The Maze.
The Maze takes you into Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, inside Austin's city limits, and over 10K you run the course exactly once: a single loop of twists, creeks and short climbs. Prepare less for a target time than for getting back up to speed after every change of direction.
The Maze 2027: Course, Route Profile & Map
Trail Roots Running stages the race in Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, and the address is misleading: you stay within the city, but what you run is a trail race built on twists, creeks and climbs. The name describes the course fairly well, because the route keeps turning instead of letting you run straight for long. Allow for the fact that you may have to walk the last stretch to the start.
The loop is closed and ends where it began, so the ups and downs cancel out. The clearest climb arrives just before kilometre 3: nearly 500 metres at a little over three percent, no wall, but the one moment you climb for any length of time. The rest of the roughly 110 metres of ascent comes in small waves. About a third of the lap rises, a third falls and a third stays flat, and those stretches change so quickly that a fixed rhythm hardly ever settles in.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 2.8 | 0.5 km | 3.3 % | 5.6 % | +15 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace The Maze.
Start under control
Over a single lap you can run hard from the gun, just not at your limit into the climb at kilometre 3. Stay slightly below redline for the opening kilometres, settle into the turns, and on the climb hold your effort steady rather than your speed.
Hold your rhythm
The race is decided after that. There is no single key moment left before the finish, only a run of waves and bends, and whoever accelerates cleanly out of each one gains more there than on the climb itself.
Spend what is left
The trap is your watch. At around eleven metres of ascent per kilometre the course looks harmless, but every braking and every pick-up costs something, and chasing a road time means overreaching. Run by breathing and feel. Aid stations come roughly every five kilometres, so once or twice over this distance: decide beforehand whether you will stop at all.
Training plan for The Maze: 12-week build
Build the base
Expect roughly 55 to 80 minutes depending on form. That is a continuously hard effort close to threshold, with bends, ramps and pick-ups adding short anaerobic spikes throughout. A steady tempo run on the road covers only half of that.
Train race pace
The critical part comes after the climb, when you have to pick up again and again on legs that are already loaded. Train it with tempo sessions on winding paths: go straight back to race pace after every bend, rather than simply holding an average.
Rehearse the course
For the waves, use short hill intervals of 30 to 60 seconds with an easy jog back down. Add a calmer ramp of about 500 metres that you run straight off the top of without a break, because that is the transition kilometre 3 asks for. Strength work for calves and ankles helps on a course that keeps changing direction.
Arrive fresh
A race on 20 March puts the build in the winter months. The final four weeks should rest on trail sessions rather than asphalt, so that stride length and where you look match the terrain.
Courses
Download the The Maze course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for The Maze dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about The Maze.
How long is The Maze?
The Maze is 10 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does The Maze have?
The Maze has around 111 m of elevation gain over 10 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of The Maze?
The Maze is classified as Rolling, averaging 11.3 vertical metres per kilometre. 31% of the route is flat, 35% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 1% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does The Maze have?
The hardest climb of The Maze starts at kilometre 2.8, runs for 0.5 km at an average of 3.3% and gains 15 metres.
Is The Maze a loop course?
Yes, The Maze is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the The Maze course?
Yes. The The Maze course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for The Maze?
Preparation for The Maze should account for 10 km, 111 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for The Maze?
The pacing strategy for The Maze should reflect 10 km, 111 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does The Maze take place?
The Maze takes place on March 20, 2027.
Where does The Maze take place?
The Maze takes place in Austin, United States.
Which distances does The Maze offer?
The Maze offers 3 distances — 10K: 10 km; 20K: 20 km; 30K: 30 km.
How do I register for The Maze?
Registration runs through the organiser: trailroots.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
