Dubrovnik 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 787m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 26% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 27.0km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–11.8km · Climb of 951m, high point 1235m, descent of 787m averaging 16%. 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 · 11.8km–27.0km · Descent of 572m averaging 12%. 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 · 27.0km–50.3km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. 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 · 50.3km–54.3km · Climb of 328m. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.

Course

The course climbs 2660m+. With 53m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 7.0km at an average 13.6% grade (951m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.3km at an average 6.2% grade (574m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.4% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 26.6% over 0.3km. Surface: 40% trail, 25% smooth, 11% road, and 6% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 78.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Ilijin vrh (1234m), 7.0km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Kape (1146m) and Velika Mrča glava (993m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.6km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 66% 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 27.0km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 7.0–11.8 km · 787 m D−, -16.4% · 42.5 km ahead → control
• #2 · 22.3–27.0 km · 572 m D−, -12.2% · 27.3 km ahead → control
• 33.0–42.3 km · 574 m D−, -6.2% · 12.0 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 18°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 35%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 14% of days around this date.