Grand Trail du Saint Jacques - 100K

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• Steep 28% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 442m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 28.8km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–13.4km · Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 13.4km–36.4km · Descent of 442m averaging 14%. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 36.4km–59.3km · 14.5km of runnable trail, high point 1419m. Plus 1 more climb and 1 descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 59.3km–79.8km · 20.5km 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 3600m+. With 41m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 37% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 5.9km at an average 6.8% grade (406m of vertical). The longest descent runs 3.2km at an average 13.9% grade (442m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.4% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 22.7% over 0.2km. Surface: 49% trail, 22% smooth, 20% road, and 8% technical.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Mont Devès (1421m), 53.8km from the start. The course also passes close to La Garde de Vabrettes (1170m).