Trail des Pelerins

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 298m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 18.1km, then run your race pace.
• 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–18.1km · Climb of 631m, high point 817m, descent of 298m averaging 8%, descent of 414m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. 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.
• Work · 18.1km–26.7km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 26.7km–34.0km · 7.3km of runnable trail. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 800m+. With 28m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 34% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 31% flat. The longest climb runs 7.2km at an average 8.7% grade (631m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.9km at an average 7.0% grade (414m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 15.8% over 1.3km. The steepest descent drops at 23.1% over 0.2km. Surface: 56% trail, 23% road, and 16% smooth.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mont Sainte-Odile (764m), 8.6km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Elsberg (662m). The course also passes close to Hohenburgerberg (720m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 2.1km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 18 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 18.1km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 7.2–10.9 km · 298 m D−, -8.1% · 23.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 12.2–18.1 km · 414 m D−, -7.0% · 15.9 km ahead → control
• 21.7–26.7 km · 423 m D−, -8.4% · 7.3 km ahead → your pace