My Cuyamaca 100k pacing strategy
After signing up for the 2019 Cuyamaca 100k this Spring, I suddenly got nervous. I live in Auburn (northern California), and up to this point all of my races had been local. I'd made a habit of getting out on each course many times in advance, studying each section. But, Cuyamaca would be way down south, in the high desert east of San Diego, and I wouldn't be able to get out on the trails before the race. How would the elevation affect me? How would these climbs feel? Creating the course Using ultraPacer , I started by uploading a GPX file of the course. I plugged in each aid station, important landmarks, and trail junctions. Talking to Cuyamaca veterans, and assisted by Google Earth, I was able to estimate the type of terrain for each section (a combination of dusty singletrack and fire roads). At this point, the pacing affects of altitude, grade, and terrain are all built into the model. The completed course (with a modification for the 2019 race) is here . ultraPacer