Trail Race Pacing & Cutoff Planner

Free trail race pacing planner. Upload your race GPX, set a goal time, and get segment-by-segment target splits, run/hike calls, fuelling cadence and cutoff cushion.

Access

  • Free, no account: course summary, required average pace and grade-adjusted pace, km-effort, and the first three segments of the split table.
  • Free account required: the complete split table, the cutoff cushion analysis, and per-segment fluid and carbohydrate targets.
  • No paid subscription is needed for any part of this tool.

The full plan is computed server-side and only returned to a request carrying a valid signed-in session — the locked rows are never sent to an anonymous browser.

How It Works

  1. Upload the race GPX, or enter distance and elevation gain manually
  2. Set your goal finish time and start time
  3. Optionally add published checkpoint cutoffs
  4. Get your pacing sheet

The Model

The GPX is broken into segments wherever the terrain changes character — a sustained climb, a rolling traverse, a long descent. Each segment is costed using the Strava-aligned grade-adjusted pace curve, producing a flat-equivalent distance. Your goal time is then divided across segments in proportion to that cost, so climbs get the minutes they actually need.

That is what an even effort looks like on a clock. Pacing a mountain course to an even pace means blowing up on the climbs and coasting on the descents.

Run / Hike Calls

Average gradient Call
18% and above Power hike — poles out, conversational breathing
8% to 18% Run/hike mix — stay below threshold
-12% to 8% Run — steady aerobic
Below -12% Controlled descent — quick feet, short strides, protect the quads

Cutoff Cushion

The gap between your projected arrival at a checkpoint and when it closes. Under about 8% of the cutoff is flagged as tight: one bad stomach patch or one slow aid station and it is gone. Negative cushion is flagged at-risk.

Limitations

The planner does not predict your finish time — it paces the time you give it. If you do not have a target yet, run the race time predictor first and bring that number here.

Without a GPX, the course is modelled as one climb and one descent, which is fine for a rolling route and poor for a race with five distinct cols.

FAQ

How should I pace a trail race? By effort, not by pace. This planner distributes your goal time in proportion to the grade-adjusted cost of each segment.

Do I need to pay to unlock the full pacing sheet? No. A free Trailia account is enough. No tool on this site requires a paid subscription.

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