Kodiak 100M

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 729m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• High point at 3029m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 52.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 153km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–34.7km · Descent of 729m averaging 4%. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 34.7km–87.3km · Descent of 270m averaging 7%. 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. 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 · 87.3km–153km · Climb of 958m, descent of 857m averaging 6%, high point 3029m. Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 153km–160km · Descent of 421m averaging 6%. 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 4214m+ and descends 4188m−. With 26m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 37% downhill and 31% flat. The longest climb runs 10.0km at an average 9.6% grade (958m of vertical). The longest descent runs 17.3km at an average 4.2% grade (729m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 29.1% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 21.0% over 0.4km. Surface: 81% trail, 12% smooth, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 211.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Sugarloaf Mountain (3029m), 119km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Snow Summit (2491m) and Deadmans Ridge (2318m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 7.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 50 of 100), with 45% of the load in the first half: 2 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 52.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 153km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 0.0–17.3 km · 729 m D−, -4.2% · 142.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 48.6–52.6 km · 270 m D−, -6.8% · 107.5 km ahead → control
• 70.2–74.1 km · 251 m D−, -6.4% · 85.9 km ahead → your pace
• 119.4–132.9 km · 857 m D−, -6.3% · 27.2 km ahead → your pace
• 153.0–160.1 km · 421 m D−, -6.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 26°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 6%.

Results

279 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Cody Poskin (United States) in 16:46:21. Women's winner: Nichole Abma (Canada) in 20:43:40.