30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ŠMARNA GORA RECORD
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, we held the 30th anniversary edition of the Šmarna Gora Record race, the traditional uphill race from Tacen to the summit of Šmarna Gora. This short but extremely demanding challenge once again attracted outstanding Slovenian and international mountain runners, with Italy's Tiziano Moia and Slovenia's Klara Velepec taking centre stage.
Victory in the Women's Race Goes to Slovenia
The standout performance of this year's Šmarna Gora Record race came from Klara Velepec.
The 20-year-old runner from Radovljica set off with determination and crossed the finish line at the summit of Šmarna Gora in just 13 minutes and 36 seconds. In doing so, she improved her previous personal best by approximately one minute and secured a place near the top of the all-time rankings of the fastest women on this course.
With her outstanding performance on Saturday, Klara also set the stage for a successful remainder of the mountain running weekend, as an even longer and very different challenge awaited her the following day at the 47th Šmarna Gora Race.
Klara Velepec on the final steep section, heading towards victory
Her closest challenger, Arianna Del Pino
Kitti Posztos finished third
With an outstanding performance, Klara claimed victory and set a new personal best (13:36)
Nobody said it would be easy…
Even the older female runners weren't intimidated by the climb – hats off to them!
Tiziano Moia Fastest in the Men's Race
In the men's competition, Italian national team runner Tiziano Moia claimed victory, completing the climb to the summit of Šmarna Gora in just 11 minutes and 7 seconds.
The top two Slovenian runners also delivered excellent performances. Klemen Španring finished second with a time of 11:20, while Rok Bratina secured third place in 11:30.
Despite the impressive times, the course record remained untouched. It has been held since 2025 by Kenya's Richard Atuya, who reached the summit of Šmarna Gora in an exceptional 10:33. The remarkable quality of this achievement is highlighted by this year's results – despite his winning time of 11:07, Moia was still 34 seconds slower than the record.
Saturday's climb also served as an excellent warm-up for the runners ahead of the following day's 47th Šmarna Gora Race.
A crowded start, where every second counts
Despite the struggle on the final steep section, Tiziano Moia had a comfortable lead
With just over a minute to go, the battle for second place was still wide open
The Šmarna Gora Record race pushes every runner to their absolute limit
Like Klara, Tiziano Moia claimed victory with a personal best (11:07)
Klemen Španring won the three-way battle for second place (11:20)
Rok Bratina also secured a place on the podium (11:30)
The other runners gave it everything they had, too
Great atmosphere, with food and drinks for all participants
Nothing beats the famous Šmarna Gora tea from Gostilna Ledinek
A full set of medals for the fastest runners
Boštjan Novak – the founder and main organiser of the Šmarna Gora Record race
The 30th Edition!
This year's Šmarna Gora Record race held special significance, as we organised it for the 30th time.
The concept of the race remains simple – reach the summit of Šmarna Gora from its base in the shortest possible time. However, its short distance and steep gradient make it one of the most intense mountain running challenges, where there is little room for tactics and every second counts from the very first metre.
We concluded this anniversary edition with outstanding results, a Slovenian record in the women's competition, and another successful day of mountain running on Šmarna Gora.
Congratulations to all the runners who took on the challenging climb, and a big thank you to all the volunteers, partners, spectators, and everyone else who helped make the 30th Šmarna Gora Record race a success.
See you next year!
RACE VIDEO - LIVESTREAM
MAIN INFORMATION
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26.09.2026
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Length: 1,8 km
Elevation gain: +360 m
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10:00 - WOMEN (all categories)
10:20 - MEN (all categories)
THE IDEA…
To put an end to rumours of seemingly impossible ascents in under ten minutes, we decided to officially determine who was the fastest. The first Šmarna Gora Record race was organised in 1991 as a spring edition of the traditional Šmarna Gora Race. The plan was to hold the traditional race again in the autumn of the same year, but the events of that June, which led Slovenia to independence, prevented the organisers from carrying out their plans.
COURSE
The course of the Šmarna Gora Record is very simple – it follows the most visited and the shortest route from the foot in Tacen over the saddle to the top of Šmarna gora.
+360 M
1,8 KM
You can pick up your start number at the “Rocen” athletic stadium, next to the police academy. You can also drop off your luggage there to be able to get fresh clothes on the finish line. The start of the race is "at the step", at the foot of Šmarna gora.
NUMBER PICKUP AND START
FINISH LINE
The finish line of all courses is at the top of Šmarna gora. Next to it, you will find your luggage, hot tea, cakes, and plenty of other sweets as well. The results will also be announced and awards will be presented at the top.
HISTORY OF ŠMARNA GORA RECORD
The shortest route to Šmarna gora has always been a special challenge for record hunters. Alpinists, athletes, cyclists, football players, cross-country skiers, and others – all athletes, especially around Ljubljana, have been testing themselves on the Šmarna Gora slopes for decades, informally competing to see who can be the fastest.
To end the rumors about unlikely sub-ten-minute ascends, we decided to officially look for the fastest one among the runners.
For the first time we organized the Šmarna Gora Record in 1991 as a spring version of the classic and already well established Šmarna Gora Race. The same year, a traditional Šmarna Gora Race was planned for the fall, but the war that took place that June and led Slovenia to independence changed the organizer’s plans.
In the winter of 1996, we revived the idea of organizing the Šmarna Gora Record, but the initiative came from somewhere else entirely. On the 1st of February 1995, one of the members of the local running club had a fatal accident in the Slovenian mountains.
Therefore, every first Saturday in February, the Slovenian mountain running community gathers under Šmarna gora - to socialize, to race, and last but not least, for Tom, although many people don't even know about the purpose.
The Šmarna Gora Record is dedicated to Tom, who trained on the slopes of Šmarna gora, just behind his home.
