Grossglockner Ultra-Trail 110k

22 min read

The Grossglockner Ultra-Trail is a 110 km loop around the Grossglockner (3,798 m), Austria's highest peak. It follows the hiking trails of the Glocknerrunde through the Hohe Tauern National Park, starting and finishing in Kaprun at 9:30 PM on Friday night. The route crosses four passes above 2,500 m with 6,500 m of total elevation gain. I finished in 23:53, 103rd overall and 31st in M40.

Distance	Elevation +/-
110 km (68.4 mi)	6,500 m (21,325 ft) D+ 6,500 m (21,325 ft) D-

Planning

The course

• 110 km, 6,500 m of climbing, 5 ITRA points
• Start and finish at Salzburger Platz in Kaprun, 9:30 PM Friday
• 29-hour overall time limit; finishing under 28 hours qualifies for Western States 100
• Four passes over 2,500 m: Kapruner Törl (2,639 m), Kalser Tauern (2,515 m), Stockerscharte (2,465 m), Untere Pfandlscharte (2,663 m)
• Capped at 500 starters; around 400 went off in the 110k
• Roughly 80% technical trail, with two to four snowfield crossings in a normal year
• One drop bag goes from Kaprun to Kals and back

You can download the GPX track here.

Studying the course profile

I loaded the course GPX into a trail planning app that displays distance and elevation for any segment between two points. Pass by pass, I scrubbed through the route until I could recall each climb's length, steepness, and where it levels off. The goal was to internalize the course well enough that I'd already know what's coming without needing constant screen confirmation.

In practice, that meant no watch navigation, no turn-by-turn. I pulled out my phone a handful of times, mostly on long climbs to confirm how much remained before it eased, or approaching an aid station to gauge the gap.

This is remote recon anyone can do before a race you can't pre-run. All you need is a mapping app that lets you set two points on a GPX and see the profile between them.

Fueling strategy

My target was ~50 g carbs per hour, with the strategy divided into two halves: bank carbs early when the gut is fresh and the air is cool, then shift to simpler foods when sweetness becomes hard to tolerate.

First half (start to Kals, ~50 km): Gels, isotonic mix, chews, mango, Haribo. Sweet goes down easily in the early hours. I carried 5 SIS gels, 2 GU gels (low caffeine for the pre-dawn stretch), 6 Isostar chews, and isotonic mix in two 500 ml flasks. The first 17 km to Mooserboden has no aid, so I left Kaprun with full flasks and a BeFree filter for streams.

Second half (Kals to finish, ~60 km): Applesauce, cola, broth, ramen, peanut butter, sausage. By hour 18, around the Glocknerhaus, sweet aversion usually kicks in. Applesauce and cola became the main carb sources. Ramen and sausage covered sodium. I pre-packed 6 applesauce pouches in the Kals drop bag specifically for this phase.

Sodium: Target ~10 g total across the race. Ramen at aid stations (~1.5 g per cup), sausage, LiquidIV, and SaltStick caps did most of the work. I brought effervescent tablets and salt pills as backup but ended up not using them.

Caffeine: Cola at every aid station where possible. On top of that, I took two deliberate hits via caffeinated gels. The first was a 20 mg GU around 3:30–5:00 AM on the descent to Rudolfshütte, when the crash risk is highest in the deep night. The second was a 40 mg GU plus coffee from Fusch (km 97) to the finish, timed for the late-afternoon crash window.

Three scenarios I planned for:

• Ideal (55–65 g/h): Gel + mix + ramen/banana/cola. Hours 0–15, when the gut cooperates.
• Normal (45→30 g/h): Rotate gel, chew, mango + mix + ramen/cola. Default mode.
• Can't eat (20–30 g/h): Applesauce + cola + broth. No gels. Fat covers the energy gap. I've finished a 25-hour race on this tier before.

Training

Six months of build, early January through mid-July, averaging around 100 km a week. I started out focusing on base building, coming off a few shorter faster races (21k and 10k) in December and January. From there I shifted to incorporate the sessions that mattered: back-to-back long runs. Starting a second long effort on fatigued legs teaches you what the second half of a race feels like.

I also added two hiking trips. A thru-hike of Madeira in May put steep, technical vert in my legs for days straight. Then, two weeks out, I fastpacked the Peaks of the Balkans: 177 km and over 10,000 m of climbing in five days. Nothing else I did came as close to simulating the elevation load, and it helped me find my trail legs.

I finished the Balkans two weeks before the race. The following week was light running to get my legs back into a running stride, then a standard taper into race week.

