La Monna Lisa Trail

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 16.0km.
• Steep 25% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Hold your race pace up to 27.6km, but stay in control.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 27.6km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–16.0km · 5.8km of runnable trail, high point 852m. 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.
• Work · 16.0km–27.6km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 27.6km–31.1km · Descent of 445m averaging 13%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 1210m+. With 38m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 29% downhill and 36% flat. The longest climb runs 4.7km at an average 9.7% grade (450m of vertical). The longest descent runs 3.5km at an average 12.8% grade (445m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 50.5% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 19.0% over 1.5km. Surface: 53% trail, 35% smooth, and 12% road.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 2.4km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 15 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 27.6km.
• 16.0–17.6 km · 278 m D−, -16.6% · 13.5 km ahead → your pace
• 27.6–31.1 km · 445 m D−, -12.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end