Tronador 130K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1129m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 39% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 655m 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 83.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 120km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–11.4km · Climb of 643m, descent of 600m averaging 18%. 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.
• Work · 11.4km–74.6km · Climb of 1121m, descent of 1129m averaging 20%, descent of 270m averaging 11%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 74.6km–120km · Climb of 657m, descent of 868m averaging 13%, climb of 1284m, high point 1958m. Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 120km–128km · Descent of 655m averaging 8%. 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 6580m+. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 35% flat. The longest climb runs 10.3km at an average 12.4% grade (1284m of vertical). The longest descent runs 11.2km at an average 11.2% grade (1249m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 45.2% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 51.1% over 0.2km. Surface: 73% trail, 18% smooth, and 8% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 191.4 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 16.7km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 59 of 100), with 43% of the load in the first half: 4 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 83.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 120km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 8.0–11.4 km · 600 m D−, -17.7% · 116.9 km ahead → control
• #1 · 35.6–41.2 km · 1129 m D−, -20.4% · 87.1 km ahead → control
• #4 · 48.8–51.2 km · 270 m D−, -11.3% · 77.0 km ahead → control
• #3 · 77.2–83.8 km · 868 m D−, -13.1% · 44.5 km ahead → control
• 120.0–128.3 km · 655 m D−, -7.9% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 5°C to 14°C, with around 6°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 21%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 1% of days around this date.