Wanlong 50

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 340m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 12.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 47.1km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.5km–12.7km · Descent of 340m averaging 19%, descent of 280m averaging 10%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 12.7km–29.8km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 29.8km–47.1km · Climb of 451m, high point 2097m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 47.1km–51.9km · Descent of 351m averaging 7%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 2448m+. With 47m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 5.5km at an average 7.8% grade (426m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.5km at an average 8.2% grade (862m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.0% over 0.9km. The steepest descent drops at 33.1% over 0.4km. Surface: 41% road, 23% trail, and 8% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 76.3 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 7.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 34 of 100), with 42% of the load in the first half: 2 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 12.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 47.1km.
• #1 · 5.5–7.3 km · 340 m D−, -18.9% · 44.6 km ahead → control
• #2 · 9.8–12.7 km · 280 m D−, -9.7% · 39.2 km ahead → control
• 21.4–24.6 km · 315 m D−, -9.8% · 27.3 km ahead → your pace
• 29.8–33.1 km · 319 m D−, -9.8% · 18.9 km ahead → your pace
• 47.1–51.9 km · 351 m D−, -7.3% · 0.0 km ahead → free
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 17°C to 24°C, with around 21°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 49%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 9% of days around this date.