UT100

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 47% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 1413m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 73.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 92.1km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–19.5km · 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 · 19.5km–48.8km · Climb of 959m, descent of 1413m averaging 8%, high point 1077m, climb of 609m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 48.8km–92.1km · Descent of 659m averaging 11%, climb of 699m, descent of 729m averaging 9%. Plus 2 more climbs 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 92.1km–97.2km · Descent of 386m 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

The course climbs 5000m+. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 10.5km at an average 6.7% grade (699m of vertical). The longest descent runs 17.8km at an average 8.0% grade (1413m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.4% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 47.2% over 0.2km. Surface: 69% trail, 15% road, 11% smooth, and 6% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 144.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 17.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 53 of 100), with 46% 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.

• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 73.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 92.1km.
• #1 · 24.8–42.5 km · 1413 m D−, -8.0% · 54.6 km ahead → control
• #2 · 48.8–54.7 km · 659 m D−, -11.1% · 42.4 km ahead → control
• #3 · 65.2–73.7 km · 729 m D−, -8.6% · 23.4 km ahead → control
• 78.9–87.0 km · 450 m D−, -5.6% · 10.2 km ahead → your pace
• 92.1–97.2 km · 386 m D−, -7.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 15°C to 17°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 12%.