Ohrid Ultra-Trail Galicica Ultra 65.5km: The Original Ohrid Distance, 21% Climbs, and Bears Above Lake Ohrid

The Galicica Ultra is the 65.5km distance of the Ohrid Ultra-Trail weekend and the event's original flagship -- first held in 2019, one year before the 105km was introduced. The course starts at 07:00 in Ohrid, runs through the cobbled streets of Ohrid Old Town (including a castle climb and lakeside trail section with a boardwalk past St. John's church), then climbs steeply into Galicica National Park, crosses the dual-lake ridgeline above Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, and descends back to Ohrid. Total: 65.5km nominal / 3,350m D+ (~51.1 m/km). Key stats: 125-place cap, 83 finishers in 2024, 17-hour time limit, 5 aid stations. UTMB 50K Index qualifying. EUR 67 entry. NOT FAR: Ohrid Airport (OHD) 13 minutes from town. Sells out.

The Galicica Ultra occupies the demanding middle position in the Ohrid Ultra-Trail lineup. Compared to the 105km: the 65.5km is 40km shorter with about 1,850m less D+, and starts at 07:00 (daytime) rather than 23:00 (overnight). The 105km is the primary race and larger field; the 65.5km has a more intimate 125-place cap and a 17-hour limit. Compared to the 42km: the 65.5km is 23km longer with nearly 1,400m more elevation gain, a steeper top climb (21.63% avg vs the 42km's unofficial steep climb), and a substantially more technical overall character. The 42km is described as a fast trail suitable for many trail runners; the 65.5km is not -- the 5.58km of 20%+ gradient and technical descent pairing at km 19-25 requires strong mountain running experience.

Very. The course features 5.58km of terrain at 20%+ gradient -- hands-and-poles scrambling -- including the top climb of 785m over 3.63km at 21.63% average gradient (max 63.55%, ratio 2.94x: clean GPS). The technical crux comes at km 19-25: immediately after the top climb, Descent 2 drops 674m over 3.51km at -19.21% average (-59.15% max, 3.08x ratio: clean GPS) -- an essentially vertical scramble with tired legs. The final 9.5km (Descent 1: 935m, -9.81% avg) is the leg-destroyer. The course also crosses genuine wilderness in Galicica National Park: bears have been spotted on course and at least one edition required a route modification due to severe thunderstorm. In 2024, 83 of the 125-place cap finished -- roughly 66% completion rate if the field was at capacity, though exact DNF data is unavailable.

The Galicica Ultra is a UTMB 50K Index qualifying race (listed as Galicica Ultra 60K on the UTMB Index). It is also a scoring race in the Europe Trail Cup circuit (europetrailcup.com). ITRA awards 3 points for the 65.5km distance. The race shares the same Ohrid Ultra-Trail weekend with the 105km (also UTMB-index qualifying), 42km (UTMB 50K Index qualifying), and 21km and 10km distances. Note: the UTMB Index listing has historically used variable distances (2024: 64.80km / 2,850m vs the current Airtable nominal of 65.5km / 3,350m) -- verify current index points on utmb.world before race entry if specific point targets are important for your qualification strategy.

The Galicica Ultra starts at 07:00 in May -- a daytime start with significant heat implications. Ohrid in May averages 17-21C (62-70F) during the day, with ~7 hours of sunshine. However, at least one runner report documents temperatures reaching mid-30s C and exposed mountain sections with no water access between aid stations. Starting at 07:00 means runners will hit peak afternoon sun during the exposed ridgeline sections (estimated km 25-50, roughly hours 4-10 for mid-field runners). Nights drop to 11-15C, so late finishers approaching the 17-hour cutoff will face significant temperature swings from the daytime ridge to the evening finish. Lakeshore elevation at the start is ~695m; the Galicica ridge reaches 1,600-2,000m. Pack sun protection, electrolytes, and a wind layer for the ridge regardless of forecast.