MUT 60

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 428m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 29% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 24.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 49.8km.
• 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–13.2km · Climb of 700m, high point 985m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 13.2km–24.5km · Descent of 428m averaging 16%, climb of 527m, descent of 372m averaging 8%. 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 · 24.5km–49.8km · Plus 2 more climbs 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 49.8km–57.0km · Descent of 462m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 3005m+. With 52m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 27% flat. The longest climb runs 4.5km at an average 15.6% grade (700m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.3km at an average 7.8% grade (720m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 36.8% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 29.7% over 0.4km. Surface: 67% trail, 20% smooth, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 82.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.5km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 35 of 100), with 45% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 24.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 49.8km.
• #1 · 13.2–15.9 km · 428 m D−, -16.1% · 41.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 20.1–24.5 km · 372 m D−, -8.5% · 32.5 km ahead → control
• 36.8–46.0 km · 720 m D−, -7.8% · 10.9 km ahead → your pace
• 49.8–57.0 km · 462 m D−, -6.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 10°C to 15°C, with around 10°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 23%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.