Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB

The Julian Alps Trail Run is Slovenia's largest trail running event and its only race in the UTMB World Series, which it has been part of since the series began in 2022. The organisers say it has sold out in recent years, drawing more than 5,000 runners from over 80 countries, and they put respect for the mountains and the local communities at the centre of it: routes follow the natural logic of the terrain and run only where, as they put it, the mountains welcome them.

The base is Kranjska Gora, the alpine resort below the Julian Alps, and the courses run on single trails, through dense forest and across alpine meadows in and around Triglav National Park, Slovenia's only national park, and the Karavanke. Depending on the race, runners pass Lake Bled with its little island, the old town of Radovljica and the village of Žirovnica beneath Stol mountain.

The team grew out of a partnership with the people behind the Kranjska Gora Trail Run, Ultra Trail Vipava Valley and the Soča Outdoor Festival, and more than 500 volunteers help run the weekend. The organisers describe the ibex as the guardian spirit of these ridges, and the races carry UTMB points and Running Stones for runners chasing a start at Mont-Blanc.