Olympus Marathon 44K

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• High point at 2730m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 2837m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Steep 35% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 21.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.3km–21.4km · Climb of 2796m, high point 2730m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 21.4km–42.3km · Descent of 2837m 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 3350m+. With 76m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 51% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 6% flat. The longest climb runs 21.4km at an average 13.0% grade (2796m of vertical). The longest descent runs 20.9km at an average 13.6% grade (2837m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.2% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 34.9% over 0.9km. Flat-equivalent effort: 71.8 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 11.6km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 37 of 100), with 2% of the load in the first half: 0 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 21.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 21.4–42.3 km · 2837 m D−, -13.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 19°C to 26°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.