Camins d'Her

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 2.2km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 813m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 837m 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 59.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 94.0km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–24.5km · Climb of 2167m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 24.5km–53.6km · Descent of 299m averaging 8%, climb of 675m, high point 2558m, descent of 813m averaging 15%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 53.6km–94.0km · Descent of 633m averaging 10%, climb of 1017m, climb of 569m. Plus 1 more 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. 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–101km · Descent of 837m averaging 12%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 4800m+. With 44m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 25% flat. The longest climb runs 24.5km at an average 8.8% grade (2167m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.8km at an average 12.3% grade (837m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 42.5% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 33.8% over 0.7km. Surface: 76% trail, 13% smooth, and 9% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 148.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Cap dera Cometa des Calhaus (2253m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 10.2km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 54 of 100), with 40% of the load in the first half: 3 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 59.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 94.0km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 24.5–28.0 km · 299 m D−, -8.5% · 72.8 km ahead → control
• #1 · 37.1–42.4 km · 813 m D−, -15.3% · 58.5 km ahead → control
• #2 · 53.6–59.9 km · 633 m D−, -10.0% · 40.9 km ahead → control
• 83.7–90.2 km · 874 m D−, -13.3% · 10.6 km ahead → your pace
• 94.1–100.8 km · 837 m D−, -12.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 15°C to 26°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 35%.

Results

792 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Baptiste Coatantiec (France) in 10:53:36. Women's winner: Mari Klakegg Fenre (Norway) in 12:31:45.