KAT Endurance Trail

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1364m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1278m 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 climb, save your quads on the descents until 43.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 60.9km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–15.6km · Climb of 1038m. 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 · 15.6km–39.4km · Climb of 195m, high point 2025m, descent of 1364m averaging 9%, climb of 625m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 39.4km–60.9km · Descent of 526m averaging 14%, climb of 1356m. 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 · 60.9km–72.1km · Descent of 1278m averaging 11%. 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 4100m+. With 55m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 12.3km at an average 11.0% grade (1356m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.5km at an average 9.4% grade (1364m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.2% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 33.6% over 0.7km. Surface: 50% trail, 21% road, 21% smooth, and 7% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 104.8 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Schwarzkogel (2030m), 16.4km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Pengelstein (1938m). The course also passes close to Talsenhöhe (1928m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 12.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 46 of 100), with 42% 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 climb, save your quads on the descents until 43.1km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 60.9km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 16.4–30.9 km · 1364 m D−, -9.4% · 41.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 39.4–43.2 km · 526 m D−, -13.9% · 28.9 km ahead → control
• 60.9–72.1 km · 1278 m D−, -11.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 21°C, with around 8°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 67%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 22% of days around this date.

Results

269 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Hugo Deck (France) in 7:40:49. Women's winner: Lisa Wimmer (Germany) in 8:39:33.