FUJI100mi

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Big early climb with 1000m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• 981m 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.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 89.3km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.0km–36.7km · Climb of 1003m. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 36.7km–85.2km · Descent of 981m averaging 10%, descent of 572m averaging 9%. Plus 3 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 · 85.2km–157km · Descent of 499m averaging 12%, climb of 929m, high point 1628m, climb of 637m. Plus 2 more climbs and 4 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. 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 · 157km–163km · 5.9km 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 6463m+. With 39m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 34% flat. The longest climb runs 10.5km at an average 8.8% grade (929m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.2km at an average 9.6% grade (981m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 48.8% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 55.7% over 0.2km.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 16.1km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 61 of 100), with 43% of the load in the first half: 3 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 89.3km, then run your race pace.
• #1 · 36.7–46.9 km · 981 m D−, -9.6% · 116.0 km ahead → control
• #2 · 63.2–69.2 km · 572 m D−, -9.5% · 93.7 km ahead → control
• #3 · 85.2–89.3 km · 499 m D−, -12.2% · 73.6 km ahead → control
• 137.4–144.4 km · 892 m D−, -12.7% · 18.5 km ahead → your pace
• 152.5–156.9 km · 540 m D−, -12.3% · 5.9 km ahead → your pace
• Plus 2 more notable descents not listed: your pace.