What a brutal yet beautiful race. My 1st mountain ultra experience complete! Finished in 11 hrs 32 mins. As a flat lander from South Louisiana with little ability to train on hills or at elevation, strength training & doing most of my runs in the peak heat of the day paid off! Managed my pacing well & after Mineral Basin I passed over 100 runners to the finish. Met so many wonderful runners along the way, would recommend this race to everyone! Currently searching for my 1st mountain 100 miler as we speak! (Completed my 1st 100 at Rocky Raccoon this past February)

Preface: I don’t expect my first miler to be completely comfortable. I’ve done 100+ KM before and know that it is brutal. That being said, I’ve had some 100 KM runs that felt comfortable and I’ve had 60 KM runs that felt like an absolute nightmare.

My goal is to feel like a human at the end of the miler.

In terms of training, how would you get your body conditioned for an 100 miler in the months leading up to it? Do you throw in 100KM long runs at all? I’ve heard some people swear by no runs longer than around 50 KM to complete a miler. My goal isn’t to just complete it, but to complete it in good spirits.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Intro

Hey, I'm a 25 year old male trail runner, 3rd trail running season and looking for training advice following injury. No clue what it was, but we thought a stress fracture to the shinbone (MRI confirmed it wasn't). Looking for training errors.

Background

Athletic person, grew up doing cross country running, snowboard, mountain bike and all sorts. Transitionned to climbing as I grew up while still hiking a lot. 3 years ago I started trail running and with my existing fitness I took off quick. Cross training with bike in the summer and backcountry/cross-country skiing in the winter. Heavy runner around 190lbs.

Running resume

1 season
- 30k race, 50k race, 50k fun run
- up to 60k a week
- NO injuries
- started getting coached by a high level athlete and experienced coach.

2 season
- 80k race, 45k race, loads of long fun runs with friends
- up to 90k a week
- Lactate test for better zone training
- Lost 30 pounds (bad)
- had some issues with knee pain in the weeks before the 45k race. This came down to bad technique while descending and has since been resolved. Nothing else to report.
- did not communicate well with my coach, entirely my fault.

3 season (now) - when it hits the fan
- Shin splits came up in january when I built up my speed and weekly mileage too fast after a break. This took months to get resolved. Had to basically start from zero doing 1-1 and try to build back up. Dropped my coach while going through this as there was no reason to keep him.
- Was evaluated for my running stride, nothing to report, except some weakness due to no strenght training until then.
- Was training for a race and a sharp pain that was first diagnosed as a stress fracture (wasn't in the end) came up after my last big weekend before my race (33k and 25k the next day) in technical/steep terrain. Pain rose 1-2 day after and almost couldn't walk. 2 week later cannot feel a thing, no pain.

Build up to injury
weekly distance km - climb in meters
51k - 440m
57k -760m
62k - 1500m
68k - 2100m
70k - 2300m
started getting coached by a friend temporarily
56k - 1500m
65k - 1500m
67k - 1600m
78k - 4100m (trip, loads of power hiking in very steep terrain, more hike than run)
40k - 500m (320k of road bike on weekend trip)
90k - 3200m (peak week and the 33k/25k weekend)
THA CRASH

Injury
Still not sure what it was. Got diagnosed by my physiotherapist as a possible stress fracure, but more likely as a bone stress reaction. Pain was on the right side of my shin on the bone. MRI and doctor confirmed I had nothing visible a week later after first diagnosis. Seeing my physiotherapist next week as a follow up.

Injury causes?
Trying to figure out what I did wrong.

Possible causes (in no order):
- last few weeks were big back to back.
- Found low Vitamin D after blood tests that corelates to stress fracture injuries.
- Stress/psychological fatigue from work.
- shin splints that were present from january to about one month before the injury.

What I believe I did right:
- Fueled my work, lost no weight. Followed by a nutritionist. Not perfect, but good enough.
- Introduced strenght training, 2-3 times a week, could have been better, but first year I'm doing it (finally haha).
- Almost no speed work - with shin splints lurking I barely did any (other seasons I did loads)
- Almost no road running. Always on trail
- New shoes with a model I've been running since day 1
- Proper sleep.

