As usual, the race starts on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. from Celtica Winery in Sobótka (1 Czysta Street).
Participants can leave their cars in the parking area and book accommodation for the night before and after the race. This is also where the Race Office is located and where the pre-race briefing takes place. Participants can also leave their drop bags for the mobile support team here, as well as provide any final instructions to the mobile support volunteers.
The race begins with a group start. For the first few kilometres, participants will be accompanied by runners from KB Sobótka, who will lead them to the Market Square and then along the red-marked trail towards the summit of Mount Ślęża.
The sacred mountain
Rising 718 metres above the Silesian plains, Ślęża
has been a sacred place for thousands of years: ancient cult sites, mysterious
The first vertex of the Sudetes Triangle. The highest peak of the Ślęża Massif, with over 500 m of elevation gain.
From Sobótka Market Square, participants follow the red trail up Ślęża. The first kilometre is on asphalt and cobblestones, followed by forest trails that become rocky and quite technically demanding roughly halfway up.
At the summit of Ślęża, the route switches to the yellow trail for several kilometres of fast downhill running — watch out for loose gravel.
The yellow trail is quite pleasant, with over a dozen kilometres of technically easy forest and field paths, mostly downhill or flat. There is also a two-kilometre section on asphalt. After Kiełczyn, there is another climb — around 200 m of elevation gain to Szczytna, the highest peak of the Kiełczyn Hills.
The trail is forested and rocky, similar to the terrain on Ślęża.
After crossing the Kiełczyn Hills, participants face an 8 km stretch of asphalt all the way to Świdnica.
History in Stone
On the outskirts of Świdnica, participants can expect to meet pacers from the Świdnica Running Group, who traditionally guide Bieg Kreta participants through the city to the first aid station, located next to the Świdnica Miasto railway station.
The aid station offers drinks, cold snacks and music. Participants can also access their personal drop bags, transported by the mobile support crew.
For those who want something warm, rice with apples will already be available — although participants usually skip it at this early stage and quickly head back out onto the course.
Important: this is where the route switches to the blue trail!
Świdnica’s Old Town and the UNESCO-listed Church of Peace reveal a region shaped by centuries of Central European history.
A reminder that Bieg Kreta travels through a living cultural landscape.
Daisy Lake is a small lake formed in a flooded former limestone quarry and today lies within the Daisy Lake Nature Reserve. It takes its name from Princess Daisy von Pless, the English-born aristocrat and famous resident of nearby Książ Castle. The lake was one of her favourite places in the area, and at her initiative one of the old lime kilns was converted into a small hunting lodge.
For the first 8 km, the route follows asphalt roads. In Witoszów Górny, the trail turns right and enters the forest.
Participants will already be covering this section after dark.
Watch your navigation. At Daisy Lake, switch to the green trail towards Lubiechów.
Wałbrzych & Szczawno-Zdrój — Forgotten Glory
This section is usually covered deep into the night. The route takes participants through two very different faces of the region: the post-communist housing estates of Wałbrzych, once the heart of a major coal-mining district, and then the elegant promenade of the historic spa town of Szczawno-Zdrój. Industrial decline and faded grandeur on one side, spa architecture and old-world charm on the other — all experienced in the middle of the night.
After crossing the bridge over the Pełcznica River at around km 47, switch to the red trail and turn left. The route now leads through the urban areas of Wałbrzych and Szczawno-Zdrój. Navigation can be tricky here due to reduced GPS accuracy among dense buildings and the maze of streets and side streets.
In Szczawno-Zdrój, the second aid station is located in the car park at 20 Zdrojowa Street, right next to the main promenade and opposite the Spa Theatre. Cold and hot drinks will be available, along with a hot meal — usually soup and/or rice with apples.
Important! Switch to the blue trail here.
Important! Wearing long running tights is highly recommended for the next section — see Boracza, km 65!
The highest peak of the Wałbrzych Mountains, with over 400 m of elevation gain. Participants tackle it via the toughest ascent, culminating in a brutally steep final section with a gradient exceeding 200 m of ascent per kilometre.
This is one of the most unassuming, yet most traumatic sections of the entire course. The Boracza ridge is all about thorns, with the trail almost completely overgrown by blackberry bushes. And you tackle it in the middle of the night.
Long running tights or other leg protection against the thorns are highly recommended.
Important! At the summit of Boracza, switch to the yellow trail. After Czarny Bór, switch back to the blue trail.
Warning: Mud!
The next aid station is located in Kamienna Góra, next to the bus station. As usual, drop bags will be available at the mobile aid station, along with hot food and drinks.
After Kamienna Góra, the “real” mountains begin — and from here, it only gets higher. First come the Rudawy Janowickie, followed by the Karkonosze. Be prepared for possible winter conditions in the final part of the course.
Important! At km 88, switch from the blue trail to the yellow trail!
The life base at Przełęcz Okraj is located inside the mountain refuge (the second building on the right-hand side of the asphalt road, accessed via the steps).
Here, runners can have a hot meal, rest and prepare for the climb to Śnieżka, where winter conditions are common. There is also an option to sleep or take a short nap in one of the refuge rooms.
Runners visit this life base twice — before and after the climb to Śnieżka.
The highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains and the entire Sudetes. The second summit of the Sudetic Triangle, marking the end of its first leg.
Winter conditions are common on Śnieżka in April. Be prepared for several dozen centimetres of snow, strong winds and ice-covered trails.
