Slovenia Hosts European Mountain and Trail Running Championships at Velika Planina

Slovenia will serve as the European capital of mountain and trail running this weekend, with the championship taking place in Kamnik and on Velika Planina from Friday to Sunday. The event features separate races: an 8.9 km mountain run with 1,280 m ascent on Friday, a 52‑km trail race with 2,500 m ascent on Saturday, and a 13‑km uphill‑downhill race on Sunday starting and finishing in Kamnik. Organisers expect about 600 elite starters and a similar number of participants overall, including roughly 300 recreational runners, and have allocated a budget of roughly €500,000 (excluding volunteer contributions that would raise the total to about €1.5 million). The championship marks the return of the competition to Slovenia after nearly a decade, with athletes such as Klara Velepec and Lucija Krkoč highlighted as national contenders. The event aims to showcase Slovenia’s mountainous terrain and provide a platform for local athletes to compete against European rivals.