mozart Ultra

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1240m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 1195m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 612m 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 60.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 71.4km 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–22.2km · Climb of 593m, descent of 554m 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 22.2km–37.8km · Climb of 1237m, high point 1737m, descent of 1195m averaging 18%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 37.8km–71.4km · Climb of 1064m, descent of 419m averaging 10%, descent of 640m averaging 11%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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 · 71.4km–82.1km · Descent of 612m averaging 6%. 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 4800m+. With 57m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 10.5km at an average 10.1% grade (1064m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.7km at an average 5.7% grade (612m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.4% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 28.8% over 0.4km. Surface: 48% trail, 25% road, 20% smooth, and 7% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 120.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Zwölferhorn (1521m), 47.0km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Pillsteinhöhe (1478m). The course also passes close to Elferstein (1376m).

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 12.6km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 50 of 100), with 51% 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 60.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 71.4km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 4.8–10.2 km · 554 m D−, -10.2% · 71.9 km ahead → control
• #1 · 31.0–37.8 km · 1195 m D−, -17.7% · 44.4 km ahead → control
• #4 · 48.3–52.4 km · 419 m D−, -10.1% · 29.7 km ahead → control
• #3 · 55.0–60.8 km · 640 m D−, -11.0% · 21.3 km ahead → control
• 71.4–82.1 km · 612 m D−, -5.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 19°C, with around 12°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 66%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 16% of days around this date.