Jungle 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 318m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 27% 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 30.3km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–13.4km · 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 13.4km–27.2km · Descent of 318m averaging 10%, climb of 680m, high point 1001m. 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.
• Fade · 27.2km–37.2km · Descent of 543m averaging 17%. Plus 1 more climb and 1 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 · 37.2km–49.2km · 12.0km 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.

Course

By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 37% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 10.5km at an average 6.5% grade (680m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.3km at an average 8.5% grade (445m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 26.1% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 29.1% over 0.5km. Surface: 19% road and 16% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 78.3 FlatKM.

Poles

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

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 28 of 100), with 35% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.