Myoko Trail 23.5K

Race strategy

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

• Big early climb with 1080m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 1170m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 633m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 14.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 19.3km.
• 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–14.2km · Climb of 1079m, high point 1856m, descent of 1170m averaging 14%. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 14.2km–19.3km · Climb of 684m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 19.3km–24.9km · Descent of 633m averaging 11%. 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 1783m+. With 76m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 9% flat. The longest climb runs 5.6km at an average 19.4% grade (1079m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.6km at an average 13.6% grade (1170m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 31.6% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 28.6% over 0.4km. Surface: 66% trail, 17% smooth, and 15% road.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.7km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 28 of 100), with 59% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 14.2km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 19.3km.