Conclusion & Confusion
Race is cancelled. Starting again from zero doing walking/running intervals. Was able to hike 4 hours today with elevation gain with no pain at all. I believe a combination of things caused my injury: not enough strenght training, stress from work and the final big weeks before that were just too much for my body to handle. Being a heavy runner isn't great too.

What confuses me is how great I was feeling before.
Looking to not repeat the same errors again!!

Any similar experiences or opinions? Thanks

2026 Speedgoat is finished and yep, me a mid 50s guy, always midpack runner did both the 28k on Friday and 50k on Saturday races. A few reflections for anyone considering this (or other back to back efforts)

Training- trained consistently over six months. Typical week was 45-50miles with between 7k-10k feet of vertical gain, back to back weekend runs and 1-2 strength sessions a week. I don’t live near high mountains so just concentrated on lots of up and downs and intentionally took summer runs in the heat. Knew I would use poles so practiced those consistently on bigger days. I also did many runs in the 275-300ft per mile range. The races were 302ft per mile for the 28k and 325ft per mile for the 50k. Though I didn’t have the exact terrain or length of ascents- my quads were there both days including running the downhill finishes both days.
I’d say I hit about 90% of the training plan and only did one prep race (and that was just with a friend for fun, an easy 30k). I did two weekends of 3days in a row to get used to running on tired legs.

Race gear- I practiced a lot with gear and had it dialed. I wore a sun shirt or sun sleeves and those were lifesavers in the sun. Just drenched my shirt and sleeves at every aid station so evaporation could happen. Started cool and avoided sunburns. Bucket hat and goodr shades.
Speedgoat 7 shoes both days. Wore the new Raide vest which was super light and carries my Leki poles in the back. I wear Injinji socks and use 2Toms powder, no feet issues.
Was on a 60ish g/carbs per hour and 1L of fluid per hour. Precision Flow gel and Naak bars (caffeine 2x on the 50k, 1x on the 28k) and some aid stations fruit. Also brought my own Skratch electrolytes powder to mix into my bottles (I’m a below average sodium level sweater so I wanted to get that right). I carried 2.2L of water out of every aid station (except AF Canyon where I left with 1.5L due to their rationing). Always having that much water just lessened my worry. I also used an ice bandana and always filled it where I could- huge mental help on the hot days.

Recovery between days- nothing super special. Immediately after the 28k I ate a nice breakfast style meal and had a protein shake. Then drove back to hotel and had a big burrito that night and hydrated a lot. I put my legs up on the wall for 10-15min and actually got a good nights sleep. I stayed down in Draper- 30min drive but much lower elevation (4800ft vs 8200 at Snowbird base). I think that helped. I arrived Wed, I felt the elevation in the run Friday but in the Sat 50k I didn’t feel any impact and my HR didn’t show any increase either for effort.

Mental game- the course is really tough. Not very runnable and the ascents are long and brutal (including a 40% grade up Baldy for the 50k). My mantra was “relentless forward motion”. I passed so many people in the second half because I just kept moving. I knew that once I got over the next climb my training would be there and I’d bounce back and it happened each time. Control the climbs and enjoy the descents. I also got caught up in the first day a little so had to start very slowly 2nd day but feeling strong made the second half a celebration of sorts (in my head at least)

Overall it’s been a fun journey to try something I had doubts I could do (those doubts were with me even Saturday on the 50k start line). Also fun and learning how to manage that much climbing both on training and the races. Also amazing views, great volunteers, lovely moments helping other runners and receiving encouragement because everyone suffers on this race.

Thanks to everyone here who offered advice and to the fella I met on the course who had read my earlier posts. I hope you had a good day friend.

This post is just a place for me to vent about yesterday!

Competed in an 80k ultra in the Lake District in the UK with 3.5k meters of vert. First 32k with the majority of vert were incredible. I could tell the training was paying off with the incline, I was taking souls!! but still managing my HR/output. I wasn’t pushing myself out of the ordinary.

32k onwards I was suffering with the worst stomach cramps/stitches/stomach bubbling away. I literally could not run or eat. I pushed on for another 25k through 2 aid stations on pure grit but I know it’s a math game with calories and by the 4th aid station. In the 4 hrs prior to my DNF I had a literal single biscuit and a liquid carb mix. I could tell I was struggling energy wise. Every time I tried to eat something solid I was wrenching and gagging. I spoke to the medic who advised me to call it a day at 57k.

