Trail Kuršių Nerija 2025 (70 km)

 A month after Iron Trakai, I embarked on another adventure: the Kursiu Nerija Ultra Trail, 70 km of pure beauty. My wife and I arrived at the Curonian Spit the day before the race to collect my start package and race number, then headed to Nida Camping...

 We pitched our new tent at our familiar spot. The campsite has everything we need - electricity, a place for the car, and water nearby. Bathrooms with toilets and showers were also available in the nearest building. We love this location: nestled in the forest, peaceful, and out of season, it feels completely empty and serene...

  For dinner, we brought our electric steam cooker and prepared salmon with rice and soy sauce. The warm, aromatic meal was both healthy and satisfying, a perfect way to refuel and relax before the race...

  We also tested our new tent, which has quickly become our little home in nature. It’s comfortable, practical, lighter, and larger than our last one - and ready for many more adventures in the years to come...

  The next morning, I had my usual oat porridge, got dressed, and packed my running backpack. Inside, I had two bottles of my homemade gels (500 ml with 300 g of carbs, and 220 ml with 150 g of carbs), a 500 ml bottle of isotonic, and two caffeine gels (67 ml each, 25 g of carbs). This was my planned nutrition for the next 6 hours and 30 minutes of running. During the race, I only planned to refill water at the aid stations in the bottle that initially contained isotonic. 

  We arrived about 10 minutes before the start at 7:00 a.m., still in darkness...

    After a short wait, I started the race with around 261 participants (150 in the 70 km and 111 in the 104 km). Last year, I ran the 104 km route, but this time I decided to tackle the 70 km—mostly because the first 70 km are similar for both distances and are the most interesting part. My goal this time was to maintain an average pace of 11 km/h, running faster then last year and keeping a higher tempo. For reference, last year on the 104 km, my average pace was 9:55 km/h...

  Right after the start, all my focus was on the well-marked paths, reflected in the glow of our headlights. Every turn and trail marker was crucial in the darkness, keeping us on the right track...

   After sunrise, the beauty of the forest slowly unfolded around us. Sunlight filtering through the trees revealed the rich colors and textures of the trail, making the run even more magical.

  After 28 km, I reached the beach, where the trail followed the sea for the next 12 km...

    This was the one of the hardest part, running on sand, which really takes a toll on the legs. I managed to keep a pace of around 5:15 per km, but it was definitely the most challenging section for my legs...

   Last year, after this part, I felt pain that stayed with me for the rest of the trail, making it a crucial part of the race to manage carefully...

  After the beach section, I reached the 40 km mark, and the next 10 km took me through forest trails with significant elevation gains. My pace naturally slowed due to the hilly terrain and the need to recover after the grueling sand section...

   Then, at the 50 km mark, I reached Juodkrantė...

    The last 15 km were mostly flat, but fatigue didn’t allow me to maintain a pace above 11 km/h - which was ok, because I still achieved my goal average pace of 11 km/h. In fact, during the first 28 km of the race, I had maintained a pace of over 12 km/h, giving me a good buffer for the later kilometers...

  I finished the race in 6:25 (70 km with 730 m of elevation gain), achieving an average pace of 11.06 km/h, successfully completing my goal, and securing 10th place out of 150 participants...

  During the race, my wife Diana met me at several spots along the course to cheer me on and capture some memorable moments. Her support and the photos she took added even more joy to the adventure... 

  After the finish, we returned to the camping and stayed for one more night to reflect on the completed challenge. The next day, we went for a walk to the sea and took photos with our trophies under beautiful, sunny weather...

  That was my last race of the year, officially marking the end of the season. We headed home in a great mood, satisfied with completing our goals.