Never Summer 100k 60K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 396m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 35% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• High point at 3612m. Control your HR at altitude.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 47.7km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–13.4km · Climb of 737m, descent of 396m averaging 10%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Work · 13.4km–32.2km · Descent of 257m averaging 5%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 32.2km–57.2km · Climb of 709m, descent of 967m averaging 9%, high point 3612m. Plus 1 more climb. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 57.2km–63.3km · 6.0km 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 2360m+. With 40m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 37% flat. The longest climb runs 9.5km at an average 7.7% grade (737m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.6km at an average 9.2% grade (967m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 42.8% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 30.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 81% trail and 7% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 85.3 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is North Diamond Peak (3613m), 37.2km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Mr. Big (3477m). The course also passes close to Seven Utes Mountain (3477m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 8.3km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 45% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 47.7km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 9.5–13.4 km · 396 m D−, -10.3% · 49.9 km ahead → control
• #3 · 20.9–26.3 km · 257 m D−, -4.8% · 37.0 km ahead → control
• #2 · 37.2–47.7 km · 967 m D−, -9.2% · 15.5 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 15°C to 23°C, with around 19°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 52%.