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Trail Running · Nice

🇫🇷Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB 100 mile:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

165km with 8,519m of gain and 10,101m of loss across 14 climbs and 17 descents. A net-downhill point-to-point where relentless descending, not climbing, defines the day.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB 100 mile — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

165 km
Distance
+8,520 m
Vertical Gain
−10,100 m
Total Descent
Sep 25, 2026
Next Edition · 65 days out
Check YOUR readiness
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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 165 km / 102 mi and 8,520 m / 27,950 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 165 km / 102 mi and 8,520 m / 27,950 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Terrain summary
Claimed vs GPS-Measured
Claimed · Organizer
165km
Distance
+8,520m
Gain
−0.0 km+0 m
GPS-Measured
165km
Distance
+8,520m
Gain
Climb & Gradient
+8,520 mTotal Gain
−10,100 mTotal Loss
Gradient Distribution
21%
Flat
≤3% grade
27%
Run-Climb
3–15% up
11%
Steep Climb
>15% up
41%
Descent
downhill
Steepest Sustained Sections
1
Descent
KM 42.3–45.5 · −728 m
-23.3%
2
Descent
KM 29.4–37.2 · −1,807 m
-23.1%
3
Descent
KM 4.9–8.2 · −654 m
-19.9%
4
Climb
KM 85.2–90.1 · +839 m
+17.4%
Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

18h 53m
Winning time
21h 08m
Top 5
22h 53m
Top 10
35h 38m
Median finisher
50h 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 52% 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 output across 165km, from a 1,594m start to a 2,697m high point.
ClimbingVertical power
18%
14 climbs totaling 8,519m, including one 10.9km ascent gaining 1,573m.
DescendingEccentric / braking
52%
10,101m of loss over 17 descents, with 20% of distance at very steep grades.
DurabilityLate-race resilience
30%
Repeated pounding across 165km and 10,101m of loss demands leg resilience late.
The Profile in One Line

Descent-dominated 100-miler: 47% of the route runs downhill against 10,101m of total loss over 165km.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 18%Descending 52%Durability 30%

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
46
OUT OF 100
QUESTIONABLE
For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

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

Pillar Breakdown
Aerobic
69
The 165km distance and 1,103m swing from start to high point require steady aerobic economy sustained over ultra-length duration.
Climbing
82
With 8,519m across 14 climbs and 15.1% of terrain at very steep grades, uphill strength matters, capped by a 10.9km, 1,573m ascent.
Descending
20
This is the defining capacity: 10,101m of loss over 17 descents, with 20% at very steep grades and a 14.2km descent losing 1,807m.
Durability
69
Net loss exceeding gain over 165km means quads absorb 10,101m of braking, making late-race leg integrity decisive.
km 29–37
The 1,807m plunge
An 8km descent shedding 1,807m at -23.1% grade—the biggest single drop on course. Reckless pacing here wrecks quads for the remaining distance.
km 85–90
Mid-race 839m climb
A 4.8km ascent gaining 839m at 17.4% grade tests climbing strength once fatigue has set in past halfway.
km 42–45
Steepest gradient
A 3km descent losing 728m at -23.3% is the sharpest pitch on course, adding more braking load early to already-taxed legs.
That was a sample

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