July the 29th, 2022 - Gorski kotar is an often overlooked place in Croatia, seen mostly as part of the country one passes through when going to or from the coast. This gorgeous, green and mountainous part of the country has a lot to boast of itself, and is much more than simply a location one goes through aiming for the sea. For sportspeople and training, it's often a desired location.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the rugged green region of Gorski kotar is very attractive to both professional and recreational athletes throughout the year, and especially during the summer months due to more tolerable, even pleasant daytime and cool night temperatures, as opposed to the extreme heat most of the rest of the country suffers through at that time of the year.
Any sort of physical activity in combination with extremely high daily temperatures increases the thermal and circulatory load of athletes and causes the rapid dehydration of the body, as shown by the research conducted in the field of thermoregulation of healthy and active people. It can be extremely dangerous. When it comes to training for sport, it is extremely important that the air temperature puts as little strain on the athlete's body as possible.
That's why Gorski kotar is often chosen for the preparation of athletes, because during the day they can prepare, warm up and participate in competitions with significantly less strain being placed on the body than doing it elsewhere in the country, where things could go very awry very quickly indeed. This way, they spend less time on the very necessary cooling down of the body, which optimises their time. At the same time, fresher, cooler nights provide them with a high quality dose of sleep for effective body renewal, which consequently affects their sporting performance.
This weekend, two sporting competitions are being held in Gorski kotar. One open Croatian championship in orienteering is being held, the 25th Croatia Open, which will be held from July the 31st to August the 5th in the area of Delnice, Mrkoplje, Risnjak National Park in Crni Lug and Krk. It is an international competition of a traditional character that has brought thousands of competitors from about forty different countries to the mountainous heart of Croatia.
The competition quickly became one of the most important in the entire region, and Gorski kotar was promoted as a desirable summer orientation destination in Europe. More than 270 participants from as many as 27 countries applied for this year's competition. It will take place on the karst grounds of Zrinski vrh next to Delnice, the old city centre of the city of Krk and in the forested parts of Crni and Sungerski Lug. The conception of the competition's courses was done by the chief course planner András Kersity with his assistants Balázs Gyenizse-Nagy and Zoltan Racz.
The second competition set to take place in Gorski kotar is the Croatian cross-triathlon championship for the categories of cadets, juniors and seniors, which will be held on Lake Lokvar on Saturday, July the 30th, starting at 10:00. The organisation of this event is being led by the best triathlon club in Croatia, "Maksimir", the newly founded "Triathlon Club Gorski Kotar" and the Municipality of Lokve. There will be a super sprint triathlon race and a standard cross triathlon race along two courses, both of which include swimming, mountain biking and cross running.
This is a form of the popular "Xterra triathlon" series of races, for which Gorski kotar is an extremely suitable location due to the tolerable temperatures and the type of terrain. The aim of this collaboration is to popularise this type of triathlon in Gorski kotar, which will generate a strong motive for visiting the destination.
"In the experience industry of today, it's really important to recognise the motives of visitors who remain loyal to the destination, and the support that the Gorski kotar area provides to athletes is comprehensive, from the natural microclimatic conditions to operational support, a rich gastronomic offer and quality accommodation facilities," said Petar Hrg, the director of the Tourist Board of Gorski kotar.
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