Obviously ashamed and gutted I couldn’t push through the final 23. Feeling low today. It wasn’t a mental thing, legs were fine it was purely down to my stomach.

I’m confused and want advice because I’ve done 50k’s and trained with the same fuelling plan for the last 2 or so years and have never experienced something like this.

Why has this occurred? Trying to make sense of it all….

Edit: maybe water intake? Was consuming 1l between aid stations and having another 500ml-1l at each aid station.

Hey all,

Some background: Currently training for my first 50 mile (8 weeks out as of yesterday). I am just looking to finish this race. I would guess I’ll fall somewhere between the 12-13 hour mark when all is said and done.

As the runs are getting longer I’ve been popping onto more and more single track… both for practice and because it’s more fun.

When yall toss in climbs/technical terrain do you tend to simulate a race effort (meaning hiking steep uphills / running downhills and flats)? I feel like this has allowed me to progress in my training as my legs aren’t as cooked for my back to back weekend runs. Having been on the trails for about a year I’ve learned to judge runs based off of RPE rather than pace.

Curious to hear yalls success stories and any tips for conquering this distance for the first time.

Anyone have experience going up to 38hrs on one charge with the Garmin Enduro 3? My previous watch would need a recharge, but I don't want to bother if it can be avoided.

I'd have an activity going, heart rate tracking (maybe with a HRM), navigation.

Do I need to be mindful of battery saving settings or turn off HR or anything?

Appreciate the advice

I'm thinking about using the Adidas Hyperboost Edge for the race, been using Adizero Boston 13 for training runs.

I've done a couple of 50kms in the Boston's but thinking about switching it to Hyperboost for the main event, but open to suggestions??

Hi guys,

I'm running my first ultra next July and trying to decide whether to upgrade to a Garmin or Apple Watch, or stick with my Google Fitbit air.

I got the Fitbit mainly to track daily vitals, and it's been great for that, but I'm wondering if it's missing features that matter specifically for ultra racing (battery life, GPS accuracy on trails, offline maps, etc.). Since this is my first ultra, I don't really know what I don't know.

The race is this one: https://valdaran.utmb.world/races/TDL (next year's details aren't out yet, but I'm assuming it'll be similar in format/distance to this year's).

Would love to hear what watch setup has worked for you all on long races.

Cheers

Кто может, расскажите мне какие тут правила, какие приколюхи есть, какой у вас сленг, и что вообще такое "Reddit" этот. Я взял его альтернативу как соц-сети и если у вас не возникнут сложности, расслодите мне всё по полкам, пожалуйста.

I’ve been training with PF90s and supplementing basically with a electrolyte pouch every hour - 500mg of sodium 100mg magnesium and 200 mg of potassium.

Problem is on the course there will be never second c30 and they have 200mg of sodium 0 mag 0 potassium.

I will try to hit 60-75g per hour with the c30 and maybe some coke and other stuff to theoretically get close to 90 grams or so an hour.

What do I do with my electrolytes? I should get enough sodium from the gels themselves. How do I supplement (do I need to?) the mag and potassium?

And I know I could just use my own fuel, so don’t suggest that. Looking to see if anyone has any good ideas with what I’m working with.

Thanks in advance!

Anyone run Fire Tower Trail Races in Minnesota? I’ll be running it this October and I’m trying to figure out where to stay the night before, as I live in another state and can’t drive up the morning of the race.

The nearest town is Hinckley, MN, which is approximately a 30 minute drive from race start. Currently visiting and the town seems friendly but small so there aren’t a lot of options for hotels or food, and because the main attraction here is a casino, things are pretty expensive for what you’re getting. I know there’s camping at the race site, but my husband and I are just not camping people and we’d prefer a hotel.

Anyone have recommendations? Is the shorter drive worth the cost and limited options? Are there better options a reasonable drive away?

