Trail Running · Ruapehu

🇳🇿Ring of Fire 100 km:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

A 100 km loop with 2,965 m of climbing matched by 2,965 m of descending across 14 climbs and 11 descents. Relentless up-and-down over long hours makes durability and descending the deciding factors.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the durability and descending demands that define Ring of Fire 100 km — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

100 km

Distance

+2,950 m

Vertical Gain

−2,950 m

Total Descent

Mar 20, 2027

Next Edition · 241 days out

Check YOUR readiness

Connect Strava · No card · 2 min

The Course · GPS-Measured

What 100 km / 62.2 mi and 2,950 m / 9,670 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 100 km / 62.2 mi and 2,950 m / 9,670 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

100km

Distance

+3,920m

Gain

+0.1 km−970 m

GPS-Measured

100km

Distance

+2,950m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+2,950 mTotal Gain

−2,950 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

39%

Flat

≤3% grade

27%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

31%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Climb

KM 80.5–83.2 · +306 m

+11.4%

Descent

KM 77.5–80.5 · −291 m

-9.6%

Climb

KM 67.3–70.2 · +208 m

+7.1%

Descent

KM 37.0–39.8 · −190 m

-6.9%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

12h 40m

Winning time

12h 50m

Top 5

13h 47m

Top 10

17h 53m

Median finisher

25h 53m

Back of pack

Based on 2026 results.

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Durability carries 41% 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 aerobic output over 100 km, though climbs and descents are moderately sized rather than extreme.

ClimbingVertical power

21%

14 climbs totaling 2,965 m, with one 15.3 km climb gaining 659 m as the standout effort.

DescendingEccentric / braking

38%

39% of the course points downhill, including a 16.9 km descent losing 918 m — the dominant demand.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

41%

100 km of repeated 14-up, 11-down transitions, taxing legs deep into the second half.

The Profile in One Line

Balanced 100 km with equal gain and loss, favoring sustained descending and late-race durability over any single monster climb.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 21%Descending 38%Durability 41%

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

The 100 km distance demands steady aerobic pacing, but with the high point at 1,556 m and moderate climb sizes, sustained effort matters more than raw aerobic ceiling.

Climbing

Fourteen climbs stack up 2,965 m, headlined by a 15.3 km ascent and a single climb gaining 659 m. Steep grades over 10% cover 13% of the course, requiring efficient uphill power.

Descending

Descents make up 39% of the route, including a 16.9 km descent dropping 918 m. Long, sustained downhills punish quads and demand controlled, repeatable braking.

Durability

With gain and loss both at 2,965 m over 100 km and 25 total climbs and descents, the constant transitions wear legs down. Holding form late is decisive.

km 80.5–83.2

Late Steep Climb

Past 80 km, a 2.7 km climb gains 306 m at 11.4%, forcing hard uphill work on fatigued legs deep into the race.

Longest Descent

16.9 km Down, 918 m Lost

The biggest descent drops 918 m over 16.9 km, a sustained braking effort that heavily loads the quads and tests descending durability.

km 77.5–80.5

Descent Into the Final Climb

A 291 m descent at -9.6% immediately precedes the steep late climb, chaining a quad-hammering drop straight into a demanding ascent.

That was a sample