LXM 100K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1.4km gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1072m 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 68.0km, then run your race pace.
• 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–10.3km · 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.
• Work · 10.3km–53.0km · Descent of 598m averaging 10%, climb of 1431m, descent of 1072m averaging 13%, high point 1153m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 53.0km–79.1km · Climb of 798m, descent of 792m averaging 10%. 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. 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 · 79.1km–103km · 23.4km 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, 36% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 19.2km at an average 7.5% grade (1431m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.2km at an average 9.6% grade (792m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 48.2% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 42.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 67% trail and 11% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 128.0 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 13.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 52 of 100), with 53% 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 68.0km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 10.3–16.2 km · 598 m D−, -10.2% · 86.3 km ahead → control
• #1 · 35.3–43.4 km · 1072 m D−, -13.4% · 59.2 km ahead → control
• #3 · 59.8–68.0 km · 792 m D−, -9.6% · 34.5 km ahead → control
• 74.3–76.7 km · 319 m D−, -13.4% · 25.8 km ahead → your pace

Results

307 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Jiaju Zhao (China) in 9:52:25. Women's winner: Wenli Jiang (China) in 11:57:35.