HK30 PANORAMA

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 445m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1.3km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1355m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 7.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 21.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.2km–17.4km · Descent of 445m averaging 17%, climb of 1307m, high point 2112m. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 17.4km–21.5km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 21.5km–32.0km · Descent of 1355m averaging 13%. 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.

Course

The course climbs 2094m+. With 65m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 10.1km at an average 13.0% grade (1307m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.5km at an average 12.9% grade (1355m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.8% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 26.7% over 0.7km. Surface: 65% trail, 21% road, and 13% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 51.9 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Hundstein (2117m), 17.4km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Schwalbenwand (2011m) and Schönwieskopf (1995m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 5.5km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 30 of 100), with 21% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 7.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 21.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 4.6–7.3 km · 445 m D−, -16.5% · 24.7 km ahead → control
• 17.4–20.5 km · 313 m D−, -10.1% · 11.5 km ahead → your pace
• 21.5–32.0 km · 1355 m D−, -12.9% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 23°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 73%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 18% of days around this date.