Frey 80K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 599m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 39% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 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 69.5km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 76.6km 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 640m, descent of 599m 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–41.0km · Climb of 1116m, high point 1940m, descent of 1127m averaging 20%. 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 · 41.0km–76.6km · Climb of 1458m, descent of 1192m averaging 13%, climb of 598m. 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 · 76.6km–85.0km · 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, 36% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 30% flat. The longest climb runs 19.0km at an average 7.7% grade (1458m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.4km at an average 12.7% grade (1192m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 36.5% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 39.4% over 0.7km. Surface: 78% trail, 13% smooth, and 8% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 122.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 12.8km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 48 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 69.5km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 76.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 8.1–11.5 km · 599 m D−, -17.6% · 73.5 km ahead → control
• #2 · 35.5–41.0 km · 1127 m D−, -20.3% · 43.9 km ahead → control
• #3 · 60.1–69.5 km · 1192 m D−, -12.7% · 15.5 km ahead → control
• 76.6–85.0 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

332 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Patricio Gonzalez (Argentina) in 9:08:18. Women's winner: Lindsay Allison (United States) in 11:06:22.