Les Sentiers des Valdotains

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1790m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 934m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1654m 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 95.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 102km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–14.8km · Climb of 1789m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 14.8km–59.6km · Descent of 283m averaging 8%, descent of 934m averaging 15%, descent of 1177m averaging 16%. Plus 4 more climbs 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 59.6km–102km · Climb of 1087m, high point 2980m, descent of 1409m averaging 12%, climb of 1105m. Plus 1 more 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 102km–117km · Descent of 1654m 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 8200m+. With 68m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 44% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 13% flat. The longest climb runs 14.8km at an average 12.1% grade (1789m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.4km at an average 11.5% grade (1654m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.1% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 40.1% over 0.6km. Surface: 71% trail, 13% technical, 10% road, and 6% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 199.7 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Monte Chatelard (1844m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 21.1km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 66 of 100), with 44% of the load in the first half: 5 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 95.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 102km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 14.8–18.2 km · 283 m D−, -8.4% · 98.6 km ahead → control
• #1 · 23.8–30.3 km · 934 m D−, -14.6% · 86.5 km ahead → control
• #5 · 33.1–36.2 km · 279 m D−, -9.2% · 80.6 km ahead → control
• #2 · 37.9–45.3 km · 1177 m D−, -16.1% · 71.5 km ahead → control
• #4 · 83.8–95.7 km · 1409 m D−, -11.8% · 21.1 km ahead → control
• 102.4–116.8 km · 1654 m D−, -11.5% · 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 18°C to 26°C, with around 4°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 35%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 5% of days around this date.

Results

422 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Jérôme Vanderschaeghe (Belgium) in 15:33:44. Women's winner: Lisa Borzani (Italy) in 19:19:39.