Stubai Ultra

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1207m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 37% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1366m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• 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 37.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 45.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.1km–15.3km · Climb of 1247m, descent of 1207m averaging 16%. 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 · 15.3km–22.3km · Climb of 1303m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 22.3km–45.5km · Descent of 1468m averaging 9%, climb of 1417m, high point 2333m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 45.5km–56.6km · Descent of 1366m averaging 12%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 4200m+. With 74m/km of climbing, the course is exceptionally steep, with long hiking-grade sections. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 50% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 7.7km at an average 16.1% grade (1247m of vertical). The longest descent runs 15.5km at an average 9.5% grade (1468m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.2% over 0.6km. The steepest descent drops at 39.3% over 0.3km. Surface: 65% trail, 15% road, 11% technical, and 9% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 95.2 FlatKM.

Summits

The course also passes close to Issl (2187m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 14.1km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 50 of 100), with 47% of the load in the first half: 2 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 37.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 45.5km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 7.7–15.3 km · 1207 m D−, -15.9% · 41.2 km ahead → control
• #2 · 22.3–37.7 km · 1468 m D−, -9.5% · 18.8 km ahead → control
• 45.5–56.6 km · 1366 m D−, -12.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end