UTS 100K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 819m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 38% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 707m 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 78.6km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 92.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–11.7km · Climb of 878m, descent of 617m averaging 13%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 11.7km–50.1km · Descent of 622m averaging 19%, descent of 413m averaging 18%, descent of 819m averaging 9%, high point 1050m. Plus 3 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 · 50.1km–92.8km · Descent of 760m averaging 10%, climb of 1026m, descent of 901m averaging 14%. Plus 3 more climbs and 1 descent. 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 · 92.8km–102km · Descent of 707m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 11.2km at an average 9.2% grade (1026m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.4km at an average 8.7% grade (819m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 40.6% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 37.3% over 1.1km. Surface: 41% trail, 26% technical, 23% smooth, and 5% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 159.0 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Snowdon (1085m), 72.5km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m) and Carnedd Dafydd (1044m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 16.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 62 of 100), with 48% of the load in the first half: 7 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 78.6km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 92.8km.
• #2 · 6.8–11.7 km · 617 m D−, -12.6% · 90.1 km ahead → control
• #5 · 14.7–18.0 km · 622 m D−, -18.8% · 83.9 km ahead → control
• #4 · 19.8–22.1 km · 413 m D−, -18.3% · 79.8 km ahead → control
• #1 · 27.0–36.4 km · 819 m D−, -8.7% · 65.5 km ahead → control
• #7 · 42.3–44.4 km · 278 m D−, -13.4% · 57.5 km ahead → control
• #3 · 53.7–61.2 km · 760 m D−, -10.1% · 40.7 km ahead → control
• #6 · 72.3–78.6 km · 901 m D−, -14.3% · 23.3 km ahead → control
• 92.8–101.9 km · 707 m D−, -7.8% · 0.0 km ahead → free
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Results

586 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Jonathan Albon (Great Britain) in 11:34:51. Women's winner: Stephanie Case (Canada) in 16:53:22.