Nice Roubion-Nice 100K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1838m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 38% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 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 91.1km, then run your race pace.
• 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–14.4km · Climb of 674m, high point 1857m, descent of 448m averaging 7%. 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 · 14.4km–47.3km · Descent of 1838m averaging 10%, climb of 861m. Plus 2 more climbs. 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 · 47.3km–101km · Descent of 1593m averaging 10%, climb of 1229m, descent of 1706m averaging 9%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 101km–111km · 9.3km 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 5397m+. With 49m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 34% of the distance is uphill, 52% downhill and 13% flat. The longest climb runs 8.6km at an average 14.2% grade (1229m of vertical). The longest descent runs 19.3km at an average 8.8% grade (1706m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 45.4% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 32.8% over 0.3km. Surface: 75% trail, 17% road, and 7% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 162.0 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Pointe de Chavanette (1707m), 18.0km from the start. The course also passes close to Colline des Mélèzes (1858m) and Pointe des Quatre Cantons (1805m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 15.9km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 68 of 100), with 52% 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 91.1km, then run your race pace.
• #3 · 8.4–14.4 km · 448 m D−, -7.5% · 96.4 km ahead → control
• #1 · 17.0–35.3 km · 1838 m D−, -10.0% · 75.4 km ahead → control
• #2 · 47.3–63.1 km · 1593 m D−, -10.0% · 47.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 71.8–91.1 km · 1706 m D−, -8.8% · 19.7 km ahead → control
• 97.6–101.4 km · 268 m D−, -7.0% · 9.3 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 5°C to 12°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 27%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.

Results

743 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Juuso Simpanen (Finland) in 12:34:58. Women's winner: Beliana Hilbert (Germany) in 15:13:30.