Pesenbachtallauf: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The loop starts and finishes in Lacken, part of Feldkirchen an der Donau, and runs via Gerling down into the Pesenbach valley, past the Kerzenstein to the Fürstberger cider farm and back over the Gaisbergerhügel. Asphalt alternates with forest and meadow paths. The local Sportunion club's running section stages it for the 39th time in 2026, with a team ranking for fire brigade crews, a municipal championship and a two-person relay that hands over at Fürstberger.

The first three kilometres rise gently from about 430 to 480 metres before the course drops into the valley and runs flat along the stream for a stretch. From kilometre 5.7 the character changes: a climb of just over 600 metres at nine percent on average and around 15 percent at its steepest lifts you out of the valley, with the relay changeover at Fürstberger shortly after.

After a short descent the longest climb starts at kilometre 7, a little over 1.2 kilometres at close to six percent up to the high point at roughly 520 metres. The final three kilometres then fall almost continuously back to Lacken. The organiser quotes around 215 metres of climbing.

Pacing Strategy

The first half rolls gently and tempts you to run with the field, which starts together with the relay teams. Hold back on purpose: you gain hardly any height before kilometre 5.7, and every second you bank there above your pace is repaid several times over on the first steep climb.

The race is decided between kilometre 5.7 and 8.3. Run the steep climb out of the valley with short steps and steady effort rather than steady pace; only a brief descent follows before the climb to the Gaisbergerhügel starts. Overcook the first climb and you lose far more on the second. Watch out too for the relay runners who join fresh at Fürstberger, and don't get pulled along by them.

From the high point the last three kilometres run downhill, and with a relaxed, quick stride you can win back real time there, provided you still have legs at the top. On wet leaves and meadow paths in November, sure footing on the descent pays off.

Training plan for Pesenbachtallauf: 12-week build

Expect 45 minutes to around 1 hour 20 for 11.2 kilometres with roughly 215 metres of climbing, depending on your level. The effort is not steady: calm, rolling running alternates with two short, hard climbs where you briefly go into a very high intensity and then have to recover while still running.

That is what to train: short hill repeats of two to four minutes on eight to ten percent gradients with an easy jog down as recovery, and tempo runs on rolling loops where you settle straight back into race pace after each rise. Do part of this on forest trails so the switches between asphalt and soft ground don't surprise you on race day.

Don't neglect downhill running. The last three kilometres drop almost without a break, and the runner who can flow down them on tired legs gains here. Relaxed downhill sections at the end of longer runs prepare both muscles and technique.

The race is held in early November in the early afternoon, so expect cool temperatures and damp, slippery footing on the meadow and forest paths. Shoes with some grip and a dress rehearsal on similar terrain in autumn make sense; the local club itself trains on the course through the autumn.