The Rut Mountain Runs 50k

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 371m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1070m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 51% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• High point at 3392m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 33.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 41.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–13.2km · Descent of 371m averaging 11%. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Work · 13.2km–26.8km · Climb of 1067m. Plus 1 more descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 26.8km–41.0km · Climb of 776m, high point 3392m, descent of 800m averaging 29%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 41.0km–47.7km · Descent of 483m averaging 7%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 3200m+. With 64m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 46% of the distance is uphill, 49% downhill and 5% flat. The longest climb runs 11.7km at an average 9.1% grade (1067m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.6km at an average 7.3% grade (483m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 50.9% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 32.1% over 1.9km.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Lone Mountain (3397m), 31.1km from the start. The course also passes close to Andesite Mountain (2661m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.7km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 39 of 100), with 29% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 33.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 41.0km.
• #1 · 3.9–7.1 km · 371 m D−, -11.3% · 40.5 km ahead → control
• 24.8–26.8 km · 286 m D−, -14.4% · 20.8 km ahead → your pace
• #2 · 31.0–33.7 km · 800 m D−, -29.3% · 13.9 km ahead → control
• 35.0–39.1 km · 398 m D−, -9.7% · 8.5 km ahead → your pace
• 41.0–47.7 km · 483 m D−, -7.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end