The route to Śnieżka follows the yellow trail to Jelenka, then the green trail to the Nad Růžovohorským sedlem junction. From there, the final section follows the yellow trail alongside the cable car.
Return via the same route.
The next section after Przełęcz Okraj is relatively fast. It initially follows the yellow trail, then continues along the green trail all the way to the Kruczy Kamień Nature Reserve, just beyond Lubawka.
The Góry Krucze (Raven Mountains) are one of the more scenic sections of the course. A few kilometres further on lies Chełmsko Śląskie, where the next mobile aid station is located about 2 km past the market square and the historic Weavers’ Houses.
This is one of the most beautiful, but also one of the most navigationally challenging sections of the course. Nearly 30 km through a maze of rock formations, with frequent trail-colour changes and difficult technical descents — often tackled after dark.
This section begins just after the mobile aid station at Honské Sedlo (km 156) and ends in Batorów life base (km 186).
There are two mountain refuges along the route: Chata Hvězda (km 159) and Pasterka (km 170).
Batorów is a life base located around the halfway point of the course. In addition to hot food and drinks, runners can sleep or take a nap here and have access to showers. Overnight accommodation is also available for supporters, free of charge and covered by the organizer.
The life base also serves as a checkpoint where GPS trackers are replaced.
For most runners, this will be the second night of the race.
After Batorów, the route follows a relatively easy forest section for several kilometres towards Polanica, before climbing along the yellow trail towards Łomnicka Równia, one of the main peaks of the Góry Bystrzyckie. The course bypasses the summit itself and instead follows Wieczność (“Eternity”) — a several-kilometre-long forest track, straight as an arrow and seemingly endless.
The next aid station is in Bystrzyca Kłodzka and is the final mobile support point.
This is where runners should prepare for a very long section without support — around 50 km via Śnieżnik to the life base in Stary Gierałtów. Drop bags for runners using the organizer’s support will be transported there.
Międzygórze is the last glimpse of civilization before Śnieżnik. The route passes right by Wilczki Waterfall, the largest waterfall in the Eastern Sudetes.
At this time of year, Śnieżnik is usually covered in snow. Sometimes this means half a metre of fresh powder; sometimes only patches of snow left over from winter. There have also been years when runners crossed a frozen crust or struggled through deep, melting slush. Be prepared for any of these conditions.
Before reaching the summit, runners can stop for a meal at the “Na Śnieżniku” mountain refuge. Hot meals are served to Hardcore runners during kitchen opening hours (8:00–18:00), while cold meals are available until 22:00. The refuge itself is accessible at any time.
Śnieżnik (1425 m) is the third summit of the Sudetic Triangle, and reaching its summit completes the second leg of the Triangle.
This is one of the wildest and most remote parts of the entire course — a place where, in the old days, outlaws were said to hide from the authorities. The outlaws are long gone, but the wilderness, isolation and beauty remain.
As in the Śnieżnik Massif, winter conditions are still possible here at this time of year, so be prepared for snow and cold weather.
After Przełęcz Płoszczyna (km 246), there is a short unmarked section along an asphalt road, followed by the blue trail all the way to Stary Gierałtów life base.
Stary Gierałtów is a life base and also the first aid station of the Classic Kret that is available to Hardcore runners. It is located at the Odważny Team guesthouse.
Runners can rest and recover indoors here. Three beds are available for Hardcore runners, so if more runners arrive at the same time, sleeping places will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hardcore runners who arrive before the start of the Kret Classic will still be taken care of by the hosts and served a hot meal. This is also where the mobile drop bags will be delivered.
It may not look like much on the map — just a small hill beyond Radochów — but after 275 km, its stone steps are a serious challenge for tired legs.
Another of the Classic Kret’s regular aid stations, famous for Bogdan’s legendary tomato soup cooked in a cauldron.
For Hardcore runners arriving before or after the station’s regular opening hours, on-call support is available — individual assistance from a volunteer, with the meeting time and location arranged by phone.
A place with a dark reputation.
There is a cursed place, right on the trail. When April comes and the sun goes down, ten wanderers rise. They roam the woods. You hear their steps. You walk alone.
There is only one way to cross their ground and make it out alive: make sure no one is left behind.
This is the final part of the Góry Bardzkie — modest in height, but deceptively tough.
At Przełęcz Wilcza, just like at Łaszczowa, there is a regular Classic Kret aid station, with on-call support available for Hardcore runners outside its regular opening hours.
One of the four highest mountain ranges along the course, with Wielka Sowa rising above 1,000 metres. The route follows the main ridge of the Góry Sowie (Owl Mountains).
The range is also home to the impressive Srebrna Góra Fortress — a huge Prussian mountain stronghold dating back to the late 18th century and the Napoleonic era.
There are two regular Classic Kret aid stations along this section: Przełęcz Woliborska (km 327) and Przełęcz Walimska (km 343). At Przełęcz Woliborska, Hardcore runners also have access to their drop bags.
An additional indoor aid station is available at the Zygmuntówka mountain refuge (km 332), providing a sheltered place to stop, eat and rest.
The last aid station on the course is located along the green trail, next to the sports field in the village of Kiełczyn.
After leaving the aid station, runners follow an unmarked dirt road for several hundred metres until reaching the asphalt road. From there, the route continues along the yellow trail towards Ślęża.
Ślęża for the second time in this race — this time marking the symbolic completion of the Sudetic Triangle.
Finish line — finally! 🏁