Hikuri 81K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 37% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 643m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• 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 62.8km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–22.6km · Climb of 874m, descent of 407m averaging 19%, climb of 809m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 22.6km–39.5km · Climb of 595m, high point 1444m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 39.5km–62.8km · Descent of 643m averaging 8%, descent of 781m averaging 8%. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 62.8km–79.0km · 16.2km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 3900m+. With 48m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 12.3km at an average 6.6% grade (809m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.6km at an average 8.1% grade (781m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 28.0% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 36.8% over 0.7km. Surface: 47% smooth and 13% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 112.9 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 13.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 40 of 100), with 31% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 62.8km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 8.2–10.3 km · 407 m D−, -19.3% · 68.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 39.5–47.3 km · 643 m D−, -8.3% · 31.7 km ahead → control
• #3 · 53.1–62.8 km · 781 m D−, -8.1% · 16.2 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 21°C to 24°C, with around 15°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 3%.