Trail Running · Madeira

🇵🇹Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 42 km:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

A 40 km course with 1328 m of gain but 1950 m of loss, front-loaded with a 669 m climb before tipping into relentless downhill. The net-negative profile makes descending the deciding capacity.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Madeira Island Ultra-Trail 42 km — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

39.9 km

Distance

+1,300 m

Vertical Gain

−1,920 m

Total Descent

Apr 25, 2027

Next Edition · 277 days out

Check YOUR readiness

Connect Strava · No card · 2 min

The Course · GPS-Measured

What 39.9 km / 24.8 mi and 1,300 m / 4,250 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 39.9 km / 24.8 mi and 1,300 m / 4,250 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

39.9km

Distance

+1,330m

Gain

+0.0 km−30 m

GPS-Measured

39.9km

Distance

+1,300m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+1,300 mTotal Gain

−1,920 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

43%

Flat

≤3% grade

17%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

33%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Descent

KM 37.9–39.9 · −298 m

-14.9%

ClimbCRUX

KM 0.0–4.8 · +669 m

+14.1%

Climb

KM 5.9–9.7 · +287 m

+7.6%

Descent

KM 12.6–23.1 · −799 m

-7.6%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

3h 14m

Winning time

3h 35m

Top 5

3h 50m

Top 10

5h 40m

Median finisher

11h 00m

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 50% 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 40 km with 32% flat running rewarding steady output.

ClimbingVertical power

16%

One decisive 669 m climb plus a secondary 287 m ascent early on.

DescendingEccentric / braking

50%

1950 m of net loss across seven descents, including a 10.5 km, 799 m drop.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

34%

Legs must survive prolonged eccentric loading late, including a final 298 m plunge.

The Profile in One Line

Climb hard early, then absorb 1950 m of loss across seven descents to the finish.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 16%Descending 50%Durability 34%

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

With 32% of the course flat and a medium duration, steady aerobic output between climbs and descents keeps the pace honest.

Climbing

Climbing is concentrated in the first 10 km: a 4.8 km, 669 m ascent at 14.1% followed by a 287 m grind, so front-loaded climbing legs matter.

Descending

Descending dominates at 38% of the course and 1950 m of loss. A 10.5 km descent losing 799 m and heavy very-steep sections demand controlled, efficient downhill mechanics.

Durability

With loss far exceeding gain, quads absorb repeated eccentric damage across seven descents, and a 298 m drop near km 38 tests legs that are already worn.

km 0–4.8

The Opening Wall

The race climbs 669 m in 4.8 km at 14.1% straight from the start, forcing an early aerobic and climbing effort before any settling in.

km 12.5–23.1

The Long Drop

A 10.5 km descent losing 799 m at 7.6% delivers sustained eccentric loading that sets up the quads for the damage to come.

km 37.9–39.9

Final Plunge

A 298 m descent at 14.9% over the last 2 km punishes legs already loaded by 1950 m of cumulative loss.

That was a sample