As mentioned before, I think the 1X question is best answered by knowing power output, what you typically ride on currently, and how strong you ride hills as is. FWIW I rode a 50/34 in 2017, FTP 290, weight 178, and was fine with an 11/25 outback. Only used the granny gear on the second lap after I fried my legs with some technical issues earlier in the ride.
The bike course itself - the worst part of the course is the opening series of miles to the Keene descent. It's easy to superhero the first time through. You won't want to do that. The other steepest climb is the left turn to head toward Wilmington - that sucker hurts. Otherwise, most of the climbing is really either false-flat to 3% grade.
The run - you have two sizable downhills in the first four miles. Then River Road rolls. Be forewarned - do NOT look at the ski jumps on the way back on River Road. They don't ever get closer. The hill into town is just torture - you climb from Lisa G's all the way up past the Brewery. It's cruel and unusual punishment.
In terms of training for them - more so than most courses, the run is a strength test, not a speed one. Every hill you can find, run up it, and probably run down it hard, too, just to prep for the leg smashing that comes with the trips downhill.
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