Sobrepuny Trail

The Sobrepuny Trail brings mountain runners to La Nou de Berguedà every spring, a small village in the Berguedà district in the north of the province of Barcelona. Organised since 2014 by the Associació de Muntanyencs Berguedans, it fills a weekend in early April in the heart of the Serra del Catllaràs, a protected natural area of the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees that every course crosses. The peak that gives the event its name, Sobrepuny, rises to 1,651 m and overlooks the whole district.

On Saturday, the Vertical Sobrepuny starts at 16:00 in front of the village sports court and climbs 800 m over 3.5 km to the summit, with an aid station at Font del Faig around kilometre 2.8. It counts towards the Catalan Vertical Race Cup run by the Catalan mountaineering federation (FEEC), and a shorter version finishing at Era de Manrell is reserved for young runners. In the morning, the Canicròs Sobrepuny (7.8 km, 450 m of climbing) sets off at 08:45 for runners with their dogs, after a veterinary check, on a mostly singletrack course with no major technical difficulty; it is part of the Open Correpotes Catalunya series. A popular walk is held over the same distance.

Sunday is trail day. The Sobrepuny Trail, the flagship 37 km race with 2,400 m of climbing, starts at 08:00; it tops out at 1,711 m and about two thirds of it is on singletrack. La Mitja (21 km, 1,500 m) follows at 08:30 along the ridges and paths of the massif, while the Exprés (12 km, 1,000 m) leaves at 09:00 and mixes trails, forest tracks and a few short tarmac sections. All races start and finish in the village. At previous editions, aid stations stood at Collada de Pasquals, Vilada, the junction with the GR 24, Collada de Sant Miquel and Cal Monell, among others.

The distances are moderate but the gradients are serious: 1,000 m of ascent in 12 km on the Exprés, and more than 60 m of climbing per kilometre on the long course. The 37 km is aimed at experienced trail runners, with a cut-off at the third aid station at 11:30 and the finish closing at 15:00. La Mitja already calls for solid mountain experience, while the Exprés offers a short, intense way to discover the terrain.

Aid stations are cup-free, so every runner carries their own cup or bottle. Mandatory kit includes trail shoes that fully cover the foot, a survival blanket, a windproof or waterproof jacket, a whistle, a charged phone and a water reserve of one litre on the Trail and half a litre on La Mitja and the Exprés. The courses are marked with tape and signs, and the GPS tracks are published on Wikiloc. Bibs can be collected the evening before or on race morning, and the village offers showers, parking and a motorhome area. The organisers have made a firm environmental commitment to protecting this wooded massif.