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Transylvania 100 — ultras beneath Dracula's castle

A concept redesign of the website for one of Romania's toughest mountain ultras — built to pitch to the organisers.

Five races from 20K to 100K start at Bran Castle. I turned a generic template into a race-first site: real course data up front, every page in English and Romanian, and a clear path to registration.

Role
UX/UI & Web Design
Solo — concept → live site
Type
Event website (Next.js)
Year
2026
Live
Transylvania 100 — redesigned home page
5 races20K to 100K, each with its own page
EN + ROevery page, one language switch
6,444 mof climbing on the 100K, mapped checkpoint by checkpoint
2 daysfrom first sketch to a live site
01 — Context

A tough race, hidden behind a template.

The original site was a Wix template: a photo, a date, and the course facts buried in long text pages. Drag the handle to compare.

Before — the original Wix home pageAfter — the redesigned home pageBeforeAfter
02 — Key decisions

Four calls that shaped the site.

Decision 01

The course is the hero

Problem

Distance, climbing and cut-offs were buried in paragraphs.

Solution

Every race page opens with the key numbers and an interactive elevation profile built from real checkpoint data.

Elevation profileHover any checkpoint: altitude, cut-off, food and drinks.
Race pageDistance, climbing, high point and time limit at a glance.
Checkpoints & cut-offsEvery split, altitude and cut-off in one timeline.
Result

A runner sees how hard a race is in seconds — before reading a single paragraph.

Decision 02

Choose a distance by its shape

Problem

Five distances look alike when they're just names and numbers.

Solution

The Races page puts all five elevation profiles on one scale, one under another.

The racesFive distances, one overview.
Side by sideEvery profile on the same scale — the 100K's climbs speak for themselves.
Result

Picking a race becomes a visual comparison, not a reading exercise.

Decision 03

Two languages, one switch

Problem

Most runners are Romanian, but the race draws an international field.

Solution

Full English and Romanian versions of every page. The switch keeps you on the same page, and numbers follow each locale.

EnglishThe international version.
RomânăThe same page, written for Romanian runners.
Result

Neither audience gets a machine-translated afterthought.

Decision 04

Registration stays where it lives

Problem

Entries run on an external platform — a second checkout would only confuse.

Solution

A registration landing that answers everything first — prices, qualifiers, steps — then hands off. Plus a filterable entry list.

RegistrationWhat you need before you sign up.
Prices & qualifiersEvery distance with its fee, places and ITRA points.
Entry listWho's running, by race and country.
Filterable listSearch and filter the field (preview data).
Result

Runners reach the checkout already knowing what they need.

03 — Mobile

Built for the phone at the start line.

Most runners check the course on a phone — so every page, table and profile is designed for one-handed use.

HomeCountdown, register and all five races in the first screen.
MenuFull-screen navigation, big tap targets.
The racesAll five profiles stacked on one scale.
Race pageEntry fee, places and the key numbers up front.
Elevation profileTap a checkpoint for altitude and cut-off.
CheckpointsThe cut-off table becomes stacked cards.
RegistrationWhat you need, then the hand-off to the platform.
Entry listPlaces left per race (preview data).
Runner infoSchedule, travel and kit as tabs.
RomânăThe same home, fully in Romanian.
04 — Outcome

A live concept, ready to pitch.

✓

Live site at transylvania100.pages.dev to show the organisers.

✓

Five race pages with real checkpoint, altitude and cut-off data.

✓

English and Romanian versions of every page.

✓

Static Next.js on Cloudflare — fast, with near-zero hosting cost.

Takeaway

Let the course do the talking.

For a mountain race the route is the product — so the design shows the mountain's real shape before any text.