Twilight 10K

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Steep 27% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Hold your race pace up to 3.4km, but stay in control.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 3.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Work · 2.0km–3.4km · Climb of 478m, high point 800m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 3.4km–10.4km · Descent of 541m averaging 8%. Kick for the line: give it everything you've got. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 540m+. With 54m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 29% of the distance is uphill, 45% downhill and 25% flat. The longest climb runs 3.4km at an average 14.2% grade (478m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.0km at an average 7.7% grade (541m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 26.8% over 1.7km. The steepest descent drops at 22.8% over 0.6km. Surface: 62% trail, 20% smooth, and 14% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 16.2 FlatKM.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

There is too little runnable descent to damage the quads: plan the race around climbing and fuelling.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 3.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 3.4–10.4 km · 541 m D−, -7.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 19°C to 28°C, with around 19°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 23%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 8% of days around this date.