Hey, Runatic!
Distance alone doesn't tell you much about a trail race. Beside the kilometers comes another important number: elevation gain.
World Athletics describes short trail races as around 35–45 km with 2,000–3,000 meters of climbing. A familiar distance, with a very different vertical dimension. World Athletics article
Two 40 km races can be nothing alike. One follows fairly level trails; another sends you up a mountain several times.
“Short” describes the trail-racing format. It makes no promises to your legs.
🎵 Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell — Ain’t No Mountain High Enough · Apple Music