Ultra du Saint-Jacques

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 763m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 28% 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 80.7km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.5km–28.2km · Descent of 416m averaging 12%, climb of 793m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 28.2km–59.8km · Descent of 763m averaging 9%, climb of 692m, descent of 370m averaging 8%. 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.
• Fade · 59.8km–111km · Descent of 442m averaging 14%, climb of 748m, 14.5km of runnable trail, high point 1419m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 111km–131km · 20.5km 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

By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 27% flat. The longest climb runs 13.2km at an average 5.7% grade (748m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.5km at an average 9.0% grade (763m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 29.9% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 26.5% over 0.3km. Surface: 48% trail, 26% smooth, 19% road, and 5% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mont Devès (1421m), 106km from the start. Other named summits along the route: La Durande (1299m) and Suc de Combret (1232m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 14.3km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 57 of 100), with 55% 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.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 80.7km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 14.2–17.5 km · 416 m D−, -12.4% · 113.9 km ahead → control
• #1 · 28.2–36.7 km · 763 m D−, -9.0% · 94.7 km ahead → control
• #3 · 48.4–53.1 km · 370 m D−, -7.8% · 78.3 km ahead → control
• #4 · 77.5–80.7 km · 442 m D−, -13.9% · 50.7 km ahead → control
• 108.5–110.9 km · 271 m D−, -11.1% · 20.5 km ahead → your pace