I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival: Where Sport, People and Nature Become One

If the event had to be described in a single sentence, we could say this: it is a run in nature, with care for both the runner and nature itself. Quite simply, nature can survive without the runner, but the runner without nature… Well, running on asphalt or indoors is not trail running. Trail running does not exist without nature.

To understand the sports festival that has been taking place for 13 years at the threshold of summer, at the idyllic confluence of two Alpine rivers near Tolmin, we have to look back to 2013, when a group of locals said: “Hey, what if…”

“Hey, what if we organized a mountain bike race?” That was the original idea behind the sports festival in the Soča Valley. It was spring 2013. By September of the same year, the first Soča Outdoor Festival had already taken place, featuring mountain biking, running, hiking, paragliding and even, ahem, a bike race on single-speed bikes combined with speed beer drinking. A party for outdoor enthusiasts, basically. In the following years, the organizing team of the cycling race pushed its way through thorns, both literally and figuratively. Eventually, that part of the competition was discontinued, but this did not stop the festival from growing. Trail running became a major trend in Slovenia and around the world. The initial 12- and 15-kilometre distances were gradually joined by races ranging from 5 to 50 kilometres, while the organizers were already thinking about the event’s impact on the local environment long before “sustainability” became fashionable. And today, almost unavoidable.

This year’s edition of the I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival brings together running distances from 5 all the way to 50 kilometres.

“Sustainability” is more than just no litter on the trails

Today, the concept of sustainability no longer means simply picking up rubbish after an event. The organizers began thinking about how to create as little waste as possible in the first place, and as early as 2019, they eliminated single-use cups at refreshment stations. Some runners grumbled a little — “So now I have to carry my own cup as well?” — but yes, exactly that. Today, a reusable cup is mandatory equipment at almost all similar races. “Sustainability” also means that the organizing team uses reusable course-marking tape and shares it with organizers of other races in Slovenia and beyond. It means that the local community is strongly involved in the delivery of the event.

And, last but not least, it means that the event is inclusive. Since 2022, the event has also included Parafestival, which enables people with different mobility impairments to experience sport in nature. In 2026, at the I feel Slovenia Soča Outdoor Festival — exactly on the International Day of Deafblindness — deafblind participants will also take part. Not in the 50-kilometre race, but over 500 metres and accompanied by guides. For people who live in darkness and silence, this is an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives. The seriousness with which the festival approaches care for nature and the local environment is also reflected in the Good Events certificate it received last year.

Since 2022, the event has also included Parafestival, which enables people with different mobility impairments to experience sport in nature.

This year, a two-day hike for the first time

Another important new feature this year is the organized two-day adidas Terrex and Intersport hike along the Juliana Trail, from Bovec to Tolmin. It often happens that people — especially visitors from abroad — register for the shorter running events simply because they want to explore beautiful nature in a safe and organized way. And since, when racing against the clock, it is difficult to find time to take photos of places such as the exceptional Tolmin Gorges, through which most of the races pass, the organizers decided to offer a guided hike. It includes camping, a guide, luggage transfer and meals along the route.

The two-day Juliana Trail hike offers a calmer way to experience the Soča Valley.

Competition is “only” an incentive for a more active life

The core of the event, however, remains the races, spread from Friday evening, with the run to Tolmin Castle, through Saturday, with the longer races, to Sunday, when the shorter distances take place. The finish line of the Saturday and Sunday races is set at the very confluence of the two rivers, where tired runners wade through the refreshing Tolminka River and step across the finish line as if reborn. Tired, perhaps with a blister or two, but with the realization that they are capable of more than they might have dared to believe during training at home. And yes, that training also matters. Once you understand that the event itself — the competition — is only one part of a year-round journey towards a healthier lifestyle, you have understood the essence of trail running.

Check out the event

Saturday and Sunday races finish at the river confluence, where runners wade through the refreshing Tolminka before crossing the finish line.