Trail 10Km

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Hold your race pace up to 4.0km, but stay in control.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 4.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Work · 1.6km–4.0km · Climb of 159m, high point 1636m. 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 · 4.0km–9.1km · Descent of 362m averaging 7%. Kick for the line: give it everything you've got.

Course

The course climbs 500m+. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 38% downhill and 20% flat. The longest climb runs 2.5km at an average 12.5% grade (316m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.1km at an average 7.1% grade (362m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 21.6% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 37.5% over 0.4km. Surface: 73% trail, 14% road, and 14% smooth.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 0.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

There is too little runnable descent to damage the quads: plan the race around climbing and fuelling.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 4.0km.
• 4.0–9.1 km · 362 m D−, -7.1% · 0.0 km ahead → free