Walserwaeg Trail

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1330m gain. Control your HR at altitude.
• 1144m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 59% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 593m 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 13.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 33.6km.
• 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–9.6km · Climb of 1330m, high point 2635m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 9.6km–21.5km · Descent of 1144m averaging 26%, climb of 1020m. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 21.5km–33.6km · 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 33.6km–39.6km · Descent of 593m averaging 10%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 3100m+. With 72m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 18% flat. The longest climb runs 9.6km at an average 13.9% grade (1330m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.9km at an average 8.1% grade (889m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 53.3% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 58.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 82% trail and 9% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 71.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 6.9km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 31 of 100), with 45% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 13.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 33.6km.
• #1 · 9.6–14.0 km · 1144 m D−, -26.2% · 25.6 km ahead → control
• 21.5–32.4 km · 889 m D−, -8.1% · 7.1 km ahead → your pace
• 33.6–39.6 km · 593 m D−, -10.0% · 0.0 km ahead → free

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 20°C, with around 11°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 47%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 6% of days around this date.