BOŠT 2026: Andrej Vištica and Ivana Širić fastest at the Velebit qualifier for the World Championship
BAŠKE OŠTARIJE, June 13, 2026 – Baške Oštarije Trail, better known as BOŠT 2026, was concluded today on Velebit as one of the most important editions of this race so far. According to data from the organizer, Velebit 2001 Athletic Club, more than 330 competitors from eight countries took part across three courses, while the sporting focus was on the most demanding race, SKY BOŠT, which this year had the status of an official qualifying race for the Croatian skyrunning national team. The best athletes in that discipline secured a direct ticket to the Skyrunning World Championships, which will be held in September on La Gomera, a Spanish island in the Canary Islands. The race was also part of the Croatian Trail League calendar, and it also brought competitors valuable ITRA points.
This year's edition was organized by AK Velebit 2001, with the co-organization of Velebit Nature Park and the patronage of the Municipality of Karlobag. In this way, the sporting event in the Karlobag and Baške Oštarije area once again connected competitive trail running, skyrunning, recreational running and the local outdoor offer. For an area located at the transition between the coast and the mountain hinterland, such a race also has broader significance, because on the same day it brings together elite runners, recreational athletes, families, fans and visitors who experience Velebit as a sporting, natural and tourist destination. Due to the great interest of participants and accompanying guests, information about accommodation in the Karlobag and Baške Oštarije area is also useful for similar events, especially when the programme includes an early start, registrations and several hours spent in the mountains.
From the sea to the mountain on the toughest course
The central sporting event was SKY BOŠT, the longest and hardest course of the race. According to the route published on the Trace de Trail platform, the SKY BOŠT course for 2026 leads from Karlobag to Baške Oštarije, is approximately 30.8 kilometres long and has 2141 metres of positive elevation gain. In their announcement, the organizers presented it as a course of about 29 kilometres with approximately 2100 metres of ascent, which says enough about the difficulty of the profile and the difference between the formal competitive description and the detailed GPS route. In practice, this meant starting from the sea coast, leaving Karlobag, entering the harsh Velebit karst and finishing in the mountain area of Baške Oštarije.
The special feature of this race is not only the ascent, but also the sudden change of landscape. The competitors set off from the square in Karlobag from an almost coastal atmosphere, and then faced rocky, technically demanding sections, open ridges and mountain segments where the running rhythm had to be constantly adapted to the terrain. According to information from the organizer, the course also went over the prominent Velebit peak Velinac, which further emphasized the skyrunning nature of the race. Such a format requires not only endurance, but also safe movement over rocky ground, the ability to conserve strength on long climbs and concentration on descents, where gaps between competitors often increase just as quickly as on the ascent.
Vištica convincing, Širić confirmed her status as favourite
In the men's competition of the most demanding course, Andrej Vištica took the overall victory. According to the results published by the organizer, the Croatian triathlete and trail runner finished SKY BOŠT in 3:39:09 and pulled away from the rest of the field. Second place went to Eric Stipić with a time of 3:55:20, while third place belonged to Teo Zonta, who reached the finish in 3:56:30. The gap between first and second place shows that Vištica controlled the pace for most of the race, while the battle for the remaining podium positions remained much more uncertain.
Among the women, victory went to Ivana Širić, a current national team member and one of the most prominent runners in the domestic trail and skyrunning scene. The organizer states that Širić finished the race in 4:17:41, thereby justifying her status as one of the main favourites. Petra Kulić took second place with a result of 4:38:15, while Mihaela Kaligari Hek was third with a time of 4:52:20. In the context of qualification for the World Championship, the women's race carried special weight because it confirmed the depth of competition in a discipline that requires a combination of speed, mountain experience and technical confidence.
Gorički and Kontić fastest on the middle course
The BOŠT 4 YOU course was intended for runners who want a serious mountain challenge, but in a shorter and more accessible format than the queen course. According to the Croatian Trail League calendar, BOŠT was included in the league in the 2026 season with a shorter course of 15 kilometres and a longer course of 30 kilometres, and it was precisely the BOŠT 4 YOU race that attracted a large number of competitors looking for a combination of speed and technical trail running. Such a course is often the most unpredictable because it allows a more aggressive pace, but still punishes every wrong assessment on climbs and descents. In Baške Oštarije, this is especially evident due to changes in surface, rocky sections and short, demanding segments that do not allow complete recovery.
In the men's BOŠT 4 YOU competition, the fastest was Marko Gorički, who completed the course in 1:46:04. Second place went to Dane Opara with a time of 1:48:37, while Dorijan Mavrinac was third with a result of 1:55:12. In the women's competition, Petra Kontić celebrated victory, finishing the race in 2:08:41. Behind her, Matea Morović crossed the finish line in 2:17:58 and Maja Perišić in 2:31:06. The results of the middle course confirm that BOŠT 4 YOU is not just a supporting race, but a competition that brings together fast and well-prepared trail runners.
Family Time brought the most recreational atmosphere
The third course, BOŠT Family Time, was seven kilometres long and had a different role in the programme. While SKY BOŠT brings selection and national-team significance, and BOŠT 4 YOU offers a middle-distance competitive challenge, Family Time opens the event to recreational runners, beginners and families. It is precisely this combination that makes BOŠT a broader sports festival, not exclusively an elite race. At mountain events, such a format has an important social role because it enables participation for those who want to be part of the atmosphere, but do not have the ambition or preparation for several-hour technical courses.
In the men's Family Time competition, the first three places were won by members of the Narančić family. The fastest was Dragan Narančić with a time of 29:36, second was Goran Narančić with 30:22, and third was Đorđe Narančić with a result of 33:15. In the women's competition, Nina Jagec won, running the seven kilometres in 42:04. Second place went to Bianca Knez with a time of 47:04, and third to Matea Gučanin with a result of 48:59. This part of the programme attracted the strongest family atmosphere and gave the event a recreational dimension that is important for the long-term development of the trail scene.
