mozart Ultra

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.1km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 639m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• 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 26.1km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–13.0km · Climb of 1063m, high point 1513m, descent of 260m averaging 16%. 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.
• Work · 13.0km–38.6km · Descent of 421m averaging 9%, descent of 639m 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.
• Fade · 38.6km–54.0km · Climb of 520m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 54.0km–70.4km · 16.4km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 3300m+. With 46m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 8.6km at an average 6.1% grade (520m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.9km at an average 7.2% grade (500m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 31.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 53% trail, 28% road, 14% smooth, and 5% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 93.4 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Zwölferhorn (1521m), 6.5km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Pillsteinhöhe (1478m) and Illingerberg (1475m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 8.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 38 of 100), with 62% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 26.1km, then run your race pace.
• #3 · 7.9–9.5 km · 260 m D−, -16.0% · 60.9 km ahead → control
• #2 · 13.0–17.7 km · 421 m D−, -8.9% · 52.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 20.3–26.1 km · 639 m D−, -11.1% · 44.4 km ahead → control
• 47.1–54.0 km · 500 m D−, -7.2% · 16.4 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 9°C to 20°C, with around 11°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 56%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 13% of days around this date.

Results

526 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Miłosz Szcześniewski (Poland) in 6:14:37. Women's winner: Severine Petersen (Germany) in 7:50:43.