hours from the closest large airport to arrive. Plan your adventure accordingly, take an extra day for those after-race beers or Curranz.

Runner Voice

Real conversations with race participants

DUMMY - Danny Michlewicz · Ran in 2025 · 11 hours 26 minutes finishing time · ITRA 550

Summary

“DUMMY - The race at 80K, I reset. Sat down, had some soup, grabbed TUC biscuits, and moved on. Simple fuel, but it worked better than anything else at that point. And physically, I felt incredible. I had not thought about my ankle once. That alone was wild. I was moving well without forcing it. Just flowing. ”

Technicality: DUMMY - Very runnable trails for a 100 miler. It has smooth and clean paths with minimal technical sections except the final descent. The climbs are mostly gentle and runnable. Constant running leads to cumulative fatigue in feet, and legs.

Shoes / poles / pack: DUMMY - Leki Super Elite poles and Tectons for the Prodigio Pro. Careful with carbon shoes. Carbon shoes over 100 miles can cause issues if not tested properly.

Aid Stations: DUMMY - dates, olives, fruits like banana, no gels/etc. Sandwiches in later stations, water and bathrooms in aid were good.

Views and Vibes: The last 10 km of the race have stunning cliff views, beaches. Ibiza is really remote at parts which is cool. The race organizers GAVE so much, there is a concert at the end, you get discounts to restaurants, and the finish has lots of hot food, smiles, etc. Feels like a family atmosphere

Logistics: Car necessary, but start line and finish in center of town. Bib pickup had flexible hours too. Organizers gave away tons of free stuff like gels, socks, jacket. Low season so cheaper in Ibiza.

What surprised them: DUMMY - The final climb was absolutely terrible, but the downhill technicality was lower than I thought. Last climb at 135Km was more technical than expected, so I held back on it to give it my all on the descent. Final descent is long, technical, and fast.

One Tip for Runners: DUMMY - Race pack pickup only on race day in Obernai, which is inconvenient. Best to stay near the finish for easier logistics. Gels stopped working around 50K, need a backup strategy. Soup and biscuits worked well later in the race. Bring spare shorts to avoid chafing problems.

Read full interview →

Dernière vérification : February 13, 2026Site officiel →