Transylvania 50k
8 min readThe Transylvania 50 is a 50 km mountain race held in Bran, Romania, about 170 km north of Bucharest. This was the tenth edition. The course runs through the Bucegi range and crosses Omu Peak at 2,505 m (8,218 ft), one of the highest peaks in the country, before looping back to the start and finish at Bran Castle. This is how my race went.
| Distance | Elevation +/- |
|---|---|
| 50.6 km (31.4 mi) | 3,320 m (10,892 ft) ↗️ 3,330 m (10,827 ft) ↘️ |
Arriving in Romania
We flew into Bucharest, rented a car, and drove to Brasov. We spent a couple of days walking the old town and doing short trail runs to stay loose and test out a new pair of running poles. Nothing hard since I was tapering. We made it our mission to try as much Romanian food as possible: sarmale (cabbage rolls), mici (grilled sausages), and ciorbă de burtă (a creamy tripe soup that's better than it sounds).
Two days before the race, we drove to Bran, home of the castle that inspired Dracula. Checked into a family-run hotel with a garden. Mostly reading in the sun and relaxing. Picked up my race bib the next day and did a final gear and nutrition check.
No crew support on this one (unlike Finspång where I saw Ninette every 10 km), so I carried everything and relied on four aid stations for water. New fueling strategy: liquid carbs to avoid relying only on gels, salt tablets for sodium, backup snacks (bars, jerky, candy) in case I needed variety.
Here's the plan I used, based on a 10-hour target:
| Segment | Dist. (km) | Cum. Dist. (km) | Fueling | Carbs (g) | Sodium (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start to Malaiesti | 13.0 | 13.0 | 1x Carb Mix #1, 2x Liquid IV (11g, pre-mixed), 1x 23g Gel | 134 | 1,045 |
| Malaiesti to Omu | 3.9 | 16.9 | 1x Carb Mix #2, 1x 23g Gel, 2x Liquid IV (11g), 1x 30g Gel | 154 | 1,541 |
| Omu to Batrana | 5.2 | 22.1 | 1x 30g Gel, 1x Jerky Stick (first ⅓), 1x 23g Gel | 76 | 1,320 |
| Batrana to Pestera | 5.1 | 27.2 | 1x 23g Gel, 2x Liquid IV (11g), 1x Jerky Stick (second ⅓), 1x ProBar | 74 | 1,205 |
| Pestera to Gutanu | 10.8 | 38.0 | 2x 23g Gels, 2x Liquid IV (5g), 1x Jerky Stick (last ⅓), 1x Peanut Butter (optional) | 63 | 1,170 |
| Gutanu to Poarta | 6.6 | 44.6 | 1x 23g Gel, 2x Liquid IV (5g), 1x Mars Bar | 65 | 1,060 |
| Poarta to Finish | 5.4 | 50.0 | 2x 23g Gels, 1x Jerky Stick (optional) | 46 | 1,055 |
| - | – | – | Total | 612 | 8,396 |
Race day
Up at 4 AM after a surprisingly good night's sleep. Ate a ProBar and banana, downed Liquid IV, triple-checked my vest: gels, salt tablets, liquid carbs, poles, waterproof jacket. All there.
The 50K starts from the courtyard of Bran Castle at 7 AM. Early morning light casting shadows on the stone walls, a packed crowd of runners. It felt more like the beginning of an adventure than a race. The course rolled out gently: 2 km of pavement through Poarta village, then a left turn at Opriș Bridge where the climbing began.
The climb to Tiganesti
Brutal opening to the Transylvania 50k: over 1,400 m (4,593 ft) of gain in the first 10 km, topping out at Saua Tiganesti (2,195 m / 7,201 ft). Country road into the woods, then the trail pitched upward through dense forest and out into alpine meadows, all marked with red tape. My poles earned their weight on this section alone.
After the saddle, a steep descent to Cabana Malaiesti at km 13. The trail dropped 500 m (1,640 ft) over 3.5 km on loose rock and sharp switchbacks. My feet were already feeling it.
At the aid station: fruit and gummy bears, water refill, fresh carb mix in one bottle. One of the few well-stocked checkpoints, so I made the most of it.
| Checkpoint | Race time | Speed | Elevation +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiganesti | 1:50:33 | 6 km/hr | 1,387 m+ / 82 m- |
| Malaiesti | 2:12:11 | 5.8 km/hr | 13 m+ / 380 m- |
Into the Clouds at Omu
Between Malaiesti and Omu lies the hardest 2 km of the Transylvania 50k course. The trail gains over 600 m (1,969 ft) on rocky terrain toward Hornurile Malaiesti, a narrow snow-covered chute known as "the chimney" that requires hands-on scrambling near the top. I followed the blue tape markers pointing skyward as the air thinned around me.
I topped out and merged onto an alpine ridge, then made a short climb to the Omu cabin at km 17. At 2,505 m (8,218 ft), it's the highest point of the course, and the views were worth every bit of the climb: jagged ridgelines disappearing into rolling fog, with valleys stretching out below.