Overview of winners by race
- SKY BOŠT, men: Andrej Vištica 3:39:09, Eric Stipić 3:55:20, Teo Zonta 3:56:30.
- SKY BOŠT, women: Ivana Širić 4:17:41, Petra Kulić 4:38:15, Mihaela Kaligari Hek 4:52:20.
- BOŠT 4 YOU, men: Marko Gorički 1:46:04, Dane Opara 1:48:37, Dorijan Mavrinac 1:55:12.
- BOŠT 4 YOU, women: Petra Kontić 2:08:41, Matea Morović 2:17:58, Maja Perišić 2:31:06.
- BOŠT Family Time, men: Dragan Narančić 29:36, Goran Narančić 30:22, Đorđe Narančić 33:15.
- BOŠT Family Time, women: Nina Jagec 42:04, Bianca Knez 47:04, Matea Gučanin 48:59.
A qualifying race looking toward La Gomera
The International Skyrunning Federation announced that the 2026 Skyrunning World Championships will be held from September 18 to 20 on La Gomera in Spain, as part of the Gomera Paradise Skyrunning event. According to official ISF information, the championship includes the VERTICAL, SKY and SKYULTRA disciplines, with world titles and medals at stake for individuals and official national teams. For the SKY discipline, which is directly connected with the Velebit qualifier, the ISF lists a 29-kilometre race with 1900 metres of ascent, a highest point of 959 metres and a date of September 20, 2026. That is precisely why BOŠT 2026 was not only a local trail event, but an important stop in the process of selecting Croatian representatives for the international stage.
In the rules and information about the championship, the ISF states that athletes come to the World Championship through the selection of national member federations, and not as ordinary individual registered competitors. This further explains why the qualifying status of BOŠT had such importance for competitors on the toughest course. For runners fighting for a national-team appearance, the result on Velebit was not only a personal success, but also part of the selection path toward the race in the Canary Islands. In that sense, the victories of Vištica and Širić have a broader meaning than the placement itself at a domestic competition.
Velebit as a natural and sporting stage
Velebit Nature Park states on its official website that, according to the Register of Protected Areas, it covers 1829 square kilometres, making it the largest protected area in the Republic of Croatia. The same source describes Velebit as the longest Croatian mountain, approximately 145 kilometres long, stretching along the Adriatic Sea from the area above Senj toward the Zrmanja valley. Baške Oštarije holds a special place in this context because it is located at the transition between the central and southern parts of Velebit, in an area that strongly connects the coastal slope and the Lika hinterland. For mountain running, this is an exceptionally rewarding, but also demanding, stage.
Such a landscape gives BOŠT an identity that distinguishes it from numerous other trail races. The karst terrain, open views toward the sea, technical sections and rapid changes in weather and relief conditions make the course a sporting challenge even for experienced competitors. After the race, the organizers said that Velebit had once again shown its rugged beauty and that the runners gave their maximum on a course that leaves no one indifferent. In the same message, they emphasized that BOŠT 2026 had shaped the travellers for the World Championship in the Canary Islands and further confirmed Karlobag and Baške Oštarije as an important point on the European outdoor map.
The growth of the trail scene and the importance of local organization
The inclusion of Baške Oštarije Trail in the Croatian Trail League shows that the race has a stable place in the domestic calendar. Croatian Trail, in its official list of races for 2026, lists Baške Oštarije Trail as the sixth race of the season, with the date of June 13, organizer AK Velebit and courses of 15 and 30 kilometres. Such status is important for competitors who collect points during the year and compare results on different terrains, but also for organizers because it places the race within the broader system of domestic trail competition. When ITRA points and the qualifying character for the skyrunning national team are added to this, BOŠT gains multilayered sporting value.
For Karlobag, Baške Oštarije and the wider Velebit area, the event also has a local developmental effect. Mountain races do not bring only a one-day competition, but encourage the arrival of accompanying guests, stays in the area, the use of local hospitality and tourism services and greater visibility of the destination among people who often connect travel with active holidays. At the same time, it is important that such events remain aligned with the rules of the protected area and with the sensitivity of the karst mountain environment. The successful conclusion of this year's BOŠT shows that sporting ambition, recreational participation and the promotion of natural heritage can be connected in an event that has both competitive and social meaning.
Medals, socializing and the end of another edition
After the races finished, the programme was concluded with the awarding of medals and a shared gathering of runners, with which Baške Oštarije Trail retained the recognizable atmosphere of mountain events in which the result is not the only value. The organizers highlighted excellent weather conditions, a good atmosphere and the accompanying programme in the heart of Velebit Nature Park. For the winners of the toughest course, the race continues in a new form, through preparations for an international appearance and comparison with the competition that will gather on La Gomera in September. For a large number of other participants, BOŠT remains a sporting day on which they tested their own limits, passed along Velebit trails and took part in an event that every year more clearly connects Karlobag, Baške Oštarije and the trail community.
Sources:
- International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) – official information on the 2026 Skyrunning World Championships on La Gomera (link)
- International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) – official data on the SKY discipline at the 2026 World Championships (link)
- Croatian Trail – 2026 Croatian Trail League race calendar with the Baške Oštarije Trail race (link)
- Trace de Trail – published SKY BOŠT 2026 route with data on distance, ascent and direction of movement (link)
- Velebit Nature Park – official general information on the protected area of Velebit (link)
- ITRA – information on the Baske Ostarije Trail event and the international recording of the race (link)
- Novi list – announcement of BOŠT 2026 with information on qualifying status, the Croatian Trail League and ITRA points (link)