117 KM ULTRA TRAIL® XL

The 3Kings3Hills ULTRA TRAIL® XL runs largely along breathtaking singletrack trails, the Goldsteig, the famous Grenzsteig (the former “death zone” along the Iron Curtain), and on runnable forest roads in the tri-border region of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Of course, you’ll climb the region’s highest mountains along the way: in the Lower Bavarian Forest, the Dreisessel, Haidl, and the Bavarian Plöckenstein; and on the Czech side, Spicak in the Šumava National Park, right on the border with Germany. The race starts and finishes in Haidmühle, Germany.

Unlike on routes in the Alps, there are no high-alpine hazards here. There isn’t a single climbing section: We offer trail running, not rock-climbing hikes—every meter of the ULTRA TRAIL® XL is runnable. But don’t underestimate the trails; the sections—some of which are very technical—will push you to your limits.

From the start of the ULTRA XL, the route first heads from Haidmühle along undulating forest roads and short single trails through the forests of the Bischofsreuter Forest to Herzogsreut and on via ancient trails, built by packhorsemen heading to Bohemia, up through the Leopoldsreuter Forest, where you’ll also pass Germany’s formerly highest-altitude school. Today, however, only the chapel and the old school building remain visible of the “abandoned” village of Leopoldsreut. Over the next few kilometers, you’ll climb the typical elevation of a low mountain range along a zigzagging elevation profile before reaching a true 3Kings3Hills highlight at the Haidlgipfel. A refreshment station awaits you at the top of the 35-meter-high observation tower. With a bit of luck with the weather, you’ll enjoy a wonderful view into the distance at night, and a brief moment to pause and take it all in is guaranteed. The route continues over constantly changing terrain, steadily uphill and downhill, back to Haidmühle, where a brief medical check awaits you at the aid station near the start/finish area after just under 70 kilometers. You’ve now completed the easy-to-run warm-up. It’s time to move on to the technical part of the course: From here on out, keep your eyes open and stay fully focused, because the trails around the 1,333-meter-high Dreisesselberg are cognitively and physically demanding and will push you to your limits over the final nearly 60 kilometers, featuring 2,400 meters of elevation gain across all terrains. On trails that are partly rocky but mostly flowing, with breathtaking views in the former “Dead Zone” along the Iron Curtain, the route runs directly along the border with the Czech Republic to the tri-border area and back via the famous “Stone Sea” to Riedelsbach, partly along the border with Austria. From there, you’ll ride on wonderfully root-strewn singletrack through the Riedelsbach Forest, tackling a challenging climb to the Klausgupf with its granite boulders so typical of the Bavarian Forest.
Roots, granite boulders, wooden boardwalks, and loose terrain now alternate as you make your way across abandoned forest meadows and past the Brennerin’s Hut to Frauenberg and back to Haidmühler Filz in the finish area.

We’d like to take this opportunity to briefly note that we reserve the right to make changes to the start times and possibly minor adjustments to the route. More information will follow soon!