Lavaredo 50K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 290m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 42% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1275m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 21.5km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 33.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–19.1km · Climb of 585m, descent of 290m averaging 9%, climb of 837m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 19.1km–27.6km · Descent of 287m averaging 12%, climb of 583m, high point 2423m. 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.
• Fade · 27.6km–33.4km · Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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 · 33.4km–47.2km · Descent of 1275m averaging 9%. 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 2600m+. With 52m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 48% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 8.3km at an average 10.1% grade (837m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.9km at an average 9.2% grade (1275m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 42.0% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 28.1% over 0.3km. Surface: 77% trail, 10% road, and 9% technical.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 7.1km of pole-friendly terrain.