Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 469m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 48% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1136m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 19.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 30.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–23.4km · Climb of 738m, descent of 469m averaging 14%, climb of 558m, high point 1488m. 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. 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.
• Work · 23.4km–30.2km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 30.2km–42.2km · Descent of 1136m averaging 9%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 6.0km at an average 12.2% grade (738m of vertical). The longest descent runs 12.0km at an average 9.5% grade (1136m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.9% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 47.6% over 0.5km. Surface: 72% trail, 12% technical, 11% smooth, and 5% road.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Illarrabeltxeko gaina (1533m), 23.1km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Aizkorriko gurutzea (1524m) and Aitxuri (1508m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 31 of 100), with 34% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 19.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 30.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 16.5–19.8 km · 469 m D−, -14.1% · 22.3 km ahead → control
• 30.2–42.2 km · 1136 m D−, -9.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end