Monte Rosa Trail

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 43% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 883m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1651m 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 58.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 65.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.2km–12.0km · Climb of 1193m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 12.0km–38.9km · Descent of 404m averaging 11%, climb of 1157m, descent of 883m averaging 11%. Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. 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 · 38.9km–65.2km · Climb of 1360m, descent of 1222m averaging 14%, climb of 1102m, high point 2676m. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 65.2km–79.3km · Descent of 1651m 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 6300m+. With 77m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 44% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 12.0km at an average 10.0% grade (1193m of vertical). The longest descent runs 14.1km at an average 11.7% grade (1651m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 49.4% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 41.3% over 0.5km. Surface: 75% trail, 14% road, and 6% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 136.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 17.4km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 53 of 100), with 43% of the load in the first half: 3 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 58.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 65.2km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 12.0–15.8 km · 404 m D−, -10.6% · 63.5 km ahead → control
• #1 · 27.7–35.4 km · 883 m D−, -11.5% · 44.0 km ahead → control
• 37.6–38.9 km · 388 m D−, -31.1% · 40.5 km ahead → your pace
• #2 · 49.7–58.7 km · 1222 m D−, -13.6% · 20.6 km ahead → control
• 65.2–79.3 km · 1651 m D−, -11.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 21°C, with around 8°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 38%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 7% of days around this date.