When the course profile came out for Happy Valley 70.3, many on our team were abuzz because of the considerable climbing on the bike and the run (and maybe the swim). But, Happy Valley isn’t the only race out there that takes us over hill, over dale.
As we move into specific preparation for any race, one of the keys to our success is to ensure we select training routes that prepare us for what we will experience on race day. This is important because we want to understand how to apply effort in undulating terrain, as well as how to make technique choices, such as how and when to shift gears on the bike, when to hike versus run on steep terrain, or how to take advantage of downhills on either the bike or the run.
In this article, I’m going to share with you some tips for reading an elevation profile in ways that will allow you to identify routes to match your race.
What is an elevation profile?
An elevation profile is a graphical representation of the elevation of a route over a specific distance. Most races share their elevation profiles on the race website. But, if they don’t, you can often find profiles on Map My Ride, Map My Run, Strava, Trail Run Project, or similar types of sites. If you have a GPX file, you can also view the elevation from that file. I recommend using Hello Drifter or Cal Topo to create routes if you can’t find an existing one.
Below is the elevation profile for Happy Valley 70.3 bike and then run, as found on the Ironman website.
Bike:
Run:
This is a static profile, meaning you can hold your mouse over the profile to get more detailed information. This is one of the reasons I like to see profiles in a resource like Map My Ride/Run. You can get much more point-by-point information there.
Another disadvantage to these static profiles is that you have to trust that the information is correct. For example, in my experience, I find that the Ironman profiles posted on the race websites almost always over-inflate the gain compared to what I see on athlete’s watches. While neither are probably 100% accurate, when a collection of GPS watches are all within a range, it’s safe to say the profile is inflated.
The routes on MapMyRide (or Run) come from GPX files. And, when you scroll across the profile, you can get information for each spot of the course. See the screenshot below. You can see that I scrolled to mile 12.5 of the Lake Placid bike course, where there is a negative grade of -4.4%, and it’s a paved surface. This is part of the Keene descent.
Profile Chart Basics
When reading the elevation profile, start with the scale, which is usually on the left-hand side of the chart. This scale will tell you the elevation in feet or meters at each point along the chart. This is important because a profile may look flatter or hillier, but when you look at the scale you can get a better sense of how high a climb goes.
Next, find the distance scale at the bottom of the chart. This scale will tell you the distance in miles or kilometers at each point along the chart.
Understanding this scale is important because it can give you a sense of how steep a climb or descent might be relative to the rest of the course.
It’s important to note the scale and mileage because, at first glance, a course may seem hilly when in reality it is rather flat, such as the profile for the Berlin Marathon:
It looks like there are some big climbs. However, you’ll note by the scale, that it rises in 10-meter increments. As such, this climb is roughly 20 vertical meters across 8 kilometers of the course. For the US kids in the back, this amounts to about 13 feet of climbing per mile. It’s not perfectly flat, but compared to other courses, this won’t be a significant climb.
Feet Per Mile & Organization of the Climbs
Once you have this information, you can start to get a sense of how many feet you will climb or descend per mile. I find this to be a very helpful way to compare routes – at least to start. So, let’s take Happy Valley’s bike. It has a total gain of 3,462 feet for 56 miles. This amounts to about 62 feet of gain per mile. This gives you a starting point for locating routes to get close to this. If you live somewhere flat, you can still use this to either approximate the duration of climbs by riding big gear into the wind, or if you are stuck inside, finding a Zwift (or similar platform) route that has this much climbing overall.
Feet per mile is helpful, but you aren’t done yet. Next, you need to review the chart to determine how the climbs are organized. Are their long extended climbs and descents, or does the course roll constantly? This is a difference that makes a difference.
Let’s look at Happy Valley 70.3 again.
As I look at the above chart, I notice a few things. First, it is a net gain overall, which means you will climb more than you descend. Additionally, the course is more of a long climb than a series of shorter rollers.
That being said, I can very clearly see several “punchy” climbs that will cause you to take notice. The one just before mile 40 is especially noteworthy in this respect. In the span of about 1-1.5 miles, you will climb about 700-800 feet. In case you didn’t know: that is steep and ouchy. This is important to know because it impacts cassette size choices, and how you want to gear into that climb. It also means you’ll want to make sure you are developing key bike-specific strength – because that hill will require cranking hard.
The bulk of the climbing happens between mile 15 and mile 40. After mile 40, there is descending, until you climb gradually for those final 5 miles or so.
Pacing
Understanding the elevation chart can also help you with pacing. Looking at the Happy Valley bike, you may notice that those opening miles are relatively flat. You may also be tempted to blast those miles, to “bank time.” Don’t do that.
Banking time is a losing strategy, every time. While you want to work with gravity, you also need to consider the energy you will expend from miles 15 through 40. Be smart.
Let’s take another example – the Ironman Lake Placid run course.
The loop begins with an overall net downhill – and a pretty spicy one at that for the first 3 miles or so. Then, you can see there is a substantive climb at the end of each loop. So, this should encourage caution when on the first loop, so that you don’t empty the tank on one climb before heading out on the second loop. You also want to be mindful not to blow the pooch on that opening downhill. It’s easy to do – especially with all the spectators that line those opening miles.
Your best bet is to try to find routes that mimic the profile. Even if it isn’t perfect, try to get the spirit of the profile. Do your long rides and runs on those routes and dial in an effective and sustainable pacing strategy.
Surface
Road races won’t vary much in surface, although you may find race reports that indicate better or worse asphalt conditions. And, some road races may have sections of packed dirt (which is slower than asphalt).
For you trail and ultrarunners reading this, you are guaranteed to have variable surfaces. Yet, this is not information that is readily accessible in most elevation profiles. For example, an elevation profile won’t tell you if the surface is rocky, sandy, muddy, or packed dirt. But, these are surfaces that will make a difference in terms of how you are planning to execute the race.
For example, you may see a flat section on the elevation profile, but when you get there, you find it is super rocky or sandy. Well, that will be slow going. To find this information, you have a few sources.
- Ultrarunning.com – their race calendar rates the elevation and the surface. It doesn’t break it down by section, but it does give you a sense of how technical one race might be compared to another.
- The race website – some races may give you good descriptions of what to expect in terms of surface. If they include a mandatory gear list – make sure to follow it.
- Race Reports – I will often search for race reports for a race to get interpretations of others’ experiences there. Keep in mind, however, that race reports are based on the person’s perspective. If they don’t have access to technical terrain, they may overestimate how hard a course is – and vice versa. IF someone trains on hills all the time, they may interpret a course as “not that hilly”.
- Videos – I like to search for videos of courses, and then check to see what the ground looks like. While the person taking the video probably didn’t do it for that purpose, you can glean a lot from watching videos.
Hilly races can be a great challenge! And, in some ways, they can be easier than flatter races because of the variation. To ensure your success come race day, embrace this challenge with your eyes wide open by reviewing elevation charts, reading about the terrain, and selecting routes that will allow you to be ready for what is to come. Approach training methodically, and prepare for the terrain – both mentally and physically – and you’ll feel those finish line feels!