V/ FIELD NOTES · 2025 · PLAN / ACTUAL
30 hours at Rosa Wild Trail: plan versus reality
111 km, 7,800 m of climbing, heat, cold, gastrointestinal issues in the second half and a storm before the finish.
REAL PHOTOS / 2025 / ROSA WILD TRAIL · RING 115
Rosa Wild Trail 2025: photographs from the route
Original race photographs showing mountains, runners and challenging sections. Checkpoint times are documented separately below.
Ahead of schedule before dark
At Alpika I was 20 minutes ahead, and at Khmelevskie Lakes a full hour. The exposed climb to Pikhtovaya Polyana was hot; my notes say I needed three bottles, not two. At Estosadok I had salted rice, watermelon and cola, stopping for roughly ten minutes.
The turning point after Achishkho
On the long descent after Achishkho I felt dizzy and struggled to eat. I reached Monashka (72.6 km) 50 minutes behind plan. The night climb up the blueberry trail to Priyut Vetrov extended the gap to 2 hours 14 minutes.
Storm and finish
Thunder and strong winds arrived before Yuryev Khutor, where hot tea helped. The final descent was wet and painful. The recorded finish was 14:07 the next day, after 29 hours and 7 minutes.
What the numbers show
| Checkpoint | KM | Plan | Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpika | 7 | 10:00 | 09:40 | −0:20 |
| Pslukh | 18 | 12:00 | 11:01 | −0:59 |
| Pikhtovaya Polyana | 32 | 15:00 | 14:31 | −0:29 |
| Estosadok | 41 | 16:30 | 15:52 | −0:38 |
| Khmelevskie Lakes | 51.5 | 19:00 | 18:00 | −1:00 |
| Monashka | 72.6 | 00:00 +1 | 00:50 +1 | +0:50 |
| Priyut Vetrov | 89.5 | 06:00 +1 | 08:14 +1 | +2:14 |
| Yuryev Khutor | 102 | 11:00 +1 | 12:10 +1 | +1:10 |
| Finish | 110.5 | 13:00 +1 | 14:07 +1 | +1:07 |
Source: author's personal race spreadsheet. Clock times are in Moscow time. Distances and elevation are as recorded, not official measurements.
LEARNINGS / ORIGINAL EXPERIENCE
Key takeaways
Early time gains do not guarantee a fast finish. Heat, fuelling and steep descents can overturn the most precise pacing spreadsheet.
Dagestan 74 km: finishing 2h37 ahead of plan ↗
Rosa Wild Trail 2026: a 28-hour plan and a 24-hour target ↗