Cadini Sky Race

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• 433m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• High point at 2504m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 870m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Steep 28% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 7.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 15.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–4.4km · Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 4.4km–15.6km · Descent of 433m averaging 16%, climb of 862m, high point 2504m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Home · 15.6km–22.6km · Descent of 870m averaging 13%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 1600m+. With 80m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 44% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 15% flat. The longest climb runs 8.5km at an average 10.2% grade (862m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.0km at an average 12.5% grade (870m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 36.6% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 35.9% over 0.3km. Surface: 84% trail and 13% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 42.8 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Cima Cadin del Deserto (2467m), 15.4km from the start. The course also passes close to Torre Caldart (2452m) and Guglia Edmondo De Amicis (2147m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.6km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 20 of 100), with 40% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 7.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 15.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 4.4–7.1 km · 433 m D−, -16.1% · 15.4 km ahead → control
• 15.6–22.6 km · 870 m D−, -12.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 1°C to 10°C, with around 7°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 52%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 12% of days around this date.