Tenerife 110K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.9km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 3157m 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 89.4km, then run your race pace.
• 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–29.6km · Climb of 1924m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 29.6km–59.1km · Descent of 464m averaging 12%, climb of 1035m, climb of 1358m. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 59.1km–99.5km · Descent of 3157m averaging 10%, high point 3523m, climb of 554m. 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. 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 · 99.5km–106km · 6.2km 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 6250m+. With 57m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 24.5km at an average 7.9% grade (1924m of vertical). The longest descent runs 30.2km at an average 10.4% grade (3157m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.8% over 1.5km. The steepest descent drops at 28.2% over 0.6km. Surface: 75% trail, 14% road, and 7% smooth.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 24.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 58 of 100), with 17% 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.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 89.4km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 29.6–33.4 km · 464 m D−, -12.2% · 72.3 km ahead → control
• #1 · 59.1–89.4 km · 3157 m D−, -10.4% · 16.3 km ahead → control
• 91.1–99.5 km · 989 m D−, -11.8% · 6.2 km ahead → your pace