Where is the Lavaredo 120K decided?
On the climb from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo, a little before half-way, and on the long drop past Forcella Lavaredo that follows it. Kilometre for kilometre, that leg is the hardest of the race: 591 m up in 7.4 km, and almost nothing down. Even so it is only a fifth harder than average, because the course has no single wall. A fifth of the distance climbs steeper than 10 %, and about as much descends as steeply. At the time-limit pace you reach Misurina at half past nine on Saturday morning, with over a third of the effort done.
From Rifugio Auronzo the course goes over Forcella Lavaredo, then comes the biggest descent of the race: 937 m down, steep on average. The leg on to Cimabanche is long and mostly downhill, and half the effort is done on it. So the hardest climb and the biggest descent come back to back. At the time-limit pace you leave the refuge at twenty to twelve and reach Cimabanche at twenty past three in the afternoon.
Before all this comes the longest leg. From Cortina d’Ampezzo to Ospitale, the first aid station, it is 18.7 km, the biggest share of the effort, with a steep climb and a steep descent early on. No later stretch between two aid stations is as long. From the eleven o’clock start on Friday night, the time-limit pace puts you in Ospitale at half past three.
The biggest climb waits for the second half. Between Malga Ra Stua and Col Gallina it rises 511 m at 12 % on average, steep. By Col Gallina three quarters of the effort is done, and at the time-limit pace you get there at ten past eleven on Saturday night. The next leg, to Passo Giau, is almost as hard per kilometre as the climb to Rifugio Auronzo, and ends after midnight.
From Rifugio Croda da Lago the course only goes down. The last leg loses 851 m in 9.1 km and barely climbs at all, past Mortisa into Cortina d’Ampezzo. Two steep descents come close together on it, the second steeper than the first. Per kilometre it costs hardly more than running on the flat. At the time-limit pace you cross the line at five on Sunday morning.
Organiser's distances and heights; Pendio's shares and clock.