Patagonia Run 100 Miles

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1340m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 826m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 88.0km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 155km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–16.9km · Climb of 1339m, high point 1966m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 16.9km–81.4km · Descent of 707m averaging 9%, descent of 826m averaging 8%, descent of 753m averaging 26%. Plus 3 more climbs and 1 descent. 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 · 81.4km–155km · Descent of 567m averaging 13%, climb of 751m. 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. 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 · 155km–160km · Descent of 328m averaging 7%. 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 9221m+. With 58m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 37% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 16.9km at an average 7.9% grade (1339m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.2km at an average 8.1% grade (826m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 40.4% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 43.8% over 0.2km.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 13.7km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 66 of 100), with 57% of the load in the first half: 5 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 mountain, save your quads on the descents until 88.0km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 155km.
• #2 · 16.9–22.1 km · 560 m D−, -10.8% · 137.5 km ahead → control
• #3 · 27.7–35.6 km · 707 m D−, -8.9% · 124.0 km ahead → control
• #1 · 40.6–50.8 km · 826 m D−, -8.1% · 108.7 km ahead → control
• #4 · 72.9–75.8 km · 753 m D−, -26.3% · 83.8 km ahead → control
• #5 · 83.7–88.0 km · 567 m D−, -13.2% · 71.6 km ahead → control
• 155.1–159.6 km · 328 m D−, -7.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
• Plus 2 more notable descents not listed: your pace.