Kodiak 50K

Race strategy

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

• Start easy and control your HR up to Snow Summit.
• Hold your race pace up to 42.8km, but stay in control.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 42.8km.
• 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–9.9km · 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 · 9.9km–42.8km · 32.9km of runnable trail, high point 2491m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Home · 42.8km–45.8km · Descent of 234m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 30% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 31% flat. The longest climb runs 2.6km at an average 14.0% grade (364m of vertical). The longest descent runs 3.0km at an average 7.8% grade (234m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 22.3% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 11.1% over 1.2km. Surface: 89% trail, 6% smooth, and 5% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 60.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Snow Summit (2491m), 9.9km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 16 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 42.8km.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 7°C to 20°C, with around 15°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 6%.