Quito 50K Nutria

Race strategy

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

• 467m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1290m gain. Control your HR at altitude.
• Steep 38% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 868m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 35.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 42.8km.
• 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–25.1km · Descent of 467m averaging 11%, climb of 1291m, high point 3755m. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 25.1km–42.8km · Descent of 797m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 42.8km–51.6km · Descent of 868m averaging 10%. 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. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 2800m+. With 53m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 19% flat. The longest climb runs 12.1km at an average 10.7% grade (1291m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.6km at an average 7.5% grade (797m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 38.2% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 23.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 56% road, 26% smooth, and 5% trail.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 6.5km of pole-friendly terrain.