Istria 100 by UTMB® 42K

Race strategy

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

• 281m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 12.3km, 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–7.7km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 7.7km–17.0km · Descent of 281m averaging 6%. 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.
• Home · 17.0km–42.2km · 25.2km of runnable trail, high point 369m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 1000m+. With 24m/km of climbing, the course is predominantly runnable. By gradient, 18% of the distance is uphill, 25% downhill and 57% flat. The longest climb runs 4.8km at an average 6.9% grade (333m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.6km at an average 6.0% grade (281m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 21.9% over 1.0km. The steepest descent drops at 20.9% over 0.3km. Surface: 37% trail, 35% smooth, and 24% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 49.6 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Sv. Jure (384m), Pelegrin (185m), and Starola (165m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 13 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Go easy on the first downhill, save your quads on the descents until 12.3km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 7.7–12.4 km · 281 m D−, -6.0% · 29.8 km ahead → control