itdesign Nikolauslauf Tübingen Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The start and finish sit on Waldhäuser Straße in the north of Tübingen, and the course runs as a loop into the forest. A first notable climb arrives after barely two kilometres (from km 2.55, around 40 metres of gain at up to 10.6 percent), testing the legs early. From there the route rolls past Hagelloch and the Sand area in a steady alternation of short ramps and downhill sections. About 37 percent of the distance runs uphill and less than a third is genuinely flat, a classic rolling profile with no recovery kilometres.

After a long, gently descending stretch the course reaches its lowest point at km 10.78. The character then flips: the second half wins back the lost elevation piece by piece, over several short crests around km 11.9 and 12.5. The second major climb from km 14.2 (again roughly 40 metres of gain, up to 10.4 percent) comes late and meets tired legs. It stays undulating all the way to the line. The surface alternates between firm forest ground and asphalt, and the scenery is wooded and quiet, a wintery classic held every December since 1976.

Pacing Strategy

The biggest risk lies in the first half. The course loses height continuously to km 10.78, and on the descending ground it is easy to run too fast. Those exact metres have to be regained in the second half, and that is where the race is decided. Take the early climb from km 2.55 under control and resist the temptation to fully exploit the downhill that follows.

The decisive section runs from km 11 to 15: several short crests and the last hard climb from km 14.2 at up to 10.4 percent, when the legs are already heavy. Anyone with reserves left here gains many places. Run the climbs by feel and heart rate rather than pace, because on fine gravel forest ground and in cold December air your pace will drop off anyway. The final undulating kilometres to the finish then ask only that you hold your rhythm.

12-Week Preparation

Duration: ambitious age-group runners are typically out for 1:40 to 2:30 hours here; the rolling profile and partly soft surface cost some time compared with a flat city course.

Demand profile: you need a stable aerobic base combined with the ability to change rhythm constantly. With around 37 percent of the course climbing and less than a third flat, there is barely any stretch where you can simply let the run roll, so the body has to absorb repeated short loads on the ramps and keep running economically afterwards.

Decisive phases: the two climbs of roughly 40 metres each at km 2.55 and km 14.2 with over 10 percent maximum gradient, plus the gently rising character of the whole second half. The late climb from km 14.2 in particular decides how well you carry the final kilometres.

Training focus: do your tempo runs and long runs on rolling terrain rather than the track. Add short, powerful uphill intervals of 30 to 90 seconds for the steep ramps, and use forest paths to adapt to fine gravel underfoot. Long runs with a stronger second-half effort help you handle the hilly back side of the loop on tired legs, and running in the cold prepares you for December conditions.