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A red brick castle with a round tower in the forest above bends of the Gauja river, near Sigulda
M V / Unsplash

Gauja Trail by UTMB 2027

Latvia's UTMB World Series race, on forest trails along the Gauja from Sigulda to Cēsis.

August 6 to 8, 2027 Gauja National Park, Latvia

Gauja Trail runs through Gauja National Park, Latvia's largest, along the Gauja river valley northeast of Riga. The 100K starts in Sigulda and the 50K at Ratnieki near Līgatne. Every race but the Sigulda Three Castles Trail Run finishes on Rožu Square in the old town of Cēsis, where the event village is. The first edition was in 2026, and more than 3,000 runners from 50 countries signed up for it.

Nothing here is high: the 100K tops out at 114 m. Its 2,200 m of climbing comes in short pieces, off the valley sides and a few ski slopes. The 100K finish stays open until 1:30 AM, so slower runners finish in the dark. Download the course map before you travel and your phone shows where you are on it with GPS alone, without using roaming data.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Gauja Trail by UTMB. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Gauja Trail course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Gauja Trail courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
100K90.4 km (56.2 mi)2,200 m (7,218 ft)Sat, Aug 7, 7:30 AM18 h
50K53 km (32.9 mi)1,200 m (3,937 ft)Sun, Aug 8, 9:00 AM11 h
20K21 km (13 mi)500 m (1,640 ft)Sat, Aug 7, 4:00 PM6 h
10K13.5 km (8.4 mi)300 m (984 ft)Sun, Aug 8, 2:00 PM3 h

Gauja Trail 100K

Sigulda to Cēsis by way of the bobsleigh track, Līgatne and the ski slopes.

Distance
90.4 km (56.2 mi)
Climbing
2,200 m (7,218 ft)
Start
Sat, Aug 7, 7:30 AM
Time limit
18 h

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You start at Sigulda New Castle at 7:30 on Saturday and spend the first 22 km on a loop of the trails around Sigulda, including a run up the town's bobsleigh track. From there the course heads to Līgatne through the sandstone cliffs and wooded valleys of the Gauja, does a loop there, and goes on to Cēsis, up and down a couple of ski slopes before the finish on Rožu Square.

Plan your food around two stops. In the course data only Ratnieki (km 38) and Līgatne (km 53.7) have food; Laurenci, Sigulda, Zvartes iezis and Ozolkalns have drinks. That leaves the last 37 km on drinks alone, so carry what you'll eat. Līgatne is the one point the course data marks for assistance. The stops and intermediate cutoffs shown are the 2026 course's, which the 2027 race page still carries.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Sigulda New Castle (100K start)
15.1Laurenci (drinks)
21.8Sigulda Sat 11:00 AM
38Ratnieki Sat 1:40 PM
53.7Līgatne CrewSat 4:15 PM
70.3Zvartes iezis Sat 7:45 PM
81Ozolkalns Sat 10:15 PM
90.4Cēsis, Rožu Square (finish) Sun 1:30 AM
The Gauja winding through autumn forest at Sigulda, with a tower on the far ridge
Sabīne Jaunzeme / Unsplash

Gauja Trail 50K

From the mill village of Ratnieki through Līgatne and on to Cēsis.

Distance
53 km (32.9 mi)
Climbing
1,200 m (3,937 ft)
Start
Sun, Aug 8, 9:00 AM
Time limit
11 h

Take this course offline

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The 50K starts at 9:00 on Sunday at Ratnieki, which the organizer describes as a 19th century paper mill town with wooden architecture and a secret Soviet bunker nearby. You loop the trails around Līgatne, then run on to Cēsis, crossing several ski slopes on the way in.

All three stops have food. The longest gap is the 16.6 km from Līgatne to Zvartes iezis. You can pick up your bib at Ratnieki on race morning, 6:30 to 8:30. The stops and intermediate cutoffs shown are from 2026.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Ratnieki (50K start)
15.8Līgatne Sun 11:30 AM
32.4Zvartes iezis Sun 2:40 PM
43.2Ozolkalns Sun 5:00 PM
52.6Cēsis, Rožu Square (finish) Sun 8:00 PM
A red sandstone cliff above a river at Ērgļu klintis, near Cēsis, with dry grass in front
Kristīne Kozaka / Unsplash

Gauja Trail 20K

A Saturday evening loop from Rožu Square out to the Gauja and back.

Distance
21 km (13 mi)
Climbing
500 m (1,640 ft)
Start
Sat, Aug 7, 4:00 PM
Time limit
6 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

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The 20K starts at 4:00 PM on Saturday on Rožu Square. The first 5 km and the last 5 km mostly get you out of town and back in, and in between you're on trails along the Gauja. Ozolkalns, at km 11.4, has drinks, and the course closes at 10:00 PM.

You don't need a torch for this one, and the pack, jacket and food reserve are only recommended. Everything else on the 50K kit list is required.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Cēsis, Rožu Square (finish)
11.4Ozolkalns
20.8Cēsis, Rožu Square (finish) Sat 10:00 PM
The orange-roofed tower of the Cēsis castle ruins above the town trees
Matthew / Unsplash

Gauja Trail 10K

Sunday afternoon trails around Cēsis, longer than the name says.

