KTC Half

Race strategy

Start easy, build your effort, and go all out at the finish.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 12.3km.
• Hold your race pace up to 13.7km, but stay in control.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace.
• 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–12.3km · Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 12.3km–13.7km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 13.7km–21.0km · 7.2km of runnable trail, high point 1464m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 1200m+. With 56m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 37% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 1.4km at an average 10.9% grade (153m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 22.4% over 0.2km. Surface: 49% trail, 15% road, and 11% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 28.2 FlatKM.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 12 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 25°C, with around 22°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 31%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 2% of days around this date.