Lake Sonoma Marathon

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 32.8km.
• Hold your race pace up to 34.3km, but stay in control.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 34.3km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–32.8km · Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 32.8km–34.3km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 34.3km–40.5km · Descent of 432m averaging 7%, high point 333m. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 1560m+. With 37m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 23% flat. The longest climb runs 1.4km at an average 12.1% grade (173m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.3km at an average 6.9% grade (432m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.6% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 36.0% over 0.3km. Surface: 87% trail and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 52.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 21 of 100), with 47% of the load in the first half: 0 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 34.3km.
• 34.3–40.5 km · 432 m D−, -6.9% · 0.0 km ahead → free