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WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING ASSOCIATION

ŠMARNA GORA KEEPS A MOUNTAIN RUNNING TRADITION ALIVE

One year after hosting the Classic Up & Down race of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup Finals, Šmarna Gora welcomes mountain runners back to Ljubljana this weekend for two WMRA Associated Races.

For 47 editions, runners have been testing themselves on the steep slopes of Šmarna Gora, the distinctive hill rising above the Slovenian capital. What has kept the event going is not simply its history, but the commitment of the local organisers, volunteers and running community who continue to give the race its character from one generation to the next.

In 2025, Šmarna Gora was once again on the international stage when the 46th edition hosted the Classic Up & Down race of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup Finals. 

The weekend begins with the 30th Šmarna Gora Record, a pure uphill challenge from the foot of the mountain towards the summit. One day later comes the 47th Šmarna Gora Race, where climbing and descending combine on the familiar steep trails around one of Ljubljana’s most recognisable landmarks.

An international group will again add quality to the Slovenian field. Martin Nilsson (SWE), Lorenzo Cagnati (ITA), Tiziano Moia (ITA) and Sándor Szabo (HUN) are among the men expected to compete, while Ana Hernandez (ESP), Kitti Posztos (HUN) and Arianna Del Pino (ITA) add further international presence to the women’s race.

But Šmarna Gora has never been defined by a single edition or a single start list. Its story has been built over decades by the people who return to the same mountain, preserve the race and pass its traditions from one generation to the next.

Forty-seven editions later, the slopes above Ljubljana continue to show why some of mountain running’s strongest traditions are kept alive not by size, but by community.

More information HERE