Cutoff Times Are Math, Not Difficulty
Cutoffs are clock times, not "hours given to you"
Beginners tend to read only the total duration. But most trail cutoffs are absolute moments: not "you get 13 hours", but "CP3 closes at 14:30", "the finish closes at 22:00". Whether you start at 8:00 or 8:20 does not change 14:30.
Duration vs clock time matters more than you think
If your race is a "13-hour cutoff", starting 20 minutes late costs you 20 minutes. But if it is "the finish closes at 22:00", your available time = 22:00 minus your actual start, and your start time is affected by queues, check-in and staggered waves. So compute your buffer from the clock times, and set aside extra margin for those losses.
How to estimate your own finish time
- First compute the race's effort kilometers. A common rule of thumb: effort ≈ distance (km) + cumulative gain (m) ÷ 100. The race plan page shows this number directly.
- Then look up results you have posted in past races with similar effort. Extrapolating from your own trail results at similar effort is far more accurate than extrapolating from road results.
- Add 15 – 20% margin to your estimate. Mountain weather, congestion, navigation and stomach problems all eat time.
- Only then compare with the cutoffs. If the remaining buffer is under an hour, this race is on the hard side for you.
The three classic ways to miss a cutoff
- Going out too fast over the first 20 km. This is the overwhelming number-one cause. Overuse in the mountains does not show up in the first half of the day — it arrives all at once in the second half.
- Staying too long at aid stations. Fifteen minutes per station × six stations is an hour and a half. Decide what you will do before entering: refill water, take two items of food, check gear, go.
- Arriving at the final big climb already spent. Long races are decided in the back half, so the front half must be conservative enough to make you wonder whether you are going too slow.
What if you miss a cutoff mid-race
Missing a cutoff is not failure — it is the organiser judging for you that continuing is no longer worth the risk. Cooperate with the withdrawal on the spot, and do not try to sneak past the cutoff point: you will have neither a result nor rescue coverage. Treat the day as terrain reconnaissance; next time you will be much faster.
This article covers general practice. For the race you actually enter, the organiser's rules and on-site check list prevail — even the same race in the same year can add gear at short notice.