Asics Malcesine Baldo Trail

52K
For many, this may be an almost impossible distance to travel, without considering the more than 3,000 meters of elevation gain. On this curse many sports and mountain enthusiasts can have a taste of trail running in its purest form and appreciate every feature of the Mount Baldo range. A journey for the trailer!
This circular course starts and ends on the lakefront of Malcesine. For the first 9km it follows the same path as the 24K race, and takes the athletes to an elevation gain of 1340mt. After the first 2km on tarmac, the course exits from the town to immediately climb on a panoramic path, first on cart tracks and dirt roads, then on singletrack through oak and chestnut forests. At Km 9, near Bocca di Navene (1420mt ASL), where the view discloses the eastern slope of Mount Baldo, there are the first refreshment station and the split time checkpoint. From here the course climbs further north on singletrack towards Mount Altissimo; above 1700mt ASL the vegetation thins out giving way to meadows and open spaces. At Km 13 near the Altissimo refuge, competitors will reach the highest elevation point of the entire event at 2060 meters above sea level where they can take advantage of an additional water point. At that point, the track turns southwards to explore the eastern slope of Mount Baldo, where one can appreciate the morphologic and climate diversity compared to the western slope, which is mitigated by the influence of Lake Garda. There begins a more runnable stretch, with ups and downs, allowing to increase the stride length and enjoy the wide panoramas of Corna Piana. At Km 21 at the Fos-Ce refuge is the second refueling point. From here on alternating between cart track and trail, continue for another 9 km with a loss of elevation of about 300mt until reaching the third refreshment point in loc. Madonna della Neve.. In this stretch, the course is surrounded by malghe, typical shepherd huts, and pastures. From the 31st km, the route again begins to gradually regain altitude until the 37th km where the fourth refueling point is located in loc. Prà Alpesina (1450 m asl) to then engage the athletes with an uphill tear on single track of 2 km useful to gain again the summit of Monte Baldo at the top station of the cable car; here is placed the time gate, the fifth refueling point and also the third intermediate chronometric survey. From this point onward, the course follows a progressive descent, connecting to the second part of the 24K race. Some of these steep slopes consist of technical sections, some others are more smoothly runnable, crossing forests of conifers first and beech then. The descent, passing through loc. i Prai, leads in about 9 km to lose a little more than 1100mt of altitude until reaching the intermediate station of the Cable Car in loc. St. Michael’s at which the sixth refueling point will be available. From here on, you re-enter the “olive tree coastal strip” and descend on cart tracks and path until you find the town again for the last 2 km on cobblestones and asphalt.

26K
A blue-tinted dream from Malcesine to the summit of Mount Baldo. The blue of Lake Garda blends with the blue sky in an extraordinary panorama which pleases the eye with all its breadth: from the snowy peaks of the Alps to the sharp silhouettes of the closest mountains, and the gentleness of the plains. The track is capable of arousing new emotions again and again.
The loop course with start and finish on the Malcesine lakefront leads athletes to gain 1700mt of elevation gain in about 11.5Km. From the 89mt ASL of Malcesine it reaches the 1769mt ASL by the summit cable car station. After the first 2km on tarmac, the course exits from the town to immediately climb on a panoramic path, first on cart tracks and dirt roads, then on singletrack through oak and chestnut forests. The first refreshment station is at Km 9, near Bocca di Navene (1420mt ASL), where the view discloses the Eastern slope of Mount Baldo. Some meters past the refreshment station, which is also a split time checkpoint, the course enters a singletrack trail that climbs progressively through an increasingly sparse vegetation, to reach its highest point at km 11.5 (1769mt ASL), by the cable car summit station, where there are the cut-off point, the second refreshment station, and the second split time checkpoint. From this point onward, the course follows a progressive descent: some of these steep slopes consist of technical sections, some others are more smoothly runnable, crossing forests of conifers first and beech then. The descent, passing through loc. i Prai, leads in about 9 km to lose a little more than 1100mt of altitude until reaching the intermediate station of the Cable Car in loc. St. Michael’s at which the third refueling point will be available. From here on, you re-enter the “olive tree coastal strip” and descend on cart tracks and path until you find the town again for the last 2 km on cobblestones and asphalt.

16K
This Short version of the MBTrail running is perfect for those approaching the world of Trail running: a trail in the quietness of nature and highly scenic that will get you in touch with the real Monte Baldo and its incredible scenery! Despite its reduced length, the course embraces all the characteristic features of the conformation of the mountain’s western slope: breathtaking climbs, singletrack paths, and technical sections to be tackled with maximum concentration. This circular course goes northward from Malcesine; after 2km of cobbled road, it enters a trail until km 5, where there is the first refreshing station, next to some recently discovered trenches dating back to the First World War. Here the course starts climbing for an elevation gain of 400mt in 2km, reaching one of its two highest points (713m ASL). The next 5km turn southward with a series of ups and downs until km 11.8, at the intermediate cable car station, where there is the second refreshing station. From here on, the more flowing and runnable part of the race begins with gradual loss of elevation initially on trail and in the last 1.5Km on cobblestones/asphalt to the town of Malcesine.