TM35 Table Mountain

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1020m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 48% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 938m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• All downhill to the finish: go all out!
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 16.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 29.2km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.4km–16.9km · Climb of 1018m, descent of 938m averaging 10%, high point 1077m. 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 · 16.9km–29.2km · Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 29.2km–34.3km · Descent of 387m averaging 8%. 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

The course climbs 1928m+. With 56m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 19% flat. The longest climb runs 7.2km at an average 14.2% grade (1018m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.8km at an average 9.6% grade (938m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.7% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 35.4% over 1.2km. Surface: 69% trail, 14% road, 10% smooth, and 6% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Table Mountain (Maclear's beacon) (1086m), 9.3km from the start. The course also passes close to Fountain Peak (1051m) and Blinkwater Peak (989m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 4.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 25 of 100), with 52% 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 16.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 29.2km.
• #1 · 7.2–16.9 km · 938 m D−, -9.6% · 17.3 km ahead → control
• 18.2–24.0 km · 410 m D−, -7.1% · 10.2 km ahead → your pace
• 29.2–34.2 km · 387 m D−, -7.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end