UTS 100M

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 57% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 820m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 708m 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 96.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 151km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–11.7km · Climb of 878m, descent of 616m averaging 13%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 11.7km–81.0km · Descent of 1019m averaging 14%, descent of 820m averaging 9%, high point 1050m, descent of 700m averaging 12%. Plus 4 more climbs and 2 descents. 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 · 81.0km–151km · Descent of 568m averaging 22%, descent of 644m averaging 7%, climb of 855m. Plus 5 more climbs and 5 descents. 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 · 151km–160km · Descent of 708m averaging 8%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 7.0km at an average 12.2% grade (855m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.5km at an average 8.6% grade (820m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.5% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 56.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 48% trail, 23% smooth, 17% technical, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 273.7 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Snowdon (1085m), 131km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m) and Carnedd Dafydd (1044m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 24.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 74 of 100), with 46% of the load in the first half: 7 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 96.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 151km.
• #3 · 6.8–11.7 km · 616 m D−, -12.5% · 148.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 14.7–21.8 km · 1019 m D−, -14.3% · 138.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 27.0–36.5 km · 820 m D−, -8.6% · 123.9 km ahead → control
• #6 · 42.3–44.4 km · 282 m D−, -13.2% · 116.0 km ahead → control
• #4 · 53.6–59.2 km · 700 m D−, -12.4% · 101.2 km ahead → control
• #7 · 81.0–83.6 km · 568 m D−, -21.6% · 76.8 km ahead → control
• #5 · 87.4–96.7 km · 644 m D−, -7.0% · 63.8 km ahead → control
• 151.3–160.4 km · 708 m D−, -7.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
• Plus 6 more notable descents not listed: your pace.

Results

112 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Beñat Marmissolle (France) in 21:59:51. Women's winner: Myvanwy Hanna (Great Britain) in 29:14:49.