Garda Trentino Xmas Trail: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The first four kilometres run flat along the lakeside promenade from Torbole to Riva del Garda and through its old town. From kilometre 4.2 the first block of climbing begins: 1.7 kilometres at eleven per cent past the Venetian Bastione, then after a short recovery 1.6 kilometres at almost nine, and from kilometre 8.75 another 2.2 kilometres at ten per cent up to the Castello di Tenno and the hamlet of Frapporta. The high point of this first part is around 480 metres after eleven kilometres.

The course then falls for seven kilometres through the olive groves of Tenno and Arco to just under 90 metres at the Castello di Arco and the church of San Martino. From kilometre 22 comes the second block, and it is the real core of the race: 1.6 kilometres at sixteen per cent, immediately followed by another 1.6 at eleven, together a good 440 metres of height across the flank of Monte Corno to just under 590 metres at kilometre 25. The descent from there to Nago crosses rock slabs on a wide path secured with railings that asks for attention; through the chestnut wood and the centre of Nago the route then drops over Castel Penede and the old Strada di Santa Lucia to the finish.

Eighty per cent of the loop is unpaved: paths, mule tracks and cart roads. The race is deliberately built as a low-altitude winter trail, started at nine on the Saturday morning in Torbole, and a December morning on the northern shore of Lake Garda is reliably cold and windy before the sun clears the mountains. Garda Trentino Trail put on the ninth edition in 2026 under FIDAL approval, with entry from age 20 and a licence or Runcard required. The 1,234 entries in 2025 were a record. The road sections are not closed to traffic.

Pacing Strategy

The four flat shore kilometres after the start are the only place where you can genuinely run pace, and that is exactly what makes them dangerous. They cost almost nothing if you run them under control and a great deal if you arrive at the foot of the first climbing block at full speed. A good quarter of the loop climbs steeply, another quarter descends steeply, and only a seventh is flat.

The race is decided in the second block from kilometre 22. After more than two hours of racing there are 3.2 continuous kilometres of climbing averaging thirteen per cent with pitches beyond thirty, and anyone who overspent in the first block walks it. Ration the 1,405 metres of climbing so that you deliberately eat and drink on the valley floor near Arco between kilometres 18 and 22, because after that there is no quiet minute left before the top.

The trap is the descent off Monte Corno. It crosses rock slabs, is secured with railings and looks like free time on the profile, but it asks for sure footing on tired legs; after it come the chestnut wood and the paved Strada di Santa Lucia, which is harder after 28 kilometres than it looks. Then the conditions: only two aid stations over 30 kilometres, two cut-off gates and a six-hour overall limit, plus road sections open to traffic where you have to look after yourself.

Training plan for Garda Trentino Xmas Trail: 12-week build

For a well trained age-group runner the 30 kilometre distance takes roughly three to four and a half hours; the limit is six and the 2025 winning time was 2:25. The demand is markedly undulating: almost half the course lies on steep ground, and a long fast descent separates the two blocks of climbing. That produces an aerobic endurance run with two hard strength-endurance blocks rather than an even effort.

What decides the race is the second block from kilometre 22, because it comes late and, at 3.2 unbroken kilometres, is the longest climb of the day. Prepare it back-loaded: long runs of two and a half to three and a half hours with the biggest climb deliberately placed in the final hour, plus a weekly set of four to six hill repetitions of five to eight minutes at ten to fifteen per cent.

The second emphasis is descending technique. Around 1,400 metres come back down, much of it on paths, rock slabs and old paving. Practise descents on technical ground rather than only on forest roads, and place them at the end of long sessions so you run them on pre-fatigued quadriceps. For the paved closing kilometres, eccentric strength work helps as well.

Among the conditions, December on Lake Garda and the aid-station spacing count. A nine o'clock start on the northern shore is cold and often windy, and it turns mild quickly once you are in the olive groves, so plan clothing you can shed on the move. Because there are only two stations over 30 kilometres, your own fuelling belongs in training: run the long sessions with the same bottle or vest and the same number of gels you intend to carry.