My benchmark going in was l'Échappée Belle 96k in August 2025: 97 km, 7,367 m of climbing, just under 25 hours on a badly sprained ankle. By comparison, this route has slightly less climbing over slightly more distance.

Gear notes

• Flasks: 1.75 L total carry. Two 500 ml Salomon soft flasks (one with isotonic mix, one water), a 250 ml flask for concentrated mix, and a 500 ml BeFree filter. The first 17 km has no water, so leave Kaprun full and filter from streams on the climb.
• Poles: Essential for the sustained climbs, and I found them helpful on the descents too.
• Headlamp: The first 8+ hours are in the dark. You'll likely burn through one fully charged headlamp, so be ready to switch to your mandatory backup.
• Layers: I used my mandatory rain jacket as a mid-layer so I didn't have to carry anything extra. It gets cold at the passes, especially through the night.

Getting to Kaprun

I traveled by train from Berlin to Zell am See, then a bus to Kaprun. We stayed in a pet-friendly apartment with my dog and kept the evening simple: picked up my bib, cooked dinner, early to bed.

Friday morning I laid out my gear, then we took the gondola up to the glaciers and did a short hike. Around 3 PM I had lunch and napped until 7 PM. Sleeping in daylight before a night race is its own skill, and I only half managed it. I had a banana and an electrolyte drink before heading to the start.

Start to Mooserboden

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Start–Mooserboden	2:25:32	8:49/km	14th	42nd

The route starts along a road out of town, then turns off toward a waterfall where wooden stairs create a bottleneck as everyone funnels onto them single file. After the waterfall it opens back to forest road past the Gletscherbahn lift, then becomes climbing trail to the dam wall at the Mooserboden reservoir. About 1,000 m of gain in the first 16 km, all of it in the dark with headlamps strung out above and below.

I started conservatively and let faster runners go early, then passed the ones who went out too hard as the climb steepened. I hit Mooserboden at 11:55 PM, 42nd overall and 14th in age group. In hindsight I would have pushed a little harder before the waterfall to avoid the bottleneck, but otherwise I felt good about this stage.

No aid on this entire opening stretch. I ate my first gel within 45 minutes of the start and sipped isotonic mix steadily on the climb.

Mooserboden to Rudolfshütte

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Mooserboden–Rudolfshütte	2:54:14	12:37/km	17th (+3)	52nd (+10)

The route crosses the dam wall, then follows technical trail and a snowfield before Kapruner Törl at 2,639 m. The last pitch to the pass is loose scree. By headlamp you can only see the next two or three foot placements, so it's poles down, short steps, and hard to find a rhythm.

From the Törl I descended to the Tauernmoos reservoir and then climbed straight back up to the Berghotel Rudolfshütte at 2,315 m. This is where I got cold and started shivering. When I arrived at Rudolfshütte I had warm soup and put on my rain jacket to warm up.

Rudolfshütte to the Kalser Tauernhaus

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Rudolfshütte–Kalser Tauernhaus	1:58:34	13:37/km	31st (+14)	100th (+48)

Another snowfield led to the Kalser Tauern at 2,515 m. What follows is the descent the organizers describe as long and technically difficult, dropping into the Dorfertal valley. The ground is full of loose rock and it doesn't let up for over 5 km.

Technical descending is one of my weaknesses and I dropped from 52nd to 100th here. Runners I had kept pace with on the climbs flew past me on the loose downhill. For future runners, this descent is the one to train specifically.

Around 4:48 AM I reached the Kalser Tauernhaus. The sky was graying out and I started running a consistent pace again.

Kalser Tauernhaus to Kals

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Kalser Tauernhaus–Kals	59:15	6:18/km	24th (-7)	79th (-21)

The trail flattens and then drops gently out of the Dorfertal to Kals am Grossglockner. This is the one stretch of the course you can genuinely run. My legs felt strong and I settled into 6:18/km over 9.4 km, moving from 100th to 79th.

Into Kals at 5:47 AM, about 8 hours 17 minutes into the race, roughly 48 km in. This is the drop-bag point. I sat down, ate a warm meal, resupplied properly, and generally treated it like a break instead of a quick refuel.

Kals to the Lucknerhaus

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Kals–Lucknerhaus	2:34:29	17:09/km	35th (+11)	108th (+29)

The hardest climbing on the course starts here, and it comes in daylight after a full night of racing. It's a long ascent out of Kals to the Greiwiesen meadows, then a short drop to the Lucknerhaus with the first views of the Grossglockner.

This section is steep enough that it's almost entirely power hiking. My legs were starting to feel the fatigue, which made running the gradual ascents difficult. I waited for the rolling flat sections and the descent to Lucknerhaus to pick up the pace.

