Wild 110

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1028m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 53% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 75.5km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–12.9km · 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 12.9km–57.6km · Descent of 1028m averaging 12%, descent of 1001m averaging 10%, descent of 1131m averaging 18%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 57.6km–103km · Climb of 593m, descent of 963m averaging 15%, climb of 1706m. Plus 1 more climb and 2 descents. 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 · 103km–111km · 8.0km 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 6600m+. With 58m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 14.0km at an average 12.2% grade (1706m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.1km at an average 10.6% grade (1390m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 55.1% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 51.2% over 0.2km. Surface: 53% trail, 24% technical, 15% road, and 6% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 163.5 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Blattihubel (2189m), 86.9km from the start. The course also passes close to Sillerenbühl (1976m).

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 16.6km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 64 of 100), with 54% of the load in the first half: 4 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 75.5km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 13.0–21.3 km · 1028 m D−, -12.3% · 89.2 km ahead → control
• #2 · 27.0–37.3 km · 1001 m D−, -9.7% · 73.2 km ahead → control
• #3 · 51.3–57.6 km · 1131 m D−, -18.0% · 52.9 km ahead → control
• #4 · 68.9–75.5 km · 963 m D−, -14.7% · 35.1 km ahead → control
• 89.5–102.6 km · 1390 m D−, -10.6% · 8.0 km ahead → your pace