Quito Nutria 50K

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 370m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1.3km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 45% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 877m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 35.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 42.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–25.0km · Descent of 370m averaging 9%, climb of 1289m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Work · 25.0km–35.7km · Descent of 772m averaging 7%, high point 3758m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 35.7km–42.7km · Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 42.7km–51.9km · Descent of 877m averaging 10%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 49% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 12.2km at an average 10.6% grade (1289m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.7km at an average 7.2% grade (772m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 44.7% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 37.7% over 0.2km. Surface: 57% road, 26% smooth, and 5% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 71.6 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 10.3km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 35 of 100), with 36% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 35.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 42.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 8.5–12.8 km · 370 m D−, -8.6% · 39.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 25.0–35.7 km · 772 m D−, -7.2% · 16.2 km ahead → control
• 42.7–51.9 km · 877 m D−, -9.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 16°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 24%.

Results

305 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Klever Villacres (Ecuador) in 5:07:11. Women's winner: Leida Diaz Chavez (Peru) in 6:04:06.