ISKRA 10K

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Hold your race pace up to 4.4km, but stay in control.
• Steep 26% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 4.4km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Work · 2.3km–4.4km · Descent of 355m averaging 8%, high point 568m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Home · 4.4km–10.3km · Climb of 371m. Kick for the line: give it everything you've got. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 569m+. With 54m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 50% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 11% flat. The longest climb runs 5.9km at an average 6.3% grade (371m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.4km at an average 8.0% grade (355m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 25.8% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 21.9% over 0.8km. Surface: 86% trail and 9% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 13.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mali vis (576m), 10.3km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 0.6km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 8 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 4.4km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 0.0–4.4 km · 355 m D−, -8.0% · 5.9 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 16°C to 28°C, with around 23°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 43%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 9% of days around this date.