Tara Mountain and Bajina Bašta were the setting for a historic sporting event on July 3rd and 4th. Organized by the Balkan Mountaineering Union (BMU) and hosted under the auspices of the Mountaineering Association of Serbia, the premiere edition of the Balkan Mountain and Trail Running Championship concluded with great success. For the host country, this prestigious championship carried special significance as it was held in the year of a major jubilee, celebrating 125 years of organized mountaineering in Serbia. The technical organization was led by the “Tara Ultra” Association and the Mountaineering Club Tara.
The championship featured 5 national teams (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, and Serbia) with around 80 elite athletes competing across 4 disciplines. Concurrently, the OPEN category of the 7th edition of the “Tara Ultra Trail” welcomed around 250 runners from 10 countries, while the youngest participants enjoyed the “TUT-ić” kids’ race and accompanying sports and recreational activities at the finish zone.
Results by Discipline
The competitive program on Friday, July 3rd, was reserved for the uphill race located in Rastište, with runners racing from the Mountain Hut to Sjenič.
Mountain Uphill (6.5 km with 1020 m of elevation gain)
Women’s Individual:
- Slađana Zagorac (SRB) 55:55,
- Tea Faber (CRO) 57:33,
- Marija Konta (CRO) 1:04:27.
Women’s Team: 1. Croatia, 2. Serbia, 3. Montenegro.
Men’s Individual:
- Hadi Goro (BIH) 50:57,
- Dušan Krstić (SRB) 51:50,
- Brano Baltić (MNE) 53:16.
Men’s Team: 1. Serbia, 2. Croatia, 3. Montenegro, 4. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On Saturday, July 4th, all races started near the Rača Monastery and finished in Bajina Bašta.
Mountain Classic (13.5 km with 540 m of elevation gain)
Women’s Individual:
- Tea Faber (CRO) 1:03:21,
- Slađana Zagorac (SRB) 1:03:48,
- Mina Kosanović (SRB) 1:06:46.
Women’s Team: 1. Serbia, 2. Croatia, 3. Montenegro, 4. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5. N. Macedonia.
Men’s Individual:
- Đuro Borbelj (SRB) 55:29,
- Stefan Tovilović (SRB) 57:57,
- Marko Kavaja (MNE) 1:00:58.
Men’s Team: 1. Serbia, 2. Montenegro, 3. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 4. N. Macedonia.
Mountain Trail (36 km with 1900 m of elevation gain)
Women’s Individual:
- Ljiljana Krasić (SRB) 3:59:46,
- Vera Udarevska (MKD) 4:31:58,
- Jelena Pajić (SRB) 4:44:14.
Women’s Team: 1. Serbia, 2. Montenegro, 3. N. Macedonia.
Men’s Individual:
- Mislav Perić (CRO) 3:31:58,
- Luka Nedeljković (CRO) 3:34:33,
- Sašo Bogojevski (MKD) 3:34:52.
Men’s Team: 1. Croatia, 2. Serbia, 3. N. Macedonia, 4. Montenegro.
U18 (9.6 km with 330 m of elevation gain)
Women’s Individual:
- Sofija Marković (SRB) 51:25,
- Nađa Arsenijević (SRB) 55:03,
- Nevena Vlaisavljević (SRB) 58:08.
Men’s Individual:
- Strahinja Mrdak (MNE) 42:19,
- Jovan Malešević (SRB) 43:45,
- Aleksa Nenadić (SRB) 45:30
Overall Team Standings:
- Serbia
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
We extend our deepest gratitude and offer congratulations to all competitors for their participation, achievements, and outstanding sportsmanship. We look forward to an even larger turnout and an increased number of national teams at the next championship!
