MOUNTAINMAN Nesselwang: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

The XS-Trail is billed as the beginners' loop for runners aged twelve and up, and it starts in the same area of Nesselwang as the weekend's longer courses. Its 4.8 measured kilometres carry around 330 metres of climbing, and the distribution is striking: only three percent of the route is flat, a good third rises steeply and another good third drops just as steeply.

The first kilometre defines the character. From the start at just under 890 metres the trail climbs 1.15 kilometres at 17.7 percent average with ramps up to 26 percent, reaching the loop's high point at around 1,090 metres. The descent that follows is similarly steep and returns you to the valley level of the loop by kilometre 2.

The pattern then repeats on a smaller scale: a second climb of 550 metres at a good 15 percent up to roughly 1,025 metres, another steep drop, and finally from kilometre 3.5 a much gentler rise of 6.7 percent over almost 700 metres. The last 600 metres fall back to the finish at start level. Taken together, the XS-Trail is not a shortened version of the long courses but a small mountain loop in its own right, with three ups and three downs.

Pacing Strategy

This loop offers no warm-up. Its steepest and longest climb begins with the gun and delivers two thirds of the total climbing on its own. Attack it as brisk uphill hiking from the first metres, hands braced on your thighs, rather than trying to run with the crowd; at nearly 18 percent average, hiking is faster and considerably cheaper for most runners anyway.

The race, though, is decided on the descents. Almost 40 percent of the course drops steeply, and each of those sections arrives directly after a hard climb, while your legs are still shaking. Run the first kilometre in the red and you will brake wildly at the top, giving away exactly what you fought for going up.

The last trap is the third climb from kilometre 3.5. At 6.7 percent it is the only one you can genuinely run, which is precisely why it invites overcooking. Only 600 metres of descent to the finish follow, and they are worth staying in control of.

Training plan for MOUNTAINMAN Nesselwang: 12-week build

The XS-Trail takes roughly 35 to 75 minutes depending on your level. Only the distance is short: with around 330 metres of climbing over 4.8 kilometres and almost no flat ground, the demand is a sequence of brief, intense blocks alternating steep ascent with steep descent, not a steady endurance effort.

The climb straight off the start decides the race. Depending on your pace it lasts ten to twenty minutes and determines what state you enter the first descent in. The descents themselves are the second critical point: they are as steep as the climbs and ask mainly for sure-footedness and quad strength rather than endurance.

For preparation that means uphill repeats first. Two to five minutes on the steepest gradient near you, deliberately alternating running and powerful hiking, once or twice a week. Without a mountain nearby, stairs or long ramps do the job, because fast uphill hiking is a movement that has to be practised.

Downhill running matters just as much, and it needs patience. Work short, steep descents into your easy runs regularly and increase speed and steepness over weeks so your quads tolerate the eccentric load. Add simple strength and stability work for legs, ankles and trunk. Because the loop is short it needs no great volume, but it does need familiarity with steep ground.