Ridges, Rock, and Relief
The 5 km stretch from Omu cabin to Batrana Refuge offered gentler terrain, with low pine shrub and grassy ridges rolling through the alpine. I found a rhythm here and could actually run, which felt like a gift after the chimney.
At Batrana (km 22), I passed through another control point and then began the descent: 600 m down over 5 km to Salvamont Pestera. It was the kind of downhill where you want to let go and fly, but the trail was rutted with potholes and the footing was uneven enough that I had to stay careful the whole way down.
Pestera (km 27) was the best-stocked aid station of the day, with hot soup, salty chips, water, fruit, and some shade. I sat down for a few minutes to reset before the final third of the race.
| Checkpoint | Race time | Speed | Elevation +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiganesti | 1:50:33 | 6 km/hr | 1,387 m+ / 82 m- |
| Malaiesti | 2:12:11 | 5.6 km/hr | 13 m+ / 380 m- |
| Batrana | 4:09:20 | 4.9 km/hr | 825 m+ / 379 m- |
| Pestera | 4:47:54 | 7.4 km/hr | 0 m+ / 541 m- |
Rolling Hills and Final Climbs
After Pestera, the 50K split from the 80K and 100K. We veered toward Padina, ran 2.5 km of forest road, and began the final major climb: about 3 km with 400 m (1,312 ft) of gain to Saua Strunga (1,909 m / 6,263 ft). Sun was relentless. Liquid IV wasn't going down anymore, so I popped a salt tablet. That did the trick.
From Strunga, I had a runnable 4 km descent into Poiana Gutanu (km 38) where I fueled up, stretched my legs, and prepared for the home stretch.
The trail turned onto a blue triangle path with a short climb followed by a rolling descent into Poiana Gaura. I tried to catch a small group ahead but hit a bottleneck of 10K runners who were mostly hiking on the narrow singletrack. They were friendly, but slow-moving.
| Checkpoint | Race time | Speed | Elevation +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiganesti | 1:50:33 | 6 km/hr | 1,387 m+ / 82 m- |
| Malaiesti | 2:12:11 | 5.6 km/hr | 13 m+ / 380 m- |
| Batrana | 4:09:20 | 4.9 km/hr | 825 m+ / 379 m- |
| Pestera | 4:47:54 | 7.4 km/hr | 0 m+ / 541 m- |
| Grohotis | 5:52:52 | 5.8 km/hr | 409 m+ / 220 m- |
| Gutanu | 6:32:14 | 6.7 km/hr | 84 m+ / 293 m- |
The Final Stretch
Last control at Poarta (km 44). Mostly downhill from here, but after 40+ km every bump felt like a mountain. Two sneaky climbs remained: Saua Polite and Muchia Grajdului. The second involved a winding forest trail that felt endless.
I descended through thick forest following red cross markers, hit a brief stretch of forest road, then took one last twisty trail over Muchia Grajdului. That brought me to Bran Sports Hall, and from there it was a flat 200 m next to the highway before a right turn into the castle courtyard.
I crossed the finish line surrounded by cheering volunteers with the medieval castle behind me and 50 km in my legs.
| Checkpoint | Race time | Speed | Elevation +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiganesti | 1:50:33 | 6 km/hr | 1,387 m+ / 82 m- |
| Malaiesti | 2:12:11 | 5.6 km/hr | 13 m+ / 380 m- |
| Batrana | 4:09:20 | 4.9 km/hr | 825 m+ / 379 m- |
| Pestera | 4:47:54 | 7.4 km/hr | 0 m+ / 541 m- |
| Grohotis | 5:52:52 | 5.8 km/hr | 409 m+ / 220 m- |
| Gutanu | 6:32:14 | 6.7 km/hr | 84 m+ / 293 m- |
| Poarta | 7:40:42 | 6.5 km/hr | 102 m+ / 707 m- |
| Finish | 8:12:03 | 9.8 km/hr | 12 m+ / 246 m- |
Reflections
The Transylvania 50k put 3,320 m of climbing into 50 km, and I felt every meter from the opening kilometers. My quads were toasted and my legs were worked over. I don't think I've ever been more thankful for trekking poles.
The "chimney" to Hornurile Malaiesti felt more like mountaineering than trail running. But then the course would open into sweeping alpine ridgelines or quiet meadows and I'd forget I was racing. The packed trails were a joy compared to the muddier, rootier mess of Finspång a few months earlier.
My fueling plan held up well. Liquid carbs, salt tablets, and a Mars bar kept things balanced. I overestimated how many gels and Liquid IV I could stomach late in the race, but having different textures and flavors in the mix saved me.
The whole race took about eight hours and they went by fast. Every step required attention, whether it was climbing over rock, dodging roots, or chasing red tape through fog. Crossing the finish at Bran Castle felt surreal, standing there covered in trail grime with medieval stone walls behind me and volunteers cheering. Already thinking about what's next.
Thanks for reading. If you have questions or want to chat about the race, get in touch or find me on Instagram: @andrewtpham.
Happy trails!