Ultra Marathon 80K (50 Mile)

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 886m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 48.8km, then run your race pace.
• 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–14.6km · Climb of 826m, high point 1397m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 14.6km–38.3km · Descent of 886m averaging 9%, climb of 669m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 38.3km–48.8km · Descent of 719m averaging 7%. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 48.8km–77.7km · 28.8km 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 2935m+. With 37m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 25% flat. The longest climb runs 8.2km at an average 8.2% grade (669m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.5km at an average 6.8% grade (719m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 34.8% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 36.9% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 91.5 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 36 of 100), with 49% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.