Congratulations on getting a ticket to run UTMB. Here is some information to help you decide whether this is the right training program for you, and also to help you decide which level of the plan will make you the fittest, fastest and strongest on race day.

We have three different volume/difficulty levels of our UTMB 100-Mile Training Program. They are a reflection on how much time you have available to train, rather than a reflection on your goal time for the event. Some runners will be able to complete 100 miles in <30 hours following the level 2 plan, and other runners might take >35 hours following the level 3 plan.

You need to choose a level that you feel will be sustainable for the entire 16-week program. Your body needs to be able to comfortably cope with the volume without causing you illness or injuries, and your training schedule needs to be able to fit around all of the other aspects of your day-to-day life, such as work and family commitments.

You don’t have to stick to the same level for the entire plan (you have access to all three levels), you can go up or down levels depending on your time availability and how your body is coping with the volume. The key is consistency. You need to choose the level that allows you to run every week without needing any enforced rest.

Training Plan Levels

“Back-to-Back” Weekends

For weeks 9, 11 and 13, I recommend to make these “back-to-back” weekends, where your long run day is Saturday, and you “back it up” with a 2-3 hour easy run / hike on the Sunday. These back-to-back weekends may not be possible for you to complete if you do not have enough available time, or if your body is struggling already to cope with the volume. If this is the case then there is an option to stick to the usual training structure.

NB: The total volume of the back-to-back option is only a few km more than the standard structure, but it will be harder on your body due to running the day after your long run.

The purpose of these back-to-back weekends is partly to get you used to running and moving on fatigued legs, but mostly to help teach you some pacing skills. If you are too tired or too sore to run/hike the day after your long run, then you have not paced yourself correctly on the Saturday. By repeating this 3 times during the 16-week plan it will help you to learn an appropriate effort level for the first half of UTMB.

CROSS TRAINING

There is an optional Cross Training session scheduled on Fridays for all three levels of the plan. Cross Training is an excellent way to build more strength and endurance with less risk of injury due to the lower impact activity. If at any stage during the training plan you feel like you are struggling with the running volume, then you could substitute a run with a cross training session. Read THIS ARTICLE to find out what types of cross training work best for runners.

If you are finding the training load relatively easy, then you could also fit in an additional cross training session on a Monday (rest day) or on one of the lower volume week days. You might vary these additional cross training sessions from week to week depending on your health, fatigue levels, and your family/work diary.

Cross training sessions can be anything from 30 mins to 90 mins in duration.

Elevation Targets

This training plan is based on an event with 10,000m of elevation. There are suggested vert totals for each run in the plan. They are based on approximately 600m of vert per 10km run.

The range of elevation for each run in this plan is quite wide. This will allow you to make adjustments based on the terrain you have available and also how your body is coping with the total training load. If you are feeling excessively tired, then you will get more benefit from reducing the vert and keeping your body healthy.

HIKING

You will be doing a lot of hiking during UTMB. Mostly on the uphill sections of the course, but also possibly on steep downhill sections of a course. For this reason it VITAL that a lot of your training time is spent hiking. Your calf muscles especially work in a different way when you are hiking, so you need to prepare them for race day. I recommend that you start practising hiking and using your poles on all of your long runs, and even some of the mid-week hill runs from early in the program.

LONGEST RUN

The longest runs in this plan are capped at 6 hours. The scheduled run might say 50km (6 hours max) for example. This will understandably make some runners nervous. How can you run for 30+ hours if your longest run is only 6 hours? Please read THIS ARTICLE to find out why the program has been structured this way. The article relates to a 100km event, but it is equally relevant for a 100-mile event. It all comes back to the original principal of consistency being the most important factor in your training.

NIGHT RUNNING
You will be running through at least one night during UTMB. Probably two nights depending on your finishing time. You need to learn to become comfortable running on singletrack at night with a head torch. Running in the dark can be mentally fatiguing and challenging. You will make your whole race experience easier and more comfortable by making night running something you are very comfortable with. Practising this from early in the program will give you the opportunity to optimise your choice of head torch.
NUTRITION
100 mile events can be considered to be an eating competition with some running thrown in. If you can’t get enough food in during the event it will have catastrophic effects on your result. The checkpoints at UTMB are very well supplied with a variety of different real and sports food options, but you should still be prepared by having a variety of your own snacks/food by using the drop bag service or your support crew. You will get sick of eating the same things, especially sweet things, after 24-36 hours – so plan your nutrition carefully and practice with it during your training. There is a lot of race, training and day-to-day nutrition information in our plan.
Treadmill Training

If you do not have access to big hills to train on regularly, then I would recommend that you do at least one of your running sessions every week on a treadmill, with the aim being to increase your total weekly vert and to get your body accustomed to hiking. To keep the treadmill sessions interesting and beneficial, you should change the gradient every 5-10 minutes.

For example:

  • warm up 10 mins 1% incline
  • 5 mins on 3 % incline
  • 5 mins on 5% incline
  • 5 mins on 8 % incline
  • 5 mins on 3% incline
  • 5 mins on 10% incline
  • 5 mins on 5% incline
  • 10 mins cool down on 1% incline.

Aim to hike rather than run any inclines of 5% and greater.

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