Trail des Celtes

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 414m 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 25.3km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–21.6km · Climb of 640m, high point 817m, descent of 298m averaging 8%, descent of 414m averaging 7%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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 · 21.6km–38.6km · Descent of 427m averaging 11%, climb of 503m. Plus 1 more descent. 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.
• Home · 38.6km–49.9km · 11.3km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

The course climbs 1600m+. With 34m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 41% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 16% flat. The longest climb runs 7.3km at an average 8.8% grade (640m of vertical). The longest descent runs 7.0km at an average 8.2% grade (575m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 19.1% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 23.1% over 0.4km. Surface: 59% trail, 20% road, 15% smooth, and 6% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Heidenkopf (787m), 31.7km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Mont Sainte-Odile (764m). The course also passes close to Hohenburgerberg (720m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 5.7km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 29 of 100), with 60% of the load in the first half: 3 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 25.3km, then run your race pace.
• #2 · 7.3–10.9 km · 298 m D−, -8.2% · 39.0 km ahead → control
• #1 · 12.2–18.1 km · 414 m D−, -7.0% · 31.8 km ahead → control
• #3 · 21.6–25.3 km · 427 m D−, -11.4% · 24.6 km ahead → control
• 31.6–38.6 km · 575 m D−, -8.2% · 11.3 km ahead → your pace