Quito 30K Tucán

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 324m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 42% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 869m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• High point at 3571m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 13.4km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 20.5km.
• 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–13.4km · Climb of 609m, descent of 324m averaging 9%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Work · 13.4km–20.5km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 20.5km–29.4km · Descent of 869m averaging 10%, high point 3571m. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 1600m+. With 52m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 46% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 10% flat. The longest climb runs 9.8km at an average 6.2% grade (609m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.9km at an average 9.8% grade (869m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 42.3% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 25.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 54% road, 16% smooth, and 9% trail.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 3.1km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 24 of 100), with 38% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.