E35 - North Face Trail

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 328m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 36% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 8.6km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–18.9km · Climb of 747m, descent of 328m averaging 12%, climb of 939m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 18.9km–30.3km · Climb of 403m, high point 2339m, descent of 1382m averaging 15%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 30.3km–35.3km · 5.0km 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 2500m+. With 71m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 50% downhill and 9% flat. The longest climb runs 6.0km at an average 12.5% grade (747m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.1km at an average 15.3% grade (1382m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 42.1% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 28.7% over 0.2km. Surface: 75% trail, 16% road, and 5% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 55.8 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Leiterhorn (1515m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 8.8km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 31 of 100), with 28% 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 way down from it until 8.6km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 6.0–8.6 km · 328 m D−, -12.4% · 26.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 21.2–30.3 km · 1382 m D−, -15.3% · 5.0 km ahead → your pace

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 20°C, with around 14°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 56%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 10% of days around this date.