KAT Marathon Trail

Race strategy

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

• Big early climb with 1760m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Steep 42% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 1240m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1306m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 32.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 40.0km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–18.7km · Climb of 1764m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 18.7km–32.3km · Descent of 1240m averaging 9%. 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.
• Fade · 32.3km–40.0km · Climb of 937m, high point 1995m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 40.0km–51.3km · Descent of 1306m averaging 12%. 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 3100m+. With 60m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 48% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 9% flat. The longest climb runs 18.7km at an average 9.4% grade (1764m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.6km at an average 9.1% grade (1240m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 41.7% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 29.0% over 0.4km. Surface: 70% trail, 17% smooth, 6% technical, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 78.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Spieleckkogel (1998m), 18.8km from the start. The course also passes close to Reichkendlkopf (1942m) and Kastelstein (1931m).