Kambos Mountain Race 12.5K

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Hold your race pace up to 4.8km, but stay in control.
• Steep 28% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 4.8km 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.
• Work · 1.7km–4.8km · Climb of 494m, high point 1038m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 4.8km–12.5km · Descent of 729m averaging 9%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 880m+. With 70m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 52% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 4% flat. The longest climb runs 4.8km at an average 10.3% grade (494m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.7km at an average 9.4% grade (729m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 20.7% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 28.1% over 1.0km. Surface: 55% trail, 28% smooth, and 16% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 20.2 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 13 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and start the final descent from 4.8km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 4.8–12.5 km · 729 m D−, -9.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 8°C to 13°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 36%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 10% of days around this date.