Lavaredo Ultra Trail Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The Lavaredo 50K is the 50-kilometre race of the La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB in Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the Alps' most renowned trail running events, held since 2007 in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Dolomites. The loop around Cortina packs in 2,600 metres of climbing, more than 50 per kilometre, and the profile offers almost no respite: only eight percent of the course is flat, while more than half is either steep ascent or steep descent.

The race gets serious early. From kilometre 2 the first major climb rises for 5.1 kilometres at an average of just over ten percent, gaining 529 metres. After a brief reprieve, a short, extremely steep passage at kilometre 12.6 leads into the second big climb from kilometre 15.1: 4.2 kilometres at around twelve percent for another 504 metres of gain.

The second half changes character. Instead of long climbs, short brutal ramps follow one another, averaging 15 to 19 percent at kilometres 25 and 26.3 and roughly 20 percent at kilometre 32.9. Between and after them, long steep descents hammer the legs until the loop returns to Cortina. A twelve-hour time limit leaves room for hiking sections, but nothing about this course comes for free.

Pacing Strategy

On this profile it is aerobic strength endurance that counts, not running speed: over 27 percent of the course is steep uphill, nearly 29 percent steep downhill, only eight percent flat. The climbing is packed into the first half — a 5.1-kilometre ascent with 529 metres of gain from kilometre two, followed by more steep ramps and the 4.2-kilometre climb from kilometre 15 with a good 500 metres of gain. The high point sits around kilometre 28.

The main trap is early effort: run the first two big climbs instead of hiking the steep sections briskly and you burn your quads for what truly decides the day — the long, steep descent from kilometre 33 to the finish. Hike the climbs at a pace you could still talk at, eat and drink constantly, and save leg strength for the technical descent, where fatigue costs the most time and safety.

12-Week Preparation

For 50 kilometres with 2,600 metres of climbing in high mountain terrain, most age-group runners should plan on seven to eleven hours; the cutoff is twelve. This is less a running race than a long mountain day: on gradients of ten percent and more even the front of the field hikes, and the descents, roughly 2,450 metres of downhill in total, often punish the muscles more than the climbs do.

Three sections deserve specific preparation: the long climb from kilometre 2, which sets the pacing tone for the whole day, the second major ascent from kilometre 15.1 at around twelve percent, and the short 15 to 20 percent ramps of the second half, which arrive on already tired legs.

Build your training around three pillars. First, long mountain sessions of four to six hours with as much climbing and descending as possible, mixing running with brisk hiking, because efficient uphill hiking is a discipline of its own on this course. Second, dedicated downhill running on technical trails, increased gradually, so quads and joints can absorb the long descents. Third, training weeks with high vertical volume, ideally including back-to-back long days, to develop fatigue resistance. Rehearse race-day fuelling and gear as well: over seven or more hours in the mountains, your routine for eating, drinking and managing equipment weighs heavily on the outcome.