Canyons 100M

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 818m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 29% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 94.4km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–17.6km · Descent of 818m averaging 6%, high point 1529m, climb of 575m. 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 · 17.6km–74.7km · Descent of 501m averaging 15%, descent of 654m averaging 14%, descent of 905m averaging 6%. Plus 3 more climbs and 1 descent. 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 · 74.7km–154km · Descent of 616m averaging 6%. Plus 3 more climbs and 2 descents. 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. 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 · 154km–160km · 5.5km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 5550m+. With 34m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 30% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 32% flat. The longest climb runs 4.6km at an average 12.5% grade (575m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.9km at an average 6.1% grade (905m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.3% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 28.8% over 0.7km. Surface: 89% trail and 5% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 208.0 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Robie Point (367m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 15.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 64 of 100), with 64% of the load in the first half: 6 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 94.4km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 0.0–13.0 km · 818 m D−, -6.3% · 146.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 17.6–21.0 km · 501 m D−, -14.6% · 138.6 km ahead → control
• #3 · 28.6–33.3 km · 654 m D−, -13.8% · 126.3 km ahead → control
• #2 · 37.2–52.1 km · 905 m D−, -6.1% · 107.5 km ahead → control
• #5 · 57.9–62.9 km · 433 m D−, -8.7% · 96.7 km ahead → control
• #6 · 83.6–94.4 km · 616 m D−, -5.7% · 65.2 km ahead → control
• 149.7–154.1 km · 313 m D−, -7.1% · 5.5 km ahead → your pace
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 5°C to 20°C, with around 14°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 33%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.