Dragon's Tail

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 486m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• 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 74.5km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–36.5km · 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.
• Work · 36.5km–69.1km · Descent of 403m averaging 9%, descent of 486m averaging 9%, descent of 292m averaging 17%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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 · 69.1km–79.9km · Descent of 545m averaging 10%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 79.9km–139km · 59.3km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 4500m+. With 33m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 26% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 43% flat. The longest climb runs 5.5km at an average 8.1% grade (450m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.6km at an average 8.7% grade (486m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 38.8% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 43.7% over 0.2km.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 11.4km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 49 of 100), with 61% of the load in the first half: 4 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 74.5km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 36.5–40.8 km · 403 m D−, -9.4% · 98.4 km ahead → control
• #1 · 44.0–49.6 km · 486 m D−, -8.7% · 89.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 55.6–57.3 km · 292 m D−, -17.1% · 81.9 km ahead → control
• #3 · 69.1–74.5 km · 545 m D−, -10.1% · 64.7 km ahead → control