Blue Course

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 26% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 262m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1049m 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 6.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 23.0km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–18.2km · Climb of 722m, descent of 262m averaging 12%, climb of 539m. Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. 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 · 18.2km–23.0km · 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 23.0km–32.8km · Descent of 1049m averaging 11%, high point 1032m. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 2050m+ and descends 2050m−. With 60m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 8% flat. The longest climb runs 4.9km at an average 11.0% grade (539m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.8km at an average 10.7% grade (1049m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 39.7% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 26.2% over 0.7km. Surface: 84% trail, 8% smooth, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 56.0 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Vranovo Brdo (743m), 4.7km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 27 of 100), with 28% 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 6.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 23.0km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 4.7–6.9 km · 262 m D−, -11.9% · 25.9 km ahead → control
• 23.0–32.8 km · 1049 m D−, -10.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end