Camins de Pedra Seca

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 423m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 33% 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.
• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 59.2km, then run your race pace.
• 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–17.4km · 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 · 17.4km–54.3km · Descent of 423m averaging 9%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. 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 · 54.3km–94.0km · Descent of 517m averaging 11%, climb of 733m, 7.3km of runnable trail, high point 879m. Plus 2 more descents. 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 · 94.0km–102km · 8.4km 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, 38% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 13.5km at an average 5.4% grade (733m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.0km at an average 13.5% grade (817m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 25.0% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 32.9% over 0.5km. Surface: 55% trail, 24% road, 14% smooth, and 6% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 133.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.6km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 45 of 100), with 41% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 59.2km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 20.4–25.2 km · 423 m D−, -8.7% · 77.2 km ahead → control
• 46.5–48.7 km · 273 m D−, -12.4% · 53.7 km ahead → your pace
• #2 · 54.3–59.2 km · 517 m D−, -10.6% · 43.3 km ahead → control
• 79.9–86.0 km · 817 m D−, -13.5% · 16.5 km ahead → your pace
• 91.1–94.1 km · 282 m D−, -9.6% · 8.4 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 18°C to 22°C, with around 15°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 27%.

Results

527 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Tobias Geiser (Italy) in 9:37:31. Women's winner: Sonja Kinna (Germany) in 11:58:35.