Chongli 168

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 898m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 29% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• 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 118km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–9.9km · Descent of 328m averaging 10%. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 9.9km–87.0km · Descent of 516m averaging 9%, descent of 619m averaging 9%, descent of 898m averaging 6%. Plus 6 more climbs and 3 descents. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 87.0km–163km · Descent of 734m averaging 8%. Plus 3 more climbs and 4 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. 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 · 163km–170km · 6.7km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 8292m+. With 49m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 9.6km at an average 4.9% grade (472m of vertical). The longest descent runs 16.5km at an average 6.9% grade (1138m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 34.4% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 30.1% over 0.4km. Surface: 24% road, 23% smooth, and 21% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 254.4 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 13.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 72 of 100), with 49% of the load in the first half: 7 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 118km, then run your race pace.
• #5 · 6.6–9.9 km · 328 m D−, -10.0% · 159.8 km ahead → control
• #3 · 16.2–21.9 km · 516 m D−, -9.0% · 147.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 28.8–35.6 km · 619 m D−, -9.1% · 134.2 km ahead → control
• #6 · 42.6–45.3 km · 384 m D−, -14.0% · 124.4 km ahead → control
• #4 · 52.8–57.7 km · 483 m D−, -9.8% · 112.0 km ahead → control
• #1 · 61.1–75.1 km · 898 m D−, -6.4% · 94.7 km ahead → control
• #7 · 108.6–118.2 km · 734 m D−, -7.7% · 51.6 km ahead → control
• 146.6–163.1 km · 1138 m D−, -6.9% · 6.7 km ahead → your pace
• Plus 4 more notable descents not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 20°C to 27°C, with around 11°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 49%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 12% of days around this date.