Lucknerhaus to the Glorerhütte

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Lucknerhaus–Glorerhütte	1:47:34	26:53/km	53rd (+18)	176th (+68)

The climb from the Lucknerhaus to the Glorerhütte gains 800 m over 4 km through flower meadows with glaciers above. This is the high point of the race and the slowest section for everyone. The warming sun made it harder, and the course merges here with the 68k and 82k races, so the trail was congested with fresh runners on their first major climb.

Seeing those runners pass easily was discouraging at first, but most of them were kind and encouraging. This is also where I met Denny from Berlin. We kept pace together for the rest of the section. Twelve hours into a race, having company helped more than I expected.

Glorerhütte to the Glocknerhaus

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Glorerhütte–Glocknerhaus	2:23:30	13:40/km	41st (-12)	132nd (-44)

The trail runs slightly downhill to the Salmhütte, then climbs to the Stockerscharte at 2,465 m with a full view of the Pasterze glacier. From there it's a technically demanding descent over the Margaritze reservoir dam, then a climb to the Glocknerhaus.

I picked up the pace here, moving from 176th to 132nd. The mixed terrain suited me better than pure climbing. Around this point I started adding applesauce alongside the gels, and ate fruit, pasta, broth, and sausages at the aid stations. Fueling was holding up well.

Glocknerhaus to Ferleiten

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Glocknerhaus–Ferleiten	4:20:17	16:47/km	42nd (+1)	140th (+8)

From the Glocknerhaus, I crossed a snowfield to Untere Pfandlscharte at 2,663 m, the highest of the four passes and the last look back at the Grossglockner. From there it's roughly 1,400 m of descent to the Trauneralm, then flat to Ferleiten.

I'd saved my quads on the earlier climbs knowing this descent would need them, and found a good pace going down. At one point I slid down the glacier on my bum, which was more fun than picking through the loose rock beside it. The section is hot and exposed all the way to the valley floor, so I refilled my water from glacier streams using the BeFree.

This is also the longest gap between warm-meal stations (Glorerhütte to Ferleiten). Cola and gummy bears at Ferleiten carried me through to Fusch.

Ferleiten to Fusch

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Ferleiten–Fusch	1:29:30	11:37/km	49th (+7)	154th (+14)

The trail runs gently downhill to Fusch an der Glocknerstrasse, first along a gravel road then a singletrack above the valley. We found a consistent pace running this section and arrived at the Fusch aid station to soup and fresh fruit. I sat on the grass for a few minutes before taking on the final climb.

Fusch to the finish in Kaprun

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Fusch–Finish	3:00:18	12:06/km	29th (-20)	73rd (-81)

I was feeling good with no sign of a crash, but I didn't want to get too comfortable at Fusch so I kept the stop short. The ascent out of town was a slow grind but suited power hiking, and once we reached the top we picked up the pace and started running the final 10 km. We ran the gravel roads, entered the forest with our headlamps on, and pushed hard on the descents. By the time we hit the outskirts of Kaprun it was a full sprint, and we crossed the finish line together.

It felt good to finish without an empty tank and know we could have kept going. The last few kilometers came in at about 4:30/km after more than twenty hours on my feet.

I crossed the line at Salzburger Platz in 23:53:14, just before 9 PM.

Section	Time	Pace	Rank (M40)	Rank (Men)
Start–Mooserboden	2:25:32	8:49/km	14th	42nd
Mooserboden–Rudolfshütte	2:54:14	12:37/km	17th (+3)	52nd (+10)
Rudolfshütte–Kalser Tauernhaus	1:58:34	13:37/km	31st (+14)	100th (+48)
Kalser Tauernhaus–Kals	59:15	6:18/km	24th (-7)	79th (-21)
Kals–Lucknerhaus	2:34:29	17:09/km	35th (+11)	108th (+29)
Lucknerhaus–Glorerhütte	1:47:34	26:53/km	53rd (+18)	176th (+68)
Glorerhütte–Glocknerhaus	2:23:30	13:40/km	41st (-12)	132nd (-44)
Glocknerhaus–Ferleiten	4:20:17	16:47/km	42nd (+1)	140th (+8)
Ferleiten–Fusch	1:29:30	11:37/km	49th (+7)	154th (+14)
Fusch–Finish	3:00:18	12:06/km	29th (-20)	73rd (-81)
Total	23:53:14	—	31st	103rd

