OCC

Race strategy

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

• 975m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 17.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 53.6km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–17.7km · Climb of 664m, descent of 975m averaging 10%. 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 · 17.7km–37.7km · Climb of 2078m, high point 2212m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 37.7km–53.6km · Descent of 1067m averaging 10%. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 53.6km–59.1km · Descent of 289m averaging 5%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 3500m+. With 61m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 20.1km at an average 10.3% grade (2078m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.6km at an average 10.0% grade (1067m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.3% over 0.9km. The steepest descent drops at 33.6% over 0.5km. Surface: 58% trail, 25% road, 11% smooth, and 7% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 82.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 9.8km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 40 of 100), with 42% 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 mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 17.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 53.6km.
• #1 · 7.5–17.7 km · 975 m D−, -9.6% · 41.4 km ahead → control
• #2 · 37.7–48.4 km · 1067 m D−, -10.0% · 10.7 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 21°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 42%.

Results

1,417 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Jim Walmsley (United States) in 5:00:35. Women's winner: Miao Yao (China) in 5:35:13.