E16 - Pleasure Trail

Race strategy

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

• Final 628m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Steep 25% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 11.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–11.0km · Climb of 758m, high point 1646m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 11.0km–16.5km · Descent of 628m averaging 11%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 950m+. With 59m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 49% of the distance is uphill, 32% downhill and 19% flat. The longest climb runs 11.0km at an average 6.9% grade (758m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.5km at an average 11.4% grade (628m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 15.9% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 25.9% over 0.3km. Surface: 56% trail, 31% road, and 13% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 22.7 FlatKM.

Poles

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

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 12 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 11.0km.
• 11.0–16.5 km · 628 m D−, -11.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 23°C, with around 17°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 57%.

Results

952 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Remi Leroux (Canada) in 1:14:13. Women's winner: Natalina Neuenschwander (Switzerland) in 1:32:19.