Lavaredo 120K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 821m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1360m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Final 1090m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 79.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 107km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–12.8km · Climb of 585m, descent of 531m averaging 10%. 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 · 12.8km–60.7km · Descent of 821m averaging 10%, climb of 1362m, high point 2450m, descent of 1069m averaging 11%. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 60.7km–107km · Climb of 511m, descent of 702m averaging 9%, climb of 1026m. Plus 1 more climb 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. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 107km–118km · Descent of 1090m averaging 10%. 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 5800m+. With 48m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 45% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 17.7km at an average 7.7% grade (1362m of vertical). The longest descent runs 11.2km at an average 9.8% grade (1090m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 41.4% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 32.1% over 0.3km. Surface: 77% trail, 12% smooth, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 165.3 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 21.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 61 of 100), with 48% of the load in the first half: 4 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 79.3km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 107km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 7.5–12.8 km · 531 m D−, -10.0% · 105.5 km ahead → control
• #1 · 24.7–33.1 km · 821 m D−, -9.8% · 85.3 km ahead → control
• #2 · 50.7–60.7 km · 1069 m D−, -10.8% · 57.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 71.5–79.3 km · 702 m D−, -9.0% · 39.0 km ahead → control
• 107.1–118.3 km · 1090 m D−, -9.8% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 13°C to 23°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 65%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 11% of days around this date.