Salzburg Trailrunning Festival Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The Gaisbergtrail is the long mountain distance of the Salzburg Trailrunning Festival, the October season finale of the Austrian trail calendar: 23.8 kilometres and 1,344 metres of climbing from the city centre up Salzburg's home mountain and back. With almost 60 vertical metres per kilometre and barely eight percent of flat ground, this is a genuine mountain race that starts among the old town's landmarks.

The first half is one long staircase. From kilometre 0.9 an opening climb of 1.75 kilometres gains nearly 200 metres, and at kilometre 4.4 a 1.2-kilometre ramp averages 20 percent. The serious terrain waits between kilometres 9 and 12.5, where three ramps stack up with averages of up to 26 percent and pitches beyond 50, each gaining between roughly 100 and 215 metres on the way towards the Gaisberg, which rises 1,288 metres above the city.

Whatever you earn on the way up has to be carried back down intact: over a quarter of the total distance descends steeply, and the long return into town tests quads and concentration all the way to a final small rise at kilometre 19. The finish sits back in the middle of Salzburg, between old-town scenery and festival noise.

Pacing Strategy

The Gaisbergtrail is a race of repeated ramps: up to the summit near kilometre 12, several short steep climbs stack up, two of them over 25 percent. Take these kicks strongly but evenly — the constant cycle of climbing and brief recovery tempts you to attack every ramp and overcook it early.

That's exactly the trap. The high point sits around the halfway mark; after it the course drops over several kilometres almost back to start level. This is where the Gaisbergtrail is decided: on the long descent, where sure-footed, flowing running gains more time than fighting on the climbs.

The flat run-in along the river rewards anyone who spared their thighs going down — so hold something back deliberately in the first half.

12-Week Preparation

Depending on your level, plan for three to four and a half hours on the Gaisbergtrail. The effort splits into two clearly separated halves: a long, hard ascent with sections nobody runs, and one long, fast descent back into the city. Both need training, separately and in combination.

For the climbing half, what counts is your ability on very steep ground. With average gradients around 25 percent between kilometres 9 and 12.5, powerful uphill hiking is the decisive skill; practise it deliberately on the steepest slopes you can find, ideally in repeated blocks of five to fifteen minutes. A solid aerobic base from long trail runs carries you through the first hour of continuous climbing.

The second half of the race is won or lost downhill. More than a quarter of the course drops steeply, in one sustained stretch, on legs already emptied by the summit climb. Build eccentric tolerance over weeks with long downhill segments in training, otherwise your quads burn out well before the finish. Include technique runs on rooty, wet ground, because the late-October date often means slippery trails and cool conditions.

In the final preparation phase, key sessions should mirror the race: one long climb of 800 to 1,000 vertical metres followed immediately by a brisk, controlled descent. Keep leg and trunk strength as a standing programme, and rehearse a fuelling routine that covers three to four hours of racing.