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Trail Running · Wellington

🇳🇿WUU 45KM:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

A 45KM course with 1641m of gain against 1759m of loss across eight climbs and seven descents. Net downhill, with descending as the dominant demand and a punishing 370m plunge late in the race.

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

45.0 km
Distance
+1,620 m
Vertical Gain
−1,740 m
Total Descent
Jul 18, 2026
Last Edition · Past
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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 45.1 km / 28.0 mi and 1,620 m / 5,320 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 45.1 km / 28.0 mi and 1,620 m / 5,320 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
45.0km
Distance
+1,900m
Gain
+0.1 km−280 m
GPS-Measured
45.1km
Distance
+1,620m
Gain
Climb & Gradient
+1,620 mTotal Gain
−1,740 mTotal Loss
Gradient Distribution
33%
Flat
≤3% grade
27%
Run-Climb
3–15% up
6%
Steep Climb
>15% up
34%
Descent
downhill
Steepest Sustained Sections
1
Descent
KM 31.2–34.6 · −370 m
-10.9%
2
Descent
KM 15.3–19.2 · −285 m
-7.2%
3
Descent
KM 36.4–39.0 · −170 m
-6.7%
4
ClimbCRUX
KM 19.2–23.2 · +231 m
+5.8%
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 43% 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 running over 45KM with 13% flat rewarding a strong continuous engine.
ClimbingVertical power
22%
Eight climbs, longest 4KM, biggest 231m; nearly 30% of terrain exceeds 10% up.
DescendingEccentric / braking
43%
1759m of loss over seven descents, including a 370m, 3.9KM plunge at -10.9%.
DurabilityLate-race resilience
35%
Repeated climb-descent cycling with net downhill pounding accumulating leg damage over 45KM.
The Profile in One Line

Descent-heavy 45KM with more loss than gain, a steep 231m midrace climb, and a brutal late 370m drop.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 22%Descending 43%Durability 35%

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
92
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
73
With 13% flat and 26% runnable grades, the course rewards a durable aerobic base able to hold pace between the punchy climbs and long descents.
Climbing
100
Eight climbs deliver 1641m of gain, with 20.4% of the course at very steep grades and a biggest single climb of 231m; power on short, sharp pitches matters more than sustained ascending.
Descending
92
At 1759m total loss across seven descents, descending is the decisive capacity; the longest drop covers 3.9KM losing 370m at -10.9%, demanding braking control and quad resilience.
Durability
86
Net downhill pounding and eight climb-descent transitions over 45KM tax the legs progressively, with the biggest descent falling late after the miles have accumulated.
KM 19–23
The 231m Midrace Climb
The biggest climb gains 231m over roughly 4KM at 5.8%, a sustained grind that tests climbing legs midway through the race.
KM 31–35
The 370m Plunge
The biggest descent drops 370m over 3.9KM at -10.9%, arriving late when quads are already fatigued and braking control is hardest to hold.
KM 15–19
Early Long Descent
A 285m loss over nearly 4KM at -7.2% sets the descending tone early, banking leg damage well before the finish.
That was a sample

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