TransLantau 120

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 825m 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 56.9km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–8.7km · 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 8.7km–65.3km · Descent of 483m averaging 8%, descent of 825m averaging 9%, descent of 737m averaging 8%. 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 · 65.3km–94.1km · Climb of 434m, high point 896m. Plus 1 more climb and 2 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. 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 · 94.1km–114km · 19.9km 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, 39% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 26% flat. The longest climb runs 6.5km at an average 7.1% grade (465m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.2km at an average 8.5% grade (858m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.5% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 39.8% over 0.2km. Surface: 56% smooth, 21% trail, and 17% road.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 12.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 56 of 100), with 50% of the load in the first half: 3 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 56.9km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 8.7–14.8 km · 483 m D−, -8.0% · 99.3 km ahead → control
• #1 · 18.7–28.2 km · 825 m D−, -8.7% · 85.8 km ahead → control
• #3 · 47.6–56.9 km · 737 m D−, -7.9% · 57.1 km ahead → control
• 70.1–72.1 km · 365 m D−, -17.6% · 41.9 km ahead → your pace
• 84.0–94.1 km · 858 m D−, -8.5% · 19.9 km ahead → your pace