Marathon adidas TERREX

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• Final 2444m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Steep 37% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 25.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.2km–12.4km · Climb of 783m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 12.4km–25.6km · Climb of 833m, high point 2400m. Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 25.6km–42.6km · Descent of 2444m averaging 14%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 1770m+. With 41m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 54% downhill and 14% flat. The longest climb runs 12.4km at an average 6.3% grade (783m of vertical). The longest descent runs 17.0km at an average 14.4% grade (2444m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 28.5% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 37.0% over 0.4km. Surface: 71% trail and 22% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 61.4 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Roque de los Muchachos (2426m), 25.6km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Cruz del Fraile (2376m) and Pico de La Cruz (2351m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 41 of 100), with 17% of the load in the first half: 0 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 25.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 25.6–42.6 km · 2444 m D−, -14.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 13°C, with around 5°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 7%.