Tenerife 24K

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• 545m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 52% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1323m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 6.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 8.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–6.6km · Descent of 545m averaging 13%. 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. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Work · 6.6km–8.6km · Climb of 605m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 8.6km–23.2km · Descent of 1323m averaging 9%, high point 1091m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 1300m+. With 54m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 29% of the distance is uphill, 51% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 2.5km at an average 13.1% grade (321m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.6km at an average 9.1% grade (1323m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 52.3% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 25.8% over 0.4km. Surface: 42% trail, 42% road, and 14% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 35.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 3.4km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 27 of 100), with 62% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 6.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 8.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 2.5–6.6 km · 545 m D−, -13.1% · 16.6 km ahead → control
• 8.6–23.2 km · 1323 m D−, -9.1% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end