Tips for running the Grossglockner Ultra-Trail

1. Study the profile pass by pass. Load the GPX into a mapping app, scrub between points, and learn where each climb ends and how long each descent is.
2. Plan your fueling in phases. Have a written plan for each aid station covering what you'll eat there and what you'll carry out. I focused on gels and chews in the early hours while my gut cooperated, then relied more on applesauce, cola, and broth later on.
3. Bank time before Kals. The first 48 km is the most runnable part of the course when you're fresh. The climbing after Kals is where everyone slows to a hike regardless of fitness.
4. Train technical downhills. My per-segment rank dropped from 52nd to 100th on the descent from Kalser Tauern after 8 hours of running through the night. If you're not used to keeping pace on long descents when tired, this is worth dedicating training to.
5. Have an aid station routine. Set a goal for what you want to accomplish at each stop. For longer breaks like Kals (the drop-bag stop), write down what you'll switch out before the race.
6. Layer at the top of descents. The night descent from Kapruner Törl to Tauernmoos is where you get cold. Put the jacket on before you reach the pass and start descending.
7. Practice afternoon naps. A 9:30 PM start means the race begins at the end of a normal waking day. Shift your sleep schedule in the weeks before.
8. Use caffeine strategically. Cola at aid stations provides a steady low dose. Save caffeinated gels for your known crash windows. For me, those were deep into the first night (3–5 AM) and late afternoon (4–6 PM).

Reflections

23:53:14. Sub-24 by seven minutes. 103rd out of roughly 400 starters (289 men started, 197 finished, a 32% DNF rate), 31st in M40.

What worked

Nothing broke. The fueling plan held from start to finish at roughly 50 g carbs per hour across 24 hours, with no crash and no stomach trouble. I ate as much real food as I could from the early aid stations, which got me into a rhythm of eating regularly and I think eased any GI issues from prolonged gel intake.

The real surprise from the data: aid-station food and cola were the backbone of my nutrition, not the gels. Cola alone (~1.8 L across the race) was one of my biggest single carb sources, and station food carried half my sodium. I came home with unused gels and applesauce. That's helpful for next time and I'll probably carry fewer apple sauces and shift that more to a backup strategy.

I was still strong at Kals (48 km, 8:17 elapsed), further into a race than I've managed before without fading. I was still running descents at 3:20–4:00/km after 85 km. Average heart rate for the full race was 135 bpm, comfortably below my aerobic threshold of 147, with a gradual drift from 170 early on to 120 in the final hours.

What I'd change

Pace the opening climb. I hit Mooserboden at HR 165–175, which is threshold territory for a 24-hour effort. It didn't wreck me, but several M40 runners crested that same climb minutes behind me and finished hours ahead. Ensslin reached Mooserboden in 2:48 (23 minutes slower) and finished in 20:55, 15th in age group, three hours ahead of me. Holding the first climb at 150–155 bpm costs very little time and leaves more in the tank for later.

Aid station discipline. At km 63 I fell in with Denny and we ran the rest of the race together. Twenty-four hours fully present, no music, genuine company on the mountain. It made for a much better experience.

The data shows the tradeoff though: my total stopped time was 5 hours 8 minutes, with 4 hours 12 minutes of that in the back 50 km. The front half had about 1 hour of stops across 60 km. For a future race, I might try to tighten aid stops.

Segment highlights

Per-segment rankings across the race:

• Climbing: 14th M40 at Mooserboden. I can hold a steady pace on long climbs.
• Technical descents: 52nd → 100th over the Kalser Tauern. Runners I matched on the climbs flew past me on loose downhill.
• Runnable ground: 73rd fastest on the final section from Fusch, closing at 4:30/km after twenty hours. I still had something left at the finish.
• Aid stations: Two to three hours recoverable with tighter stops. I noticed I was slow to get moving after each stop, whether from feeling full or from the mental inertia of sitting down. I'd like to find ways to train this transition mentally for next time.

A major takeway is that if I want to improve my time on a race like GGUI, is that it doesn't necessarily require more training volume. Rather, it requires a tighter aid stops, confidence on technical descents, and the discipline to hold pace through the sections where it feels easy to back off.

For future GGUT runners

If you're looking for a well-organized 100k+ with a good amount of elevation, a 24-hour time frame, and a field small enough that you're not queuing on singletrack, this is it. Around 400 starters in the 110k, well-stocked aid stations, and clear communication in the lead-up. A good alternative to the overcrowded major European ultras.

This was also one of the most scenic races I've done. Every pass opened up to a different view and the route, while demanding, is well built with gradual switchbacks that let you find a rhythm.

Many thanks to Denny for the company from the Glorerhütte onward, to the volunteers at the aid stations, and to the mountain safety crews who stood on those passes all night.

Thanks for reading. If you have questions about the race, fueling, or preparation, get in touch or find me on Instagram: @andrewtpham.

Happy trails!