the Grand Trail des Lacs & Châteaux Summer edition: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The start is at 5 a.m. at the Ovifat ski slope, which is also the finish. The route has very little asphalt and runs on forest roads and singletrack around Robertville, Malmedy, Stavelot and Xhoffraix. The organiser highlights the Warche valley with its Route des Crêtes, Reinhardstein castle and nature reserves whose paths it compares to French mountain trails.

The profile shows about 3,220 m of ascent spread over constant up and down. The first 27 km stay comparatively rolling. After that the notable climbs come close together: two ramps at km 28 and km 30 with about 105 m each, the second averaging 16 percent. The longest climb starts at km 45.6, 2.9 km with more than 200 m of gain.

The final third is harder still: between km 57 and km 70 there are four climbs, including two short walls at km 66 and km 69 averaging 17 to 19 percent with pitches above 35 percent. The last ramp up the ski slope is the shared finale of every race of the weekend.

Pacing Strategy

The first 27 km tempt you into too high a pace because they feel rolling and runnable. Hold back there and the reserve is still available from km 28, where the steep ramps come in quick succession. Power-hike every climb above ten percent rather than running it.

The race-deciding section is km 57 to km 70: four climbs totalling more than 500 m arrive for most runners only after many hours of effort, two of them walls with pitches above 35 percent. This is where most runners' pace collapses.

The biggest trap is the technical descending. Roots, rock and wet forest paths eat the quads, and whoever runs the early descents too fast has nothing left in the final third for the short, steep counter-climbs.

Training plan for the Grand Trail des Lacs & Châteaux Summer edition: 12-week build

GT85 is an effort of just over seven hours at the front up to the 18-hour time limit. The demand is not a steady mountain climb but a constant alternation of short, very steep ramps, technical descents and flatter forest sections.

The foundation is long runs of five to seven hours on rolling terrain, ideally on forest paths with roots and rock. Build steep-hill repeats into those runs and practise economical power-hiking on high gradients. A back-to-back weekend of two long sessions prepares you for the late phase of the race.

Train descending deliberately: eccentric quad strength, plyometrics and technical downhills on tired legs. That decides the final third, where the steepest ramps sit.

In mid-May the Hautes Fagnes can be cool and wet, and the 5 a.m. start requires a headlamp. Rehearse fuelling and kit handling on long runs, because there are only five aid stations over 87 km.