HK70

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 934m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 35% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1652m 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 43.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 55.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.2km–10.2km · Descent of 291m averaging 10%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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.
• Work · 10.2km–37.3km · Descent of 934m averaging 13%, climb of 1238m. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 37.3km–55.6km · Descent of 807m averaging 13%, climb of 1245m, high point 2112m. 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 · 55.6km–70.3km · Descent of 1652m averaging 11%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 4150m+. With 58m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 10% flat. The longest climb runs 11.9km at an average 10.5% grade (1245m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.7km at an average 11.2% grade (1652m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.8% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 35.1% over 0.4km. Surface: 69% trail, 14% road, and 12% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 127.4 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Hundstein (2117m), 55.8km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Hochkasern (2017m) and Schwalbenwand (2011m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 10.4km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 52 of 100), with 36% of the load in the first half: 3 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 43.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 55.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 3.7–6.5 km · 291 m D−, -10.3% · 63.8 km ahead → control
• #1 · 21.1–28.5 km · 934 m D−, -12.6% · 41.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 37.3–43.7 km · 807 m D−, -12.6% · 26.6 km ahead → control
• 55.7–70.3 km · 1652 m D−, -11.2% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 5°C to 13°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 72%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 18% of days around this date.