KAGASPA 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 381m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 41% 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.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 30.9km, then run your race pace.
• 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–10.3km · Climb of 654m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 10.3km–30.9km · Descent of 381m averaging 14%, descent of 388m averaging 8%. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. 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 · 30.9km–46.2km · Descent of 656m averaging 10%, high point 540m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 46.2km–55.0km · 8.8km 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 2607m+. With 46m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 10.3km at an average 6.3% grade (654m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.6km at an average 9.9% grade (656m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 39.2% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 41.4% over 0.6km. Surface: 36% road, 34% trail, and 7% smooth.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mt. Kurakake (477m), 44.1km from the start.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 5.1km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 32 of 100), with 50% 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 30.9km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 10.3–13.2 km · 381 m D−, -13.5% · 41.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 26.3–30.9 km · 388 m D−, -8.4% · 24.1 km ahead → control
• 33.3–40.0 km · 656 m D−, -9.9% · 15.0 km ahead → your pace
• 44.1–46.2 km · 366 m D−, -17.6% · 8.7 km ahead → your pace