MIUT 85

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 674m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 31% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 53.0km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–21.1km · Descent of 674m averaging 9%. 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. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 21.1km–40.5km · Climb of 682m, descent of 727m averaging 9%, climb of 1618m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 40.5km–74.2km · Descent of 1528m averaging 12%, high point 1713m, climb of 1083m. Plus 1 more descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 74.2km–85.6km · 11.4km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 4695m+ and descends 4695m−. With 55m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 31% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 29% flat. The longest climb runs 8.8km at an average 12.3% grade (1083m of vertical). The longest descent runs 12.5km at an average 12.2% grade (1528m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 46.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 53.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 62% trail, 25% road, and 8% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 121.2 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 14.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 54 of 100), with 45% of the load in the first half: 3 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 53.0km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 2.2–9.4 km · 674 m D−, -9.4% · 76.2 km ahead → control
• #3 · 24.3–32.0 km · 727 m D−, -9.5% · 53.6 km ahead → control
• #2 · 40.4–53.0 km · 1528 m D−, -12.2% · 32.6 km ahead → control
• 61.8–74.2 km · 1095 m D−, -8.8% · 11.4 km ahead → your pace

Results

242 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Romeo Boisivon (France) in 9:35:34. Women's winner: Malgorzata Moczulska (Poland) in 11:24:19.