Experiencia d'Aran

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 406m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 840m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 8.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 22.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–14.3km · Descent of 406m averaging 17%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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 · 14.3km–22.3km · Climb of 573m, high point 1696m. Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 22.3km–29.1km · Descent of 840m averaging 12%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 1400m+. With 44m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 45% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 6.1km at an average 8.0% grade (482m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.8km at an average 12.4% grade (840m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 39.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 33.8% over 0.7km. Surface: 63% trail, 19% road, 13% smooth, and 5% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 44.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 4.9km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 23 of 100), with 37% 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 8.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 22.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 5.9–8.2 km · 406 m D−, -17.3% · 20.9 km ahead → control
• 14.3–18.5 km · 335 m D−, -8.1% · 10.6 km ahead → your pace
• 22.3–29.1 km · 840 m D−, -12.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 16°C to 23°C, with around 20°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 31%.

Results

1,035 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Dominik Tabor (Poland) in 2:28:18. Women's winner: Moana Lilly Kehres (Spain) in 3:01:00.