Trail Running · West Coast

🇳🇿The Old Ghost Road:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

An 86 km course with 2325 m of gain and 2264 m of loss across six climbs and four descents. Long hours, sustained climbing, and 35% of the route running downhill define the challenge.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the durability and descending demands that define The Old Ghost Road — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

86.0 km

Distance

+2,200 m

Vertical Gain

−2,140 m

Total Descent

Feb 20, 2027

Next Edition · 218 days out

Check YOUR readiness

Connect Strava · No card · 2 min

The Course · GPS-Measured

What 81.9 km / 50.9 mi and 2,200 m / 7,210 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 81.9 km / 50.9 mi and 2,200 m / 7,210 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

86.0km

Distance

+2,700m

Gain

−4.1 km−500 m

GPS-Measured

81.9km

Distance

+2,200m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+2,200 mTotal Gain

−2,140 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

34%

Flat

≤3% grade

27%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

36%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Climb

KM 51.4–54.4 · +251 m

+8.2%

ClimbCRUX

KM 41.6–50.2 · +687 m

+8%

Climb

KM 28.0–35.6 · +544 m

+7.2%

Descent

KM 56.8–64.6 · −462 m

-5.9%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

7h 44m

Winning time

8h 23m

Top 5

8h 55m

Top 10

12h 08m

Median finisher

16h 08m

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 46% 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 over 86 km with 2325 m of accumulated climbing.

ClimbingVertical power

19%

Six climbs totaling 2325 m, including a 687 m ascent over 8.6 km.

DescendingEccentric / braking

35%

Constant downhill control across 35% of the route and 2264 m of loss.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

46%

Legs must hold form through repeated climbs and descents deep into 86 km.

The Profile in One Line

86 km of relentless up-and-down with a 687 m crux climb and a 12.5 km descent to close it out.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 19%Descending 35%Durability 46%

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 86 km and 2325 m of gain, the aerobic system must sustain steady effort for many hours without spikes it cannot recover from.

Climbing

Six climbs and 2325 m of gain demand efficient uphill power, capped by a 687 m ascent over 8.6 km at 8% grade.

Descending

Descents cover 35% of the course and shed 2264 m, including a 12.5 km, 741 m drop that punishes anyone lacking downhill technique.

Durability

Repeated climbing and descending across 86 km stresses the legs late; holding pace through the closing kilometers is the defining test.

km 41.6–50.2

The 687 m Crux Climb

The biggest climb of the day gains 687 m over 8.6 km at 8%, arriving past halfway when the legs are already loaded. Pacing here dictates the rest of the race.

km 56.8+

The Long Descent

The longest descent runs 12.5 km and drops 741 m, following the crux climb. Quads must absorb sustained downhill after significant accumulated loss.

km 28–35.5

Early Sustained Ascent

A 544 m climb over 7.5 km at 7.2% comes early, setting up the durability challenge before the bigger crux climb that follows.

That was a sample