Tronador 130K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.1km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1128m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 690m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 93.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 121km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.5km–11.5km · Climb of 642m, descent of 600m averaging 18%. 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.
• Work · 11.5km–63.7km · Climb of 1122m, high point 1940m, descent of 1128m averaging 20%, descent of 262m averaging 13%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 63.7km–121km · Climb of 949m, descent of 1188m averaging 12%, descent of 873m averaging 13%. Plus 2 more climbs 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 121km–129km · Descent of 690m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 32% downhill and 35% flat. The longest climb runs 8.1km at an average 7.9% grade (642m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.7km at an average 12.3% grade (1188m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 44.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 39.5% over 0.7km. Surface: 74% trail, 18% smooth, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 194.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 15.7km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 60 of 100), with 42% of the load in the first half: 5 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 93.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 121km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 8.1–11.5 km · 600 m D−, -17.7% · 118.0 km ahead → control
• #1 · 35.8–41.3 km · 1128 m D−, -20.2% · 88.1 km ahead → control
• #5 · 49.0–50.9 km · 262 m D−, -13.4% · 78.5 km ahead → control
• #3 · 68.7–78.4 km · 1188 m D−, -12.3% · 51.1 km ahead → control
• #4 · 87.0–93.8 km · 873 m D−, -12.8% · 35.6 km ahead → control
• 121.0–129.4 km · 690 m D−, -8.2% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 6°C to 14°C, with around 8°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 22%.

Results

173 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Ethan Peters (Canada) in 15:01:29. Women's winner: Mariana Fernandez (Argentina) in 21:10:16.