ABOUT
Kernave – Vilnius Trail race is the oldest ongoing ultra trail in Lithuania. Started in 2015, this year the 9th edition of the event will be held. Everything started with an idea to connect the historical XIIIth century capital of Lithuania – Kernavė and a current one – Vilnius, with a scenic trail route. While measuring straight these two locations are less than 35km apart, the race route leads along the river bends, winds through the fields and forest, climbs ancient mounds and totals more than 80km from start to finish.
What to expect here in one word? Green :). About 80% of the course goes through the forests, while the remaining will take you along the Neris river, wild meadows and small local settlements.
While being one of the flattest countries in Europe we might not have tall rocky mountains, but be prepared to take on some challenging rolling hills and steeper slopes on the way that accumulates to almost 2000 meters of vertical climb along the route.
For those not ready to tackle the full 82km route, we offer just as stunning 42km trail marathon course. Starting at ethnographic Šilėnai village, it joins the Ultra distance course almost exactly at the midway. This probably will not be your fastest marathon course, but might just be the most memorable one.
VENUE
The event center is situated near Vilnius TV Tower, one of the most Iconic landmarks of the city. Vilnius can be easily reached by direct plane flights from almost all European countries, and a trip from the airport to the city (or competition) center takes about 15 minutes.
Kaunas international airport is also just 100 km away and offers direct shuttle services to Vilnius. Travelers from neighboring countries can also use bus services or personal transport as the distance to Polish or Latvian borders is ~150 km
Vilnius offers a lot of accommodation options from hostels and airbnb`s to five star hotels all less than 10km (closest ones ~1-2km) away from the competition center. Finding a nice place to eat, have a glass of well deserved wine or pint of local beer in the evening will also be no problem.
