Kaçkar by UTMB
Kaçkar by UTMB – KAÇKAR 50K
Ayder
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The KAÇKAR 50K is the middle-distance race at Kaçkar by UTMB, a 44 km loop that starts and finishes in Ayder and packs 2767 m of vertical gain into that short span. It is not a rolling 50K: the course climbs from 1345 m at the start to a high point of 2917 m, so almost every kilometre is spent either going up hard or coming down steeply. This is a high-mountain race compressed into a single big day, and the altitude profile alone tells you it will be decided by how well you handle sustained climbing and technical descending. With a start at 08:45 and a final cut-off at 21:00, runners have a little over twelve hours to complete the loop. That is generous enough for well-prepared mid-packers but unforgiving if you stall on the long climb to altitude early on. The route touches high alpine pastures at Samistal (2557 m), Yukarı Kavrun (2264 m) and Yukarı Ceymakçur (2266 m) before dropping back down to Ayder, giving the race a clear three-act shape: climb to the roof, traverse high, then descend home.
The course: a 44 km high-mountain loop
From the start line in Ayder at 1345 m, the KAÇKAR 50K climbs almost immediately. The first checkpoint at Hazindak (8.6 km, 1933 m) sits nearly 600 m above the start, and the route keeps rising to Samistal at 14.1 km, where you cross 2557 m. Beyond Samistal the course reaches its 2917 m high point before descending to Yukarı Kavrun at 22.2 km (2264 m), the crew point that marks roughly the halfway mark by distance. The back half traverses high terrain to Yukarı Ceymakçur (29.9 km, 2266 m) then commits to the long descent: Galer at 39.5 km sits at 1671 m, and the finish drops back to Ayder at 1337 m. Across 44 km the race gains 2767 m, an average of well over 60 m of climb per kilometre, and every metre gained in the first half is given back in the second. Expect genuine high-mountain footing: the passage above Samistal to the 2917 m high point is the most exposed section, and the altitudes involved mean thinner air and cooler temperatures than the valley start suggests. This is a course where reading the profile in advance pays off, because the difficulty is front-loaded into the climb to altitude.
Where the race is won or lost
The decisive stretch is the opening 14 km from Ayder to Samistal. In that distance the course climbs from 1345 m to 2557 m, more than 1200 m of gain, before pushing on to the 2917 m high point. Runners who attack this climb too hard will pay for it on the high traverse and the long descent that follow; runners who manage it patiently arrive at Yukarı Kavrun (22.2 km) with legs still able to run. This is the climb that sets up the rest of your day. The second pivotal section is the descent from Yukarı Ceymakçur (29.9 km, 2266 m) down to Galer (39.5 km, 1671 m) and on to the finish. That is close to 900 m of descending over the final third of the race, on tired legs and at the end of a long day. Quads that have been overworked on the early climb will suffer here, so the smart tactic is to bank effort early and keep something in reserve for a controlled, sustained descent into Ayder.
Pacing and fuelling to the cut-offs
The cut-offs give a clear framework. From the 08:45 start you must reach Hazindak (8.6 km) by 11:30, Yukarı Kavrun (22.2 km) by 15:00, Yukarı Ceymakçur (29.9 km) by 17:30 and the finish by 21:00. The tightest early window is the climb to Hazindak: 2 hours 45 minutes to cover the first 8.6 km and 588 m of gain. It sounds ample, but on steep ground at altitude with a full field on narrow trail, it disciplines how slowly you can afford to start. The two crew points, Yukarı Kavrun at 22.2 km and Galer at 39.5 km, are your natural resupply anchors. Plan to arrive at Kavrun having eaten and drunk steadily through the big climb, because the high traverse between Kavrun and Ceymakçur offers little recovery. Carry enough fluid and calories to cover the long gaps between aid, and use Galer to top up before the final descent, where you will want energy to protect your legs rather than nurse a deficit into the finish.
Conditions to expect at altitude
With a high point of 2917 m and long stretches above 2200 m, the KAÇKAR 50K spends much of its distance in genuine high-alpine terrain. Even with a mild valley start at Ayder (1345 m), conditions up high can be markedly colder, windier and more exposed, and mountain weather can change quickly over the course of a twelve-hour day. The high traverse between Samistal, Yukarı Kavrun and Yukarı Ceymakçur is where you are most committed and furthest from shelter. Prepare as you would for any high-mountain ultra: carry layers for the exposed high sections even if the start is warm, and be ready for the temperature to drop as the day wears on toward the 21:00 cut-off. Footing across the high ground demands attention, and the long descents to Galer and Ayder reward runners who stay light and controlled rather than braking hard the whole way down. Respect the altitude, manage the early climb, and the loop back to Ayder becomes a rewarding rather than punishing finish.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 1345 m · Sat 08:45
8.6 km · 1933 m · Sat 11:30
14.1 km · 2557 m · —
22.2 km · 2264 m · Sat 15:00
29.9 km · 2266 m · Sat 17:30
39.5 km · 1671 m · —
44 km · 1337 m · Sat 21:00
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