Olympus Ultra 71K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1940m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1343m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 2994m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 37.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 49.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–15.4km · Climb of 1943m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 15.4km–37.9km · Descent of 1343m averaging 13%, climb of 1026m, descent of 674m averaging 11%. 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 · 37.9km–49.4km · Climb of 1668m, high point 2885m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 49.4km–70.1km · Descent of 2994m averaging 14%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 5550m+. With 78m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 52% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 4% flat. The longest climb runs 15.4km at an average 12.6% grade (1943m of vertical). The longest descent runs 20.7km at an average 14.4% grade (2994m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 43.9% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 49.8% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 126.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 16.8km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 55 of 100), with 38% of the load in the first half: 2 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 37.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 49.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 15.4–25.7 km · 1343 m D−, -13.1% · 44.5 km ahead → control
• #2 · 31.8–37.9 km · 674 m D−, -10.9% · 32.2 km ahead → control
• 49.4–70.1 km · 2994 m D−, -14.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 21°C to 27°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 16%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 2% of days around this date.