Gosausee Relay Run: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The Gosausee relay is an evening race around the Vorderer Gosausee in Austria's Salzkammergut, at roughly 1,000 metres above sea level with views of the Dachstein glacier. It is run as a two-person relay: each team member completes one full lap of the lake, about 4.2 kilometres, with start and changeover at the Gasthof Gosausee on the shore. Classifications range from pupils to women's, men's and mixed pairs, with an unofficial ranking for solo runners as well.

The lap itself is technically easy but far from flat. After a short opening, the trail kicks up at kilometre 0.8 for around 300 metres at an average of 19 percent with pitches above 30 percent, close to 60 metres of gain that defines the rhythm of every lap. In total the loop collects around 120 metres of climbing, the rest spread across shorter rises and the descent back to the shoreline.

The event is regarded as one of the most beautiful running races in the Salzkammergut and has grown into a sociable evening fixture, with the lakeside inn serving food and drink right after the finish. The combination of short distance, mountain-lake scenery and relay format makes it equally inviting for competitive pairs and teams who come for the setting.

Pacing Strategy

As a relay leg, you run this 4.2-kilometre section close to threshold, with its difficulty clearly bundled. The only real climb comes at once: at kilometre 0.78 a 300-metre ramp averages 19 percent with spikes near 31 percent, a good 58 metres in one go. That is the decisive section and the main trap at the same time. Sprint this ramp too hard and you drive your heart rate so high that the flat lakeside pace afterward suffers.

Take it strong but controlled, with a short, powerful stride, and deliberately bring your pulse back down at the top. From kilometre 1 the course rolls almost level and slightly downhill around the Gosausee back to the exchange. Steady high pace matters here, with no further surges.

The course even loses twelve metres net, so the finish runs fast, provided you did not overcook the early ramp.

Training plan for Gosausee Relay Run: 12-week build

A lap of the Gosausee takes roughly 20 to 35 minutes depending on your level, so the relay is a short, intense effort close to your threshold rather than an endurance test. That is exactly what makes it interesting to train for: you can race almost the entire lap hard, but you have to budget your effort around one pronounced steep section.

The demand is mostly aerobic with one clear anaerobic spike. The climb at kilometre 0.8, around 300 metres at 19 percent gaining close to 60 metres, arrives early, when your heart rate is already high from a fast start. Overcook it and you spend the remaining kilometres paying off the debt. Train short hill repeats of 60 to 120 seconds on steep gradients, followed by easy running rather than standing rest, to rehearse the transition back into pace over the top.

For base speed on the flatter and rolling sections, intervals at your 5-kilometre race pace work well, for example repetitions of 3 to 5 minutes with short recoveries. Since a good quarter of the lap runs downhill, practising fast, relaxed descending is worthwhile too: that is where time can be gained without extra fatigue.

The relay format adds tactics. Decide who handles the first lap in the bustle of the mass start and who runs the anchor leg with clear trail. A proper warm-up before the changeover is essential for the second runner, because the steep climb waits just 800 metres in.