UTFS 55K

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 685m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 18.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 48.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–9.1km · Climb of 551m, high point 571m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 9.1km–30.0km · Descent of 685m averaging 7%. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. 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.
• Fade · 30.0km–48.8km · Plus 1 more climb and 2 descents. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. 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 · 48.8km–55.1km · Descent of 309m averaging 5%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 2211m+. With 40m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 33% flat. The longest climb runs 9.1km at an average 6.1% grade (551m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.9km at an average 6.9% grade (685m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.2% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 27.3% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 83.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 28 of 100), with 40% 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 18.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 48.8km.
• #1 · 9.1–18.9 km · 685 m D−, -6.9% · 36.2 km ahead → control
• 30.0–33.6 km · 360 m D−, -10.1% · 21.5 km ahead → your pace
• 36.3–38.6 km · 283 m D−, -12.2% · 16.5 km ahead → your pace
• 48.8–55.1 km · 309 m D−, -4.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 19°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 48%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 9% of days around this date.

Results

302 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: David Bélanger (Canada) in 6:27:10. Women's winner: Sarah Villeneuve (Canada) in 7:11:08.