Pisão Extreme L 65K (Masters Skyrunning World Championships SkyUltra)

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 585m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 51% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 705m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 34.3km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 53.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–10.2km · Climb of 726m, high point 1056m, descent of 393m averaging 22%. 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. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 10.2km–30.8km · Descent of 452m averaging 20%, descent of 585m averaging 17%, descent of 548m averaging 21%. Plus 5 more climbs and 2 descents. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 30.8km–53.8km · Descent of 603m averaging 17%, climb of 662m, climb of 655m. Plus 1 more climb and 2 descents. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 53.8km–61.7km · Descent of 705m averaging 9%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 44% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 8% flat. The longest climb runs 6.9km at an average 10.5% grade (726m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.9km at an average 9.0% grade (705m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 56.5% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 52.8% over 0.3km. Surface: 49% trail, 40% smooth, and 10% road.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 15.3km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 56 of 100), with 52% of the load in the first half: 5 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 34.3km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 53.8km.
• #2 · 6.9–8.7 km · 393 m D−, -22.2% · 53.0 km ahead → control
• #4 · 10.2–12.5 km · 452 m D−, -19.7% · 49.2 km ahead → control
• #1 · 14.4–17.8 km · 585 m D−, -17.2% · 43.9 km ahead → control
• #3 · 26.2–28.8 km · 548 m D−, -21.1% · 32.8 km ahead → control
• #5 · 30.8–34.3 km · 603 m D−, -17.4% · 27.4 km ahead → control
• 53.8–61.7 km · 705 m D−, -9.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
• Plus 2 more notable descents not listed: your pace.