Salomon Hammer Trail Spring (50 km)

The course

The 50 km is two laps of the same 25 km course, starting and finishing at the grass by the car park at Hammersø on the north coast, close to the ruins of Hammershus castle. A race report on the longer distance describes the lap in detail: a narrow path by the sea, heathland, castle ruins at dusk, a steep scree slope down to the sea, a ledge only a hand wide, and an almost vertical muddy descent down the cliff where a tree helps you every few metres.

After a blocky field of surf rocks comes a stretch of single trail with constant small ups and downs, then Jons Kapel, a sight on the coast reached by 170 steps down to the surf, where runners ring a bell before climbing back up. On the second lap the steps and the scree are what tire legs. The return to the castle runs through woods and flowers and past the Pissebækken waterfall. Climbing is never long but it is relentless: the organiser's own January 50 km on the same ground counted about 1,940 m of ascent in 2018.

Aid is limited. The finish depot has cola, water, coffee, tea, squash, energy drink, fruit, crisps and peanuts, sweets, chocolate, sandwiches, cake and chips; a second depot at Vang has cola, water, energy drink, crisps and peanuts. Only two depots are allowed to give help, and accepting help elsewhere costs a one-hour penalty. The shorter races pass the finish area several times, so friends can follow you.

How to enter

Entry is online through the organiser's timing partner and closes on 24 April 2027 at 23:00, with a ceiling of 800 participants across all distances. The 50 km has no qualification requirement, but the organiser recommends previous trail running experience for the long distances. You must be 18 or older for the 50 km. The 50 km counts for 2 ITRA points and is a UTMB Index race.

The price for the 50 km is 550 kr up to 19 March 2027, 650 kr from 20 March and 750 kr from 18 April, plus a handling fee of 16 kr and 1.2%. Cancel before 1 March and you are refunded less 50 kr; after that there is no refund, but you can sell your number through the link in your registration email. Changing name or distance is not possible in the last 10 days. A free 1 km children's race runs on the Saturday morning.

How to train for it

Train descents on loose, steep ground

The scree and the muddy cliff drops are where people fall, according to race reports, and the quads pay on the second lap. Do repeats on steep technical downhill and practise placing feet on wet rock.

Practise stairs

The 170 steps at Jons Kapel come twice in the 50 km, down and up. Stair repeats, ideally late in a long run, are specific.

Plan two laps, not one long run

The first lap must be done in 5 h and lap one is the easier one to run too fast. Aim for even laps and negative-split the second; keep something back for the climbs and descents.

Run in the wet

Rock and mud are slippery. Train in shoes with proper grip and wet conditions, and do a long run with a pack of at least 1 litre of fluid and a cup.

Rehearse the mandatory kit

Kit is checked before the start and at random during the race. Pack your belt or vest with everything and run with it before race day.

What you need

• Mandatory for 50 km: a belt or vest able to carry at least 1 litre of fluid
• Mandatory: a bandage of at least 3 m, a whistle, a mobile phone and a survival blanket or foil
• Mandatory: a folding or drinking cup of your own; only soup and drinks served in your own cup are available
• Trail shoes with serious grip for wet rock and mud
• Bib visible on the front (not visible costs 15 minutes), and no litter on the course (one-hour penalty)

Getting there and staying

Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic. The fast ferry from Ystad in Sweden to Rønne takes 1 hour 20 minutes, with 3 to 6 departures a day in low season and up to 10 in peak season; a night ferry runs from Køge, south of Copenhagen, leaving at 00:30 and arriving at 06:00. The organiser's start is at Hammersø, Sænevej 5, Allinge, in the north of the island.

The 50 miles starts at 04:30, the 50 km at 07:00, the 25 km at 11:45 and the walking races from 08:00. The organiser recommends places to stay on its website. Afterwards there is a barbecue at the finish, and there is a free children's race on the Saturday morning. A race report notes people finishing for hours.

History

Hammer Trail is run by Tejn IF Løb, the running section of a local sports club that started in 2005 and calls itself a first mover in trail running in Denmark. The January Winter edition and the May Spring edition share the same area, and a race report on the 2024 Spring edition calls it the 15th anniversary.

Where to find out more

• Hammer Trail Spring: 50 km (opens in a new tab): The organiser's page: start time, kit, time limits, fees and depots for the 50 km.
• Rules (opens in a new tab): Mandatory equipment and the penalty table.
• Registration (opens in a new tab): Entry and price steps for 2027.
• Results archive (opens in a new tab): Links to past years' results.
• Ferries to Bornholm (opens in a new tab): The island's tourist information page on ferry routes and crossing times.