INFORMATION FOR MEDIA
A sports festival with respect
for people and nature
The I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival is a sporting event that has been taking place in Tolmin and the surrounding area since 2013. Over the years, it has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the region, yet despite its size, the organisers have managed to preserve – and further develop – its core idea: to offer professional and recreational runners of all ages an enjoyable and safe sporting experience, while at the same time caring for the local environment that has welcomed the event with open arms from the very beginning.
Eight quick facts:
- The running races are 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 kilometres long. A separate category is the Vertical race, a Friday evening run from Tolmin up to Tolmin Castle.
- In 2026, the event attracted 3,400 runners, placing it among the most popular running events in the region. The first edition welcomed 320 athletes.
- Around half of the participants come from abroad; in 2026, runners came from as many as 51 countries. For the first time, there were also more female than male runners, with a 51–49% split.
- A special feature of all races is the finish, which includes a crossing of the refreshing Tolminka River. All races longer than 5 kilometres also take participants through the Tolmin Gorges.
- In 2026, the non-competitive programme was expanded for the first time with a two-day adidas Terrex and Intersport hike along the Juliana Trail. Over two days, hikers covered around 40 kilometres from Bovec via Kobarid to the finish at the confluence in Tolmin.
- Although trail running is at the heart of the event, the festival also includes a 500-metre children’s run, hikes along the Walk of Peace, climbing on an artificial wall, yoga workshops, stand-up paddleboarding, family cycling, various talks and a varied culinary offer.
- Every year, the organisers work to reduce the event’s impact on the natural environment. For example, no single-use cups are used at refreshment stations, car sharing is encouraged, and participants arriving by public transport are rewarded. It was the first event of its kind to receive the Green Events certification from Green Destinations organisation.
- The indispensable heart of the wider organising team are the volunteers, who selflessly help at refreshment stations and cheer on the runners every year.
Free race registration for media
Would you like to try trail running? We offer representatives of media outlets a complimentary race entry and accreditation. To apply, please email info@soca-outdoor.com.
If you need festival photos and logos, you can download them here.
About the festival
The I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival officially kicks off Tolmin’s summer festival season on the last weekend of June or the first weekend of July. Unlike the town’s other music festivals, however, participants do not come to dance, but to run through the wider surroundings of Sotočje, the idyllic confluence where the Tolminka River meets the Soča.
Sotočje is the festival’s main venue, hosting all race starts (except the vertical race, which starts in front of the Tolmin Museum), race number collection, talks, award ceremonies, a fair featuring local providers and sports equipment, and other festival activities. The finish lines are located by the Tolminka River, which runners have to cross before reaching the finish. A nearby bridge is available for the less adventurous, although very few choose to miss out on the well-earned refreshment. This river crossing at the finish has become one of the festival’s most recognisable features.
The routes run along both banks of the Soča River. Some of the key landmarks on the longest race include the Tolmin Gorges, Kozlov Rob hill with the ruins of Tolmin Castle, Mengore, Most na Soči, the Senica viewpoint and, at the highest point, the Pretovč mountain pasture at 1,160 metres above sea level – almost 1,000 vertical metres higher than the finish.
Word travels fast, and the share of international runners has gradually increased over the years: in 2016, participants came from five countries, mainly neighbouring ones, while in 2026 runners represented as many as 51 countries. Another interesting fact is the almost equal split between female and male runners.
Locals and volunteers – the heart of the festival
Organisers and runners alike will tell you that, alongside the natural beauty of the Soča Valley, safely marked routes and a sufficient number of well-stocked aid stations, the locals cheering runners on along the course and the volunteers serving food and drinks are an indispensable part of the event. Every 5 to 12 kilometres, runners reach aid stations offering a variety of drinks as well as sweet and savoury snacks. This helps reduce the weight runners need to carry and also limits the amount of waste left along the route, such as snack wrappers and banana peels. Sometimes local residents even prepare homemade treats themselves or run a hose from a nearby house or cellar to cool down overheated runners.
Caring for nature is in the event’s DNA
Although the number of participants has almost increased tenfold since the first edition thirteen years ago, the organising team – made up largely of local residents and Tolmin natives who enjoy returning to their hometown – works hard to ensure that the event has as little impact as possible on the natural environment everyone values so highly. They were among the first to stop using single-use cups at aid stations. As participation grew, they also spread the race programme across three days to reduce pressure on the trails. They encourage car sharing and arrival by public transport, separate waste, share event equipment with organisers of similar events, award wooden medals and make sure that Sotočje and all the routes are free of visible traces of the event by the following day. Whenever possible, they work with local providers, support them through volunteer work such as clearing pastures and maintaining trails, and collect donations for local organisations, including mountain rescue services. Fresh fruit left unused after the races is donated to the local retirement home.
The I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival is also the first event to have an environmental impact study prepared in cooperation with the University of Maribor, and the first event to receive the Good Events sustainability certification awarded by the international organisation Green Destinations.
Would you like to try trail running? We offer media partners a complimentary race entry and accreditation. To apply, send an email to info@soca-outdoor.com.
