Fitness
Mountain Running
Denisa Dragomir races up 519 steps to Toaca Peak in just 3m 18s
The world champion runner took on one of Romania’s most spectacular mountain staircases in an explosive race against the clock.
There are 519 steps separating the start of the staircase to Toaca Peak from the top. Denisa Dragomir needed just three minutes and 18 seconds to climb them all.
The two-time world skyrunning champion and world mountain running champion took on the famous staircase in Romania’s Ceahlău massif with one goal: reach the summit in under three minutes and 30 seconds.
Starting at an altitude of 1,771m, Dragomir raced up the staircase towards the 1,893m Toaca Peak, battling steep and uneven steps, high temperatures and humidity along the way. She crossed the finish comfortably inside her target – but getting there pushed her to the limit.
Denisa Dragomir powers up the spectacular mountain staircase to Toaca Peak
© Attila Szabo/Red Bull Content Pool
01
519 steps and one race against the clock
Dragomir first visited Toaca Peak in 2020 and returned for a reconnaissance run last year, when she completed the staircase in around three minutes and 38 seconds. Her preparation for the challenge was then disrupted by an injury in the spring, limiting the amount of specific stair training she could complete.
“I expected it to be very tough, short, super intense and to need a burst of energy,” she said.
Some sections reached a punishing 66 percent gradient
© Attila Szabo/Red Bull Content Pool
That section was brutal… I felt as though someone had put lead in my legs
This wasn't a typical mountain run. The 519 metal steps constantly change in height and steepness, making it difficult to settle into a rhythm. The toughest section came around halfway up, where the gradient became so severe that Dragomir had to use the handrail to keep moving quickly.
“That section was brutal,” she said. “When I came out of it, I felt as though someone had put lead in my legs.”
02
Three minutes at maximum intensity
Dragomir is accustomed to endurance races lasting several hours, but Toaca presented an entirely different physical test. Her heart rate climbed above 180 beats per minute as she pushed towards the summit, while the short duration meant there was little opportunity to recover or settle into a sustainable pace.
The pain came much quicker and lasted right until the end
Dragomir takes a moment to recover and enjoy the view
© Attila Szabo/Red Bull Content Pool
“Whereas in long races you start and the pain sets in after about three hours, here you start and the pain sets in after just a minute,” she explained. “The pain came much quicker and lasted right until the end.”
Dragomir had planned where she would increase her effort during the ascent and even marked out points on the route beforehand. Once she started, however, those plans disappeared.
“I was so focused that I didn’t see a single marker; I completely forgot about them.”
After 350 steps, she was given a time check that suggested she wasn't where she wanted to be. Rather than backing off, she pushed harder towards the summit.
“I got frustrated and annoyed, but I didn’t give up and kept going right to the end to do as well as I possibly could.”
03
Target beaten at Toaca Peak
Almost there – Dragomir approaches the end of her quick-fire climb
© Attila Szabo/Red Bull Content Pool
Three minutes and 18 seconds after setting off, Dragomir reached the top – beating her target by 12 seconds. The challenge also gave one of the world's leading mountain runners a very different test from the long-distance efforts she usually faces in competition.
“I’ve discovered that suffering can be intense, even over a short period,” she said.
Dragomir's amazing feat in numbers
- 519 steps – equivalent to climbing almost 30 storeys
- 66 percent – the gradient at the steepest point
- 140 metres – total distance covered
- 95 metres – total ascent
- 3 minutes 18 seconds – continuous, all-out effort
I remember looking up and feeling as though I was climbing into the sky
For Dragomir, though, the staircase is about more than racing the clock. Her first visit remains one of her strongest memories of the Ceahlău massif.
“I remember looking up and feeling as though I was climbing into the sky,” she said. “It was a very pleasant feeling and an image that has stayed with me.”
This time, she didn't just climb towards the sky. She raced there in three minutes and 18 seconds.
