Staunton Rocks! Half Marathon

Race strategy

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

• High point at 2899m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 355m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first climb, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 14.6km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.6km–7.8km · Climb of 429m, high point 2899m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Work · 7.8km–14.6km · This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Home · 14.6km–21.0km · Descent of 355m averaging 5%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 671m+. With 32m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 8% flat. The longest climb runs 7.8km at an average 5.5% grade (429m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.5km at an average 5.5% grade (355m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 11.3% over 0.8km. The steepest descent drops at 18.7% over 0.9km. Surface: 88% trail and 12% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 23.9 FlatKM.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 10 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first climb, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 14.6km.
• 14.5–21.0 km · 355 m D−, -5.5% · 0.0 km ahead → free

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 50%.