HK100

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 29% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 549m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• All downhill to the finish: go all out!
• 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 50.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 90.3km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–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–50.8km · Descent of 549m averaging 8%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 50.8km–90.3km · Climb of 533m, climb of 1166m, high point 915m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 90.3km–94.7km · Descent of 440m averaging 10%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 5142m+. With 51m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 39% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 22% flat. The longest climb runs 11.1km at an average 10.5% grade (1166m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.6km at an average 8.4% grade (549m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 37.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 33.9% over 0.4km. Surface: 51% smooth, 37% road, and 10% trail. Flat-equivalent effort: 144.7 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 13.4km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 52 of 100), with 41% of the load in the first half: 1 critical descent. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 50.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 90.3km.
• #1 · 44.2–50.8 km · 549 m D−, -8.4% · 43.9 km ahead → control
• 90.3–94.7 km · 440 m D−, -10.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 20°C, with around 9°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 18%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.