GO ULTRA

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 387m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 519m 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 46.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 58.3km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–10.9km · Descent of 387m 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 · 10.9km–31.4km · Climb of 341m, high point 798m. 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 · 31.4km–58.3km · Descent of 820m averaging 6%. Plus 2 more climbs. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 58.3km–62.8km · Descent of 519m averaging 12%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 2900m+. With 45m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 34% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 27% flat. The longest climb runs 5.7km at an average 6.3% grade (364m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.0km at an average 6.3% grade (820m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 35.0% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 32.4% over 0.5km. Surface: 53% trail, 17% smooth, 16% technical, and 13% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 87.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Gomila (802m), 24.6km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Sveti Lovrenc (799m). The course also passes close to Gomila - Quota Papa (816m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 11.1km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 36 of 100), with 45% 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 46.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 58.3km.
• #1 · 4.7–8.7 km · 387 m D−, -9.7% · 54.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 33.1–46.1 km · 820 m D−, -6.3% · 16.7 km ahead → control
• 58.3–62.8 km · 519 m D−, -11.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 5°C to 13°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 39%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 17% of days around this date.