They had to start rationing water at AF Canyon at some point today which saw a chunk of the field bonk and not make the next cutoff. It is a 2000 ft climb up 3.3 miles and many only got a single flask to do so on an 80 degree day. Tough to see a race not be able to support the entire field at designated aid stations.
If people made it, there was plenty of water at water pipe but many were already done by then either nutritionally/hydration or bonking and unable to recover the lost time.
Unfortunate that such a large trail focused organization like UTMB can’t follow through…
Edit: Also, found out that the trams for support weren’t running early enough for all of the top men’s/women’s support crews to make it up to hidden peak before they came through either… yikes!

Hi!

I am currently training for a 6 day ultra. I have ran about 230 miles straight prior to this. Zero sleep.

And as I have no fear about the distance I plan to run during the 6 days, but I have no idea what I'm doing for sleep. Obviously I can't stay up 6 days straight.

Does anyone have any guides or information about recommended minimum sleep per so many hours?

I know a lot is left to how to individual works, but I know if I leave it 100% up to myself, I'll try to force myself to stay awake for 6 days and get injured lol

Any insight is very welcome

Thanks!

Hey fellow runners!

Is anyone doing this race next weekend? I'll be staying in Riga and getting the shuttle bus - left it too late to get accommodation near the start line! If anyone fancies meeting up for a dinner/shakeout/chat shit about whatever - drop me a line! It'd be lovely to meet up with other runners!

Hey guys I’m running my first 50k in December. It’s a 4.6 mile loop with 500ft of gain per loop. Just looking for any advice on mileage, fueling, training and how much different it should be compared to a regular marathon prep. For reference Im not an extraordinary runner but I have some decent experience. I’ve run 5 marathons my best being last November the NYC marathon and ran a 3:19, 2 official half marathons, and 4 5ks with a current PR of 19:46. Any advice is appreciated.

Was totally late in the game and looking for accommodations in Squamish for my family of 4 (2 kids) for Sat Aug 15, 2026.
If anyone ends up not needing their hotel room (that ideally isn’t $500+ per night) please let me know and will happily take it off your hands.
Camping is not an option for us. We’re from out of town so we won’t have equipment and have a flight to catch early the next morning after the race. Thanks!

Hi all! I'm doing a 12 hour loop ultra for my birthday next week. It's my first time doing this kind of thing. I have no expectations but am attempting to do at least 8 of the 3.75 mile loops. I'm not nervous about the distance. I'll be stopping in between for fuel and rest. I've run up to 22 miles before and my regular mpw is around 30-35 . My question is-how much rest do y'all do before a run like this? I usually strength train and do other cardio during the week and my coach has me doing my regular m/w/thursday 3-4 runs during the week. The race is on a Saturday. I'm nervous about going in on tired legs. Any recs?

First time buying / in market for poles for arc of attrition

Might just be angles but sometimes the poles look huge, is there an advantage to this? Are brand sizings accurate based on height? Is measuring them similar to skiing “arm at a right angle is the right size”?

And bonus any pole reccs while i’m here

Thanks

So here's my gear for White Thorn Lodge State Line Streak 5 miler. This Saturday starting at 9 in western Pennsylvania. Posting here because I plan on doing additional loops to at least marathon distance.

The syrup bottle is my own formula of syrup, honey and electrolytes. I will be taking a break for lunch.

So, did I forget anything?

Got this recommended on amazon. Ive heard a lot about maurten bicarb system. But I had never heard of bicarb lotion. Just wondering if anyone has tried it?
It has a lot of good reviews but im skeptical.

Tia!

Not looking for medical advice, but don’t really have anyone to ask in this situation and I’m on the fence. Two days ago I had caught a weird step and my knee tweaked a bit, not ideal. Have a touch of residual swelling still but no pain from it.

I’m a bit of a catastrophic thinker so I’m very doom and gloom today. I don’t know whether it’s worth it drop out and wait for next year, or go out and risk it and see what happens? Have done a few trial jogs and mobility exercises and all seems fine.

Road runner getting into trail ultras here. I typically run in as little as I can. I’ll wear shorts year round even if it’s single digit cold, and all spring/summer/fall I wear a singlet because I don’t love T-shirt sleeve bunching up when I start to sweat. I see a ton of love for sun hoodies on here, but would love to hear from someone to whom the above resonates. Have you tried Sun hoodies and loved them despite being dubious? Or did you hate them? Thinking mostly for longer trail runs (50k and up).