Knap trail – my best running experience

I chose the best way to start the year! But I ended up on the Knap trail completely by chance. I've been following the event for a few years, but I always thought: cold, winter... this is not for me. Boy, was I wrong! This was the most beautiful trail so far! I enjoyed it so much that I can't even put it into words.

Preparations (or not)

I went on the trail completely unprepared ( not to do that ). In November and December I could barely keep my head above water. In November I ran 64 km in Solkan , but then I had a long recovery :) . I won the entry fee for the Knap trail in a prize draw on the Izzivalci profile ( I highly recommend this running podcast! ) and decided on the T'sredna route – 30 kilometers and a little over 1500 meters of elevation gain. The short one (16 km) seemed too short to me – I'm not driving to Trbovlje for that . The long one (50 km)? Thanks, I wouldn't.

I couldn't find anyone to go with me, but that didn't matter - I went alone to Trbovlje, where I'd never been before.

On the way, I ate a Nutella sandwich and another piece of bread. Already in Zagorje, the sign made me smile: "Beautiful, more beautiful, Zagorje." At eight in the morning, I arrived in Trbovlje, which surprised me with its size. The parking lot was very close to the start-finish area, which is always a plus. I took home a bag with a rich content: a hoodie (comfortable, soft, warm and beautiful design - I put it on right after showering at home!), a starting number with a chip, a packet of Alive drops, Red Bull and a quick-drying towel.

The morning was humid and foggy, it snowed lightly for a few minutes. My eternal dilemma: what to wear? I left my glasses in the car, ah, because I won't need them . The first thing I put on was this: a sports bra, a short T-shirt, a long, slightly thicker undershirt with a high pullover collar, and a long-sleeved zip-up T-shirt over it, and a windbreaker ( thin running pants are too small for me, so I use a slightly more specific mountain windbreaker ). Long leggings and socks underneath. A hat on my head and thin gloves on my hands. That zip-up T-shirt was the biggest dilemma and I really took it back to the car at the last moment . A good decision, because I would probably have taken it off on the first climb.

Start and first refreshment stand

I warmed up a little bit . I warmed up more in the room where we collected our starting numbers. Žiga X. Gombač greeted us and sent us on our way. We started at 9 am. A short run on asphalt and immediately a path into a forest – great! I thought it was really good that there was so little asphalt. Even later, the route was laid out in such a way that there was almost no running on asphalt, really minimal. The macadam was frozen, crunchy underfoot. Mostly everything was frozen, only around noon there was some mud where the sun was shining.

First mini achievement: Kal, 985 m, 9th kilometer. I arrived in a winter fairy tale! At the refreshment stand, we were served warm tea – how nice! I ate bread with Nutella and kept going. It took me an hour and 20 minutes to reach Kal, and after 20 minutes I was already at Mrzlica, 1122 m, the highest point of the trail.

Iceland

The path from Kal to Mrzlica was a dream! Snow and ice on the trees – a sight that I rarely see in Primorska due to the bora wind. It had snowed the night before and a beautiful icy landscape had formed. I looked in all directions and was completely enchanted. Of course, I also had to watch where I was stepping. I didn't even have time to look at my watch. There was a short but dangerously icy section down from Mrzlica. I had crampons with me, but I didn't feel like taking them out of my backpack for those 20 meters.

From here, the descent followed on a well-trodden and frozen macadam path. There were a lot of walkers on the course, everyone greeted us kindly and politely moved away from the crazy people running down. We descended to about 700 meters above sea level. It was my first time in these places and I had no idea where I was. The course was perfectly marked. Later, I ran without fellow runners in front. I oriented myself to which section and part of the route I was on by looking at the refreshment stands.

I would really like to commend their setup here – they were strategically placed so I didn’t have to reach for any gels or my snacks. I also brought my fluids back to the valley. They had my favorite running fuel: bread . I mostly reached for bread with Nutella , bananas, and waffles. They also offered savory snacks like salami, chips, and cheese, but I usually skip that part.

All the snack bars had warm tea. Not hot, but just the right temperature so you could drink it right away and warm yourself up a bit.

From Podmeja we ran past the Medvednica ski resort, climbed Javor and later Sveta Planina (1011 m). Around the 20th kilometer I started to feel tired in my legs, but the distance still passed incredibly quickly. Once you run a much longer distance, everything around 30 kilometers seems a little short, doesn't it?

I didn't really count how long it was until the finish line. We walked through the snow to Sveta Planina, and it was beautiful again!

On Sveta Planina (1011 m) I forgot about my tired legs. The volunteers made for a crazy atmosphere. They had an announcer , music and loud cheering. They had a covered station and gave us energy for the descent back to Trbovlje. There were a lot of hikers here too. All that kind of stuff on the trail distracts you and makes the run easier. I really suffered very little. Most of all on the last descent (as usual – I'm one of those who prefers going up than down).

Three kilometers before the finish line there was another refreshment stand, where I grabbed some more waffles. Then I looked for a place to pee . After I relieved myself, there was a really steep descent back to town. Strava says the gradient was 29%.

I arrived at the finish line in the sunshine after four hours and 26 minutes. I managed to maintain my average of 9 minutes per kilometer. I found myself in 17th place out of forty-five women. Considering that I completed this race without training, I am extremely satisfied.

At the finish line, I received a finisher medal, changed clothes at the car, and treated myself to a plate of barley* .

I haven't experienced a winter idyll like the one on the Knap Trail 2025 in a long time. My first winter trail and I never thought I would like it so much. I came home completely pumped and I hope this feeling stays with me for a long time!

A really crazy experience!

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*sighs

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