Distance
13.5 km (8.4 mi)
Climbing
300 m (984 ft)
Start
Sun, Aug 8, 2:00 PM
Time limit
3 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

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The 10K is 13.5 km with 300 m of climbing on its race page, so set your pace for more than the name. It starts and finishes in Cēsis at 2:00 PM on Sunday, with a three hour limit and no aid station in between in the course data. It's the one main race that runners under 18 can enter.

Red and rusted metal roofs in the old town of Cēsis
Matthew / Unsplash

Registration and fees

Registration for 2027 opened on October 6, 2026, for two days to runners with a UTMB Index, then to everyone until the races sell out. If a race sells out, there's no waiting list.

Fees climb in bands as bibs sell: €139 to €169 for the 100K, €79 to €109 for the 50K, €49 to €64 for the 20K and €39 to €44 for the 10K, plus an 8% platform fee you don't get back. You can't transfer your bib to someone else or defer to the next year, even if you're injured. Without the cancellation insurance there's no refund. You can move down to a shorter race until three weeks before, if it has room.

Getting to Cēsis and the starts

The orange-roofed tower of the Cēsis castle ruins above the town trees
Matthew / Unsplash

Fly into Riga. Sigulda is 53 km from the capital and Cēsis about 90 km. Trains and buses from Riga Central Station take around an hour to Sigulda and an hour and a half to Cēsis.

Stay in Cēsis if you can: the expo, bib collection and all four finishes are on Rožu Square. The organizer runs shuttles from Cēsis to the 100K start in Sigulda and the 50K start at Ratnieki, with tickets going on sale in spring 2027 at an expected €5 to €10. 100K runners can also collect their bib in Sigulda on race morning, 5:30 to 7:00.

Aid, crews and bags

On the 100K, the course data marks Līgatne as the assistance point, so plan to meet anyone helping you there. For the 100K and 50K your entry includes carrying a spare bag and an after race meal. The 100K's bag waits for you at the finish.

The 100K, 50K and 20K all require a reusable cup of at least 15 cl, and a bottle or flask with a lid doesn't count.

Weather and what to carry

A red sandstone cliff above a river at Ērgļu klintis, near Cēsis, with dry grass in front
Kristīne Kozaka / Unsplash

August near Cēsis averages highs of about 21°C and lows of about 10°C at the Zosēni weather station, with around 76 mm of rain on about 11 days. The organizer warns it can still go past 30°C or down to 5°C, with rain, hail or strong wind.

For the 100K and 50K the required kit includes a running pack, a smartphone with the LiveTrail app and international roaming switched on, at least 1 liter of water, a torch with spare batteries, a survival blanket, a whistle, a hooded waterproof jacket with sealed seams, ID and a food reserve. In a heat wave the organizer can add an extra half liter of water, a cap and sunglasses.

Gauja Trail aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Sigulda New Castle (100K start)

    96 m (315 ft)

    57.16466, 24.85101

  • Laurenci (drinks)

    84 m (276 ft)

    57.14084, 24.81859

  • Sigulda

    99 m (325 ft)

    57.16110, 24.84285

  • Ratnieki (50K start)

    89 m (292 ft)

    57.22427, 24.96334

  • Ratnieki

    42 m (138 ft)

    57.23753, 24.93189

  • Līgatne

    50 m (164 ft)

    57.23219, 25.04347

  • Zvartes iezis

    45 m (148 ft)

    57.24636, 25.14317

  • Ozolkalns

    107 m (351 ft)

    57.29369, 25.22021

  • Cēsis, Rožu Square (finish)

    104 m (341 ft)

    57.31173, 25.27105

Gauja Trail FAQ

When is Gauja Trail 2027?

August 6 to 8, 2027. The 100K starts in Sigulda at 7:30 AM on Saturday the 7th and the 20K in Cēsis at 4:00 PM that day. The 50K starts at Ratnieki at 9:00 AM on Sunday the 8th, and the 10K in Cēsis at 2:00 PM.

How many Running Stones do you get at Gauja Trail?

3 for the 100K, 2 for the 50K and 1 for the 20K, each giving you more chances in the draw for the UTMB World Series Finals. The 10K's race page lists none.

How hilly is Gauja Trail?

The 100K climbs 2,200 m without ever going above 114 m, on the sides of the Gauja valley, the Sigulda bobsleigh track and ski slopes near Cēsis. The 50K climbs 1,200 m.

How do you get to the 100K and 50K starts?

Both finish in Cēsis but start elsewhere, the 100K in Sigulda and the 50K at Ratnieki. The organizer sells shuttle tickets from Cēsis to each start, going on sale in spring 2027 at an expected €5 to €10. Sigulda also has trains and buses from Riga.

Can under 18s run Gauja Trail?

Only the 10K and the youth and kids races. You must be 18 on race day for the 20K, 50K and 100K.

Is the 2027 Gauja Trail course the same as 2026?

As far as the race pages show, yes: the 2027 pages still carry the 2026 course files and intermediate cutoffs, and that's what the map shows. Check the race pages again nearer August in case either changes.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.