Haager Lies Halbmarathon Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The course follows the “Haager Lies” in full, a disused branch-line railway that today crosses the Hausruckviertel as an asphalted cycle and pedestrian path. The start is at 10:00 in Haag am Hausruck, and a good 21 kilometres later the finish sits at the fire station in Neukirchen bei Lambach – a pure point-to-point course without a single lap.

Because a railway grade never has steep ramps, the profile is gentle from end to end. Just under half the distance drops slightly, just under a quarter climbs slightly, and the rest is level; genuinely steep sections are absent across the whole course. In total the route loses around 105 metres, spread across roughly 140 metres of climbing and 245 of descent – the line undulates gently but clearly trends downhill.

Two points stand out from the even flow: a climb of a little over a kilometre at around 3.6 percent gaining almost 40 metres at kilometre 5, and a shorter rise of similar gradient at kilometre 12. Both are moderate, but each interrupts the otherwise constant forward drive. After the second rise the line mostly falls away, so the closing kilometres run gently downhill into Neukirchen. The surface is one hundred percent asphalt, and the late-September date brings cool, fast conditions.

Pacing Strategy

On a net-downhill railway line the biggest danger is the descent itself. Because almost half the course drops slightly, an over-ambitious opening pace feels effortless for a long time – the bill only arrives in the final third, when the gentle gradient no longer carries overloaded legs. Set your goal pace early and do not let the pull of the line drag you past it.

The race is decided on the climb at kilometre 5: a good kilometre at around 3.6 percent. Harmless on fresh legs, it tempts you to erase the small loss of pace immediately with a hard surge. Take it under control, find your rhythm again at the top, and save the matches for the second half. The shorter rise at kilometre 12 asks for the same.

From kilometre 13 the line mostly falls away. If you have metered your effort until then, this is where you can lift the pace under control and use the descent into Neukirchen for the fastest kilometres of the day.

12-Week Preparation

Depending on your level, the Haager Lies means around an hour and a half to a good two and a half hours – a sustained effort in the upper aerobic range, considerably closer to threshold on this fast course than a marathon would be.

The demand is even and aerobic. A flat, net-downhill profile without steep sections means you must hold your pace across the full distance, with no climb to force a pause and no descent to grant real recovery. Physiologically what matters is how long you can hold a pace just below threshold – and how economically you turn the gentle downgrade into propulsion rather than braking against it.

The decisive phases are the climb at kilometre 5 and the net-downhill second half. Cover both deliberately: threshold and tempo runs consolidate your race pace, and part of your long runs should be run on slightly descending terrain so the muscles are used to downhill running over many kilometres – the eccentric braking at speed is what tires the quads noticeably.

Because the line is level and straight throughout, most of your quality work belongs on flat terrain with deliberately even splits; rehearse goal pace until you can hit it without a watch. The late-September date is cool, but your hardest block falls in high summer – move intense sessions to the morning on hot days and protect the final weeks as a clean taper.