Snowbasin 28K

Race strategy

Run the climb at race pace, build your speed on the downhill, and go all out at the finish.

• High point at 2617m. Control your HR at altitude.
• Final 671m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 16.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–5.7km · Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 5.7km–16.3km · Climb of 519m, high point 2617m. 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.
• Home · 16.3km–27.1km · Descent of 671m averaging 6%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.

Course

The course climbs 769m+. With 27m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 46% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 13% flat. The longest climb runs 10.6km at an average 4.9% grade (519m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.8km at an average 6.2% grade (671m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 14.2% over 0.4km. Surface: 90% trail and 5% smooth.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 11 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 16.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 16.3–27.1 km · 671 m D−, -6.2% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end