Le Grand Trail des Templiers

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 514m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 33% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 46.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 75.9km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–15.5km · 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 15.5km–42.2km · Descent of 514m averaging 7%, climb of 509m, high point 906m. 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.
• Fade · 42.2km–75.9km · Descent of 435m averaging 10%. Plus 2 more climbs and 3 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 · 75.9km–78.4km · Descent of 443m averaging 18%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 3497m+. With 44m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 5.5km at an average 9.3% grade (509m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.1km at an average 7.2% grade (514m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 34.1% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 33.8% over 0.4km. Surface: 54% trail, 27% smooth, 13% road, and 5% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Pouncho d'Agast (841m), 75.7km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Mont Redon (836m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 8.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 40 of 100), with 29% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 46.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 75.9km.
• #1 · 15.5–22.6 km · 514 m D−, -7.2% · 55.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 42.2–46.5 km · 435 m D−, -10.1% · 31.9 km ahead → control
• 52.5–57.3 km · 342 m D−, -7.0% · 21.0 km ahead → your pace
• 63.4–68.1 km · 430 m D−, -9.1% · 10.2 km ahead → your pace
• 75.9–78.4 km · 443 m D−, -17.9% · 0.0 km ahead → free
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.