[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fxVymplkC_lhiB_rNCxh1BqV6Nsu4TUfHTGrItFFA7Fo":3,"tips-sierre-zinal-gear-and-race-tips":18},{"id":4,"slug":4,"name":5,"date":6,"startDate":6,"endDate":6,"location":7,"url":8,"source":9,"country":10,"region":11,"distances":12,"distance":15,"elevation":16,"category":14},"sierre-zinal","Sierre-Zinal","2026-08-08","Zinal","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sierre-zinal.com","Golden Trail World Series","Switzerland","Europe",[13],{"url":8,"date":6,"name":5,"category":14,"distance":15,"elevation":16,"registrationOpen":17},"Trail Running","31km","2,200m+",false,[19,31,35,40,44,49,54,59],{"id":20,"user_id":21,"title":22,"content":23,"category":24,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"838bfcd4-70de-4b8e-b0d3-6c80f54f87f7","8f0a1d0c-ce0f-4e2c-b91c-6061973e06fc","Race in thirds: 34% to Ponchette, 37% to Weisshorn, 29% to Zinal","Elite splits are remarkably consistent: about a third of total time to Ponchette, the biggest block across the high traverse to Hôtel Weisshorn, and just under 30% for the run to Zinal. Use these percentages against your target time at each checkpoint. Runners who blow up here almost always overcooked the section up to Chandolin. Source: runningcoach.me","Pacing",null,0,"2026-07-12T07:34:44.384958+00:00","nielslouwes",true,"gear-and-race-tips",{"id":32,"user_id":21,"title":33,"content":34,"category":24,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"a4159356-462b-4bd3-aa55-54b6cead3842","The first 10km hold more than half the climbing — hike early","Over 1,300m of the 2,200m total gain is done by the Ponchette aid station at km 7.1. The first 2km out of Sierre are runnable, then the grade forces almost everyone to a power hike through the forest — fighting it wastes the race. Treat everything to Chandolin as a controlled effort that should feel like an easy endurance run if your target is over 4 hours. Source: runningcoach.me, Run the Alps",{"id":36,"user_id":21,"title":37,"content":38,"category":39,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"3d481430-f06b-405b-bc80-39dd9efc20f7","The race is won (and lost) between Weisshorn and Zinal","From Hôtel Weisshorn (~km 16) the course rolls along a high traverse near 2,400m past Nava before the plunge to Zinal. Judith Wyder famously trailed at the Weisshorn split, ran the fastest final section and took second on her debut. If you have paced the first half right, this rolling terrain is where prepared runners fly past cooked ones. Source: runningcoach.me","Course Knowledge",{"id":41,"user_id":21,"title":42,"content":43,"category":39,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"f0c5e903-a604-4773-aadf-cc0dc27f3b8b","Respect the final descent: 30–40% grass slopes into Zinal","The last stretch drops brutally — one race report measured ~1,100 feet of loss in the final mile, including grass slopes of 30–40% grade, before the finishing corridor through Zinal's streets. Quads, not lungs, are the limiter; train sustained steep downhill running or the last 20 minutes will undo your whole race. Source: Run the Alps",{"id":45,"user_id":21,"title":46,"content":47,"category":48,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"7b49c696-6bf2-4c99-b05f-4413ffb32f55","Budget ~500 calories — 350 is not enough","One detailed race report logged 350 calories consumed and a narrowly avoided bonk, noting Max King reported taking in around 500. For a 3–5 hour mountain race, aim for 60–90g of carbs per hour from the gun. The official site publishes a chart of what percentage of your finish time you should have completed at each aid station — print it and set your fueling alarms against it. Source: Run the Alps","Nutrition & Aid Stations",{"id":50,"user_id":21,"title":51,"content":52,"category":53,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"bcf13b48-0c9c-4258-b50e-de586ea3c7c9","Runners start late morning — plan for heat on the exposed traverse","The Runners category starts at 9:45, which puts mid-pack finishers on the exposed high section above treeline in the midday sun; the 2025 edition was defined by heat. Tourist blocks (04:45–06:15) climb in the cool dark instead. Whichever category: sun protection, and full bottles leaving every aid station on a hot forecast. Source: runningcoach.me, sierre-zinal.com","Weather & Conditions",{"id":55,"user_id":21,"title":56,"content":57,"category":58,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"0d1199d1-64ed-45f7-991a-6911a018c681","Tourist vs Runner: pick your category deliberately","Tourist category (start blocks 04:45–06:15) is for anyone expecting over 4h30 — you get an official time but no ranking and no ITRA\u002FUTMB index points. Runners start from 9:45 and must beat the cut-offs: Chandolin 10:40, Tignousa 12:00, Hôtel Weisshorn 13:30, Zinal 17:30. The early Tourist start also means you can finish before the elites arrive — then watch the front of the race come home. Source: sierre-zinal.com, Run the Alps","Race Facts",{"id":60,"user_id":21,"title":61,"content":62,"category":58,"venue_name":25,"lat":25,"lng":25,"upvotes":26,"downvotes":26,"datePosted":27,"authorName":28,"is_community":29,"raceId":4,"tipType":30,"userVote":25},"a15dc6a2-bae8-4d2b-83a8-8a889e1e4221","Key stats: 31km, 2,200m up, 1,100m down, five 4,000ers","Point-to-point from Sierre (~570m) to Zinal (1,675m) under the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Matterhorn and Dent Blanche. Held every August since 1974, around 5,000 participants, and a Golden Trail World Series fixture. Course records have stood since Kilian Jornet's 2:25:35 in 2019 (his seventh win) and Maude Mathys's 2:46:03 in 2021 — she won four straight from 2019 to 2022. Source: sierre-zinal.com, worldathletics.org"]