ULTRA Trail 2 days

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 348m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 525m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 27.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 58.8km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–42.3km · Descent of 348m averaging 11%, high point 1826m, descent of 540m averaging 7%, climb of 716m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 42.3km–58.8km · Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 58.8km–66.8km · Descent of 525m averaging 7%. 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.

Course

The course climbs 1570m+. With 24m/km of climbing, the course is predominantly runnable. By gradient, 33% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 14.6km at an average 4.9% grade (716m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.3km at an average 6.5% grade (540m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 22.0% over 0.9km. The steepest descent drops at 21.4% over 0.4km. Surface: 69% road, 22% smooth, and 5% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 83.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Jankov kamen (1833m), 0.0km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 2.3km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 34 of 100), with 61% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 27.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 58.8km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 0.0–3.1 km · 348 m D−, -11.2% · 63.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 19.5–27.7 km · 540 m D−, -6.6% · 39.1 km ahead → control
• 58.8–66.8 km · 525 m D−, -6.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 4°C to 14°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 53%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 8% of days around this date.