Tenerife Bluetrail 110K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 2050m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 3198m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1375m 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 88.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 90.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• 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–29.5km · Climb of 2051m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 29.5km–59.0km · Descent of 483m averaging 13%, climb of 1081m, climb of 1428m, high point 3565m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 59.0km–90.7km · Descent of 3198m averaging 11%, climb of 607m. 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 · 90.7km–105km · Descent of 1375m averaging 9%. 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.

Course

The course climbs 6250m+. With 57m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 29.5km at an average 6.9% grade (2051m of vertical). The longest descent runs 29.7km at an average 10.8% grade (3198m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.7% over 1.6km. The steepest descent drops at 31.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 76% trail, 15% road, and 7% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 174.8 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Félix Méndez (2192m), 50.1km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Roque Cinchado (2171m). The course also passes close to Montaña de la Vica (1574m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 13.4km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 61 of 100), with 19% 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 88.7km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 90.7km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 29.5–33.2 km · 483 m D−, -13.0% · 72.1 km ahead → control
• #1 · 59.0–88.7 km · 3198 m D−, -10.8% · 16.6 km ahead → control
• 90.7–105.3 km · 1375 m D−, -9.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 18°C to 20°C, with around -4°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 11%.