Tre Cime Experience.
The Misurina Sky Marathon is the longest of the three courses at the Tre Cime Experience: a loop from Misurina among the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Cadini di Misurina and the Paterno group, topping out at 2,522 metres. Almost none of it is flat, and the steep descents will test your preparation as hard as the climbs.
Tre Cime Experience 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
The start is in Misurina near Camping Alla Baita at just over 1,750 metres, and you get less than two kilometres to settle in. The course then climbs at close to 20 percent on average to above 2,100 metres, only to hand almost all of that height back by kilometre 7. That sets the pattern for this marathon: its roughly 2,700 metres of climbing are not stacked on one big mountain but split across four major ascents and several short ramps, with deep descents in between.
From kilometre 11 the second major ascent gains almost 550 metres in four and a half kilometres, after which the course drops about 500 metres by kilometre 19. The third follows immediately, a little over three kilometres long and averaging more than twelve percent. From kilometre 27, two steep ramps in a row lead to the race's Cima Coppi, a forcella at 2,522 metres. After that come short counter-climbs and, from kilometre 36, a long descent of more than 400 vertical metres.
The landmarks trace the loop: Rifugio Città di Carpi, Forcella Pale di Misurina, Rifugio Fonda Savio, Rifugio Auronzo and Rifugio Locatelli, before Malga Rinbianco and Lago Antorno mark the way home. From kilometre 13 until the final descent the course stays above 1,900 metres, so nearly the whole race is spent in high mountain terrain. The finish is back in Misurina.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 1.7 | 2.2 km | 19.5 % | 39.6 % | +419 m | Cat. 2 |
| km 7.3 | 2 km | 9.8 % | 22.4 % | +197 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 10.9 | 4.5 km | 12.1 % | 57.6 % | +548 m | Cat. 2 |
| km 20 | 3.5 km | 12.6 % | 31 % | +438 m | Cat. 2 |
| km 23.9 | 1.3 km | 6.8 % | 15.6 % | +90 m | Cat. 4 |
| km 26.9 | 0.7 km | 18.7 % | 49 % | +121 m | Cat. 4 |
| km 27.7 | 1.5 km | 15 % | 33.8 % | +218 m | Cat. 3 |
| km 33.7 | 0.7 km | 13.4 % | 33 % | +97 m | Cat. 4 |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Tre Cime Experience.
Start under control
A kilometre pace will not help you much here: less than five percent of the course is flat, and more than 60 percent is steep in one direction or the other. Race by effort and decide before each climb where you will walk. The first ramp has the steepest average of the day and arrives before you are properly warm. Running it because the field is fresh is a bill you pay for the rest of the race.
Hold your rhythm
The race is decided between kilometres 20 and 29. The aid points around kilometres 13 and 28 leave the longest gap of the race, and it holds both the drop off the first high section and the third major ascent. Eat and drink before kilometre 20, not once the climb starts to hurt, so there is something left for the ramps up to the Cima Coppi.
Spend what is left
The biggest trap points downhill. The drop after kilometre 16 invites you to gain time, but there is almost as much steep descending as steep climbing on this course. Spend your quads there and the descent from kilometre 36 becomes braking rather than running.
Training plan for Tre Cime Experience: 12-week build
Build the base
Expect roughly six to nine hours as an age-group athlete. That is a long aerobic effort which never settles: steep hiking, running and braking alternate constantly, and the ramps keep pushing your heart rate up. You are training less for a marathon than for a long mountain day with running in it.
Train race pace
The critical phases come late. The ramps from kilometre 27 ask for steep climbing with more than 1,500 metres of ascent already in your legs, and the descent from kilometre 36 asks you to run downhill when they are long since tired. You can only rehearse either by putting it at the end of your long sessions, never at the start.
Rehearse the course
So build long mountain days with their hardest climbs in the second half, and treat steep hiking as a skill of its own, on gradients of 15 to 20 percent. Downhill load matters just as much: long, steep descents in training and strength work for the quads prepare the muscles for braking, which takes up almost as much of this course as climbing does. Practise fuelling at wide intervals too, so the gap in the middle of the race comes as no surprise.
Arrive fresh
The condition you can count on is altitude: you start above 1,700 metres and spend most of the day well over 2,000. A mid-September date puts your longest sessions in high summer, so if you live lower down, use those weeks for training days at similar height.
Courses
Download the Tre Cime Experience course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Tre Cime Experience dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about Tre Cime Experience.
How long is Tre Cime Experience?
Tre Cime Experience is 42 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Tre Cime Experience have?
Tre Cime Experience has around 2,704 m of elevation gain over 42 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Tre Cime Experience?
Tre Cime Experience is classified as Mountainous, averaging 64.1 vertical metres per kilometre. 4% of the route is flat, 18% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 33% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Tre Cime Experience have?
The hardest climb of Tre Cime Experience starts at kilometre 10.9, runs for 4.5 km at an average of 12.1% and gains 548 metres. Cycling-convention rating: Cat. 2. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Tre Cime Experience a loop course?
Yes, Tre Cime Experience is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Tre Cime Experience course?
Yes. The Tre Cime Experience course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Tre Cime Experience?
Preparation for Tre Cime Experience should account for 42 km, 2,704 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Tre Cime Experience?
The pacing strategy for Tre Cime Experience should reflect 42 km, 2,704 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Tre Cime Experience take place?
Tre Cime Experience takes place on September 12, 2027.
Where does Tre Cime Experience take place?
Tre Cime Experience takes place in Misurina, Italy.
Which distances does Tre Cime Experience offer?
Tre Cime Experience offers 3 distances — Misurina Sky Marathon: 42 km; Cadini Sky Race: 23 km; Misurina Lake Run: 10 km.
How do I register for Tre Cime Experience?
Registration runs through the organiser: trecimeexperience.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
