This Saturday, in the stunning surroundings of the Barać Caves, we witnessed yet another spectacular edition of the Barać Forest Trail. Around 200 brave runners, their loyal supporters, recreational enthusiasts, and other visitors came to enjoy this unique natural event. This was already the fifth edition of the Barać Forest Trail, and also the final round of Croatia’s most popular trail league – the Kontinenttrail League.
The race attracted many participants. The ZERCA trail gathered the largest number of runners to date. More experienced runners opted for the ŠIŠMIŠ route, while the bravest chose the longest route, now well-known under the name BUNIKA.
“The Zerca trail was run on a marked pedestrian path of 7.5 km with a 173-meter elevation gain, which equals one lap. The second group of runners opted for the Šišmiš trail of 15 km with a 346-meter elevation gain, while the bravest ran a full 22.5 km, conquering an elevation gain of 528 meters. The course was entirely trail (off-road) – 100% nature,” said Leopold Špehar, President of the Plitvice Athletic Club and co-organizer of the race.
All runners received rich starting packages, while visitors, supporters, families, and friends enjoyed additional amenities at our picnic area. The fastest competitors won generous prizes from our sponsors. Of course, the youngest participants were not forgotten, with boys and girls competing in different age categories, and the top three in each category were awarded medals and valuable gifts.
In the gallery, you can find pictures showing how incredible this weekend in the Barać Caves was, and what beautiful trails lie hidden in the forests of this Significant Landscape. Below this report, we present the runners’ rankings.
The director of the Public Institution Barać Caves, as a co-organizer of the race, stated: “Runners are increasingly recognizing this race as an event that must be included in their annual race calendar. This race is important for the tourist and economic contribution to the municipality of Rakovica, which supported this event, along with Karlovac County and the Plitvice Valleys Tourist Board.”
Among other sponsors, we would like to thank Natural Wealth, Select Box, Cetina Water, Dogma, Veronika Desinić Dairy, Nikola Tesla Experience Center Karlovac, Kino Edison, Pazin Cave – Speleo Adventure, Una Kayak Safari, Cave Park Grabovača, Diva Confectionery, OPG TeaSheena, and others.
We thank everyone for their support and commit to making the race better and better each year, serving to promote the municipality of Rakovica, Karlovac County, and the Public Institution Barać Caves.”
If you missed this year’s race, the organizers invite you to join next year and be part of this magical natural adventure.
Race Results
BUNIKA M- 1. Stjepan Žanić / 2. Antun Patrčević / 3. Tonći Šegarić
BUNIKA F – 1. Maja Krčelić / 2. Andreja Ložnjak /3. Antonija Janči
ŠIŠMIŠ M – 1. Dragan Narančić/ 2. Leonardo Pavina / 3. Mateo Ledinski
ŠIŠMIŠ F – 1. Gabrijela Šalković/2. Matea Maslač /3. Mirjana Kolar
ZERCA M – 1. Amir Muminovic /2. Goran Narančić / 3. Zoran Narančić
ZERCA F – 1. Lara Nimac /2. Dora Sušak / 3. Andreja Lacković
Photo: Patricia Rubčić, Kristina Štefanac, Vedran Božičević
