Trail Running · Tai Po

🇭🇰Dark 45:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

45km with 2703m of gain and 2347m of loss across 14 climbs and 9 descents. Nearly 40% of the route runs above 10% grade, demanding relentless climbing and technical, punishing descending over a long day.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Dark 45 — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

45.0 km

Distance

+2,670 m

Vertical Gain

−2,310 m

Total Descent

Oct 4, 2026

Next Edition · 74 days out

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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 42.8 km / 26.6 mi and 2,670 m / 8,750 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 42.8 km / 26.6 mi and 2,670 m / 8,750 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Segments

Daylight

Terrain summary

Claimed vs GPS-Measured

Claimed · Organizer

45.0km

Distance

+2,800m

Gain

−2.2 km−130 m

GPS-Measured

42.8km

Distance

+2,670m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+2,670 mTotal Gain

−2,310 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

14%

Flat

≤3% grade

28%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

15%

Steep Climb

>15% up

43%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Climb

KM 2.3–4.3 · +340 m

+16.8%

ClimbCRUX

KM 33.7–36.2 · +381 m

+15.1%

Descent

KM 38.5–42.8 · −445 m

-10.4%

Descent

KM 19.6–23.2 · −308 m

-8.7%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

Reference finish times from past results — use them to set a realistic goal pace.

5h 55m

Winning time

6h 03m

Top 5

6h 21m

Top 10

9h 50m

Median finisher

12h 54m

Back of pack

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Descending carries 49% of the scoring weight on this course — the terrain makes that the deciding factor.

Weighting shows where readiness is won or lost at this distance — not whether you need each pillar. An aerobic base is a given for a race this long, so it carries little deciding weight even though it's essential — the gaps open on the climbs, descents and the back half.

AerobicSustained engine

Foundational

Sustained effort over 45km with 2703m of climbing, a long day of continuous work.

ClimbingVertical power

23%

14 climbs totaling 2703m, with 28.6% of the course very steep and a 381m signature ascent.

DescendingEccentric / braking

49%

2347m of loss over 9 descents, including a 445m drop and 10.2% of the route very steep down.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

27%

Legs must survive a late 381m climb at km 33.7 followed immediately by a 445m plunge.

The Profile in One Line

A relentlessly steep 45km with 2703m up and 2347m down, decided on brutal climbs and long, technical descents.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 23%Descending 49%Durability 27%

Here's how CourseRecon reads a course and an athlete

Sample Readiness Analysis

What a readiness result looks like for this course

This is a worked example for a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete — not your score. Connect your own training and the same analysis runs on you.

Sample

OUT OF 100

READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

This is a sample — connect your Strava to see your own result.

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

At 45km with 2703m of gain, the effort is long and continuous, requiring steady aerobic output across a full day of climbing and descending.

Climbing

100

With 14 climbs and 28.6% of the course above very steep grades, this route asks for repeated hard ascents, capped by a 381m climb averaging 15.1%.

Descending

9 descents shed 2347m, including a 4.3km, 445m descent at -10.4% and 10.2% of the course very steep down, demanding quad strength and technical control.

Durability

The hardest climbing and descending land deep into the race, so legs must hold form through the late 381m climb and 445m descent past km 33.

km 33.7–36.2

The Late Signature Climb

A 381m ascent over 2.5km at 15.1% arrives after 33km, the biggest climb of the day placed where fatigue is deepest. Holding power here separates contenders.

km 38.5–42.8

The 445m Plunge

Immediately after the late climb, a 4.3km descent drops 445m at -10.4%. Trashed quads must still manage the steepest sustained downhill of the course.

km 2.3–4.3

Early Steep Test

A 340m climb at 16.8% within the first few kilometers forces an early hard effort that must not overcook the legs for the demands ahead.

That was a sample