Patagonia Run 70K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1490m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 755m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 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 49.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 67.7km.
• 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–20.8km · Climb of 1492m, high point 1769m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 20.8km–35.0km · Descent of 755m averaging 26%, descent of 542m averaging 16%. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 35.0km–67.7km · Climb of 808m, descent of 639m averaging 14%. 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 · 67.7km–71.4km · Descent of 309m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 4128m+. With 58m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 33% downhill and 31% flat. The longest climb runs 20.8km at an average 7.2% grade (1492m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.5km at an average 14.3% grade (639m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.6% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 43.5% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 98.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 8.6km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 40 of 100), with 55% of the load in the first half: 3 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 descents until 49.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 67.7km.
• #1 · 20.7–23.6 km · 755 m D−, -26.5% · 47.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 31.5–35.0 km · 542 m D−, -15.8% · 36.4 km ahead → control
• #3 · 44.7–49.1 km · 639 m D−, -14.3% · 22.2 km ahead → control
• 67.7–71.4 km · 309 m D−, -8.3% · 0.0 km ahead → free

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 2°C to 10°C, with around 7°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 34%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 6% of days around this date.