Running in the Tatras

  The May training camp in the Slovak Tatras was the final stage of our preparation for the 1000 km run along the Camino del Norte. Over four days, we covered 135 km, combining running with small ascents, as our routes passed by snow-covered mountain passes....

Here's the map of our runs...

 Our "base camp" was located in the village of Tatranská Lomnica, which we reached by train from the city of Poprad. To Poprad, it's very convenient and inexpensive to travel from Uzhgorod with the carrier Leo Express. The ticket includes a combined journey - a bus to Košice and a train to Poprad.

  We stayed for three nights in a budget cottage called Biela Stopa, which offered a beautiful panorama of the mountains, one of which was the second highest peak of the Carpathians - Lomnický Štít.

After settling in, we went for our first training run in the Tatras. The snow began at 1500 m, and after 2000 m, we were almost waist-deep in it... 

  Here's how they deliver supplies to a hut at an altitude of 2015 m... Almost like in Nepal...

   The climb sometimes turned into alpine stages...

  On this day, we covered only 25 km, but we managed to reach a pass at an altitude of 2350 m, under the mountain "Široká veža." Our feet got stuck in the deep snow several times, so we even had to dig ourselves out. The sun alternated with rain, then snow with hail...

  Almost all of the second day was foggy, and the mountain peaks were shrouded in clouds. We ran 34 km along mountain trails, and on one of them, we even saw a bear...
 On the third day, the weather cleared up, and we ran along the trails parallel to the main road from Tatranská Lomnica to Popradské Pleso, reaching the famous route "Tatranská magistrála"

 To warm up and have a snack, we stopped in the lounge of the glamorous hotel "Sliezsky dom"  ...

  A fox had already adapted to tourists and got used to being constantly fed. Like a cat, it waits for its reward...

 Reaching "Skalnaté Pleso" we ran back to Tatranská Lomnica, covering a route of 52 km...

 On the fourth day, we had to leave for home, so we planned a short run of 24 km, with the main location being a very picturesque place - "Chata pri Zelenom plese." It was mid-May, but it felt like winter again...

  It's hard to believe how diverse the Carpathians are... From ridges and meadows to what looks like Himalayan peaks... Truly one of the most beautiful places in the Tatras...

  In any high-mountain hut, you can come in to warm up, rest, and have a snack with your own food, or use their services. For example, at "Zelené Pleso," there is a large lounge for those who bring their own food. If you want to order something, you proceed to the main dining room of the restaurant...

   The panoramas of the place are truly impressive...

 The last day of our training camp in the Tatras has come to an end. The weather over the four days brought many surprises... Rain, hail, snow, and wind... The clouds over the peaks only momentarily revealed the harsh beauty of the mountains. Running in these new places was truly cool and exciting. The views inspired and gave us even more energy...