MY100

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1270m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1255m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1374m 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 28.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 80.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–10.1km · Climb of 1273m. 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 · 10.1km–28.2km · Descent of 1255m averaging 10%, descent of 325m averaging 10%. 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.
• Fade · 28.2km–80.6km · Climb of 1261m, high point 1371m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. 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 · 80.6km–95.7km · Descent of 1374m 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.

Course

The course climbs 4802m+. With 49m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 29% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 31% flat. The longest climb runs 10.1km at an average 12.7% grade (1273m of vertical). The longest descent runs 15.2km at an average 9.1% grade (1374m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.2% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 30.4% over 0.2km. Surface: 46% road, 27% trail, and 24% smooth.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Bukit Caulfield (1389m), 80.3km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Bukit Larut (243m) and Bukit Chempedak (148m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 12.0km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 53 of 100), with 52% of the load in the first half: 2 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 28.2km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 80.6km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 10.1–22.2 km · 1255 m D−, -10.3% · 73.5 km ahead → control
• #2 · 24.8–28.2 km · 325 m D−, -9.7% · 67.6 km ahead → control
• 80.6–95.7 km · 1374 m D−, -9.1% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end