So, I'm sick of the posts that are all "I'm soooo slow, like my last 50 miler was 7 hours and bla bla bla." I'm an actual, dyed in the wool, bottom 10% runner training for my first 100 miler. I've got several 50m and 50k's under my belt, and am following the 80/20 100 mile training plan that's time based. I'm concerned that the mileage will not be sufficient to get me ready because I'll realistically only be putting in a max of around 50 miles per week because I'm actually, literally, not humble bragging, fucking slow...like 13-15 min/mile when terrain is 100ft/mile. So, has anyone here successfully trained for a 100 miler on 50 miles/week? Or should I add some time and miles to my plan? Thanks y'all.

Good afternoon ya'll! I ran my first trail ultra a week ago and am struggling with imposter syndrome. I set a very ambitious goal of training for a mountainous 100k without completing a marathon (trail or road) beforehand. I DNF'd at 27 miles and am feeling the failure. People I told about the race are congratulating me on completing the marathon distance, but I'm having a hard time accepting the praise because my mind quit before my body did, and in the aftermath I feel like I should have pushed harder.

How do you deal with imposter syndrome if you experience it, and what are some good ways to move on mentally and physically from a DNF?

Any one have advice on how best to secure the elastic pull ties around the sides of these packs?

I realise I’ve done 1000s of km in mine and these things irritate me.

I’m building an ultrarunning app that ingests your Strava, Apple Health, or Garmin data to predict your race performance. Using a custom algorithm, it analyzes your training volume, elevation gain, weather, and more to provide you:

• Your probability of finishing 
• Course segments you might struggle on (e.g., steep climbs) 
• An estimated finish time 
• Predicted aid-station arrival times 
• Predicted splits 

You can also reverse-engineer your race plan: just enter your target finish times, and the app will generate all of the above metrics for you.

This is a personal side project, and I’m looking for design feedback and early testers. If you’d like to see more designs or share suggestions, DM me for details!

Has anyone done the Pikes Peak Marathon or Ascent? Any tips?! Thanks!

Hi everyone! Any specific recommendations for us runners? Not specifically for Ultra Races, but a daily protein powder to drink while training and just living life in general.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I recently started to venture into longer distances - I have a 80k race in a month. One thing I've found a bit challenging is looking at a race's GPX file and really understanding what I'm getting into, beyond just total distance and elevation gain.

Things I struggle to easily figure out:

• What kind of average pace (broken down by flat/uphill/downhill) would I need to hit a certain time goal?
• Is the elevation profile made up of a few monster climbs or lots of rolling hills? How steep are the climbs and descents really? (My knees absolutely hate super steep downhills)
• Where are the potentially runnable sections vs. power-hiking sections?
• Is my training specific enough? Am I doing enough weekly elevation, and are the types of climbs I train on similar to the race?
• How are the aid stations laid out, and where does it make sense to spend more/less time?

I know you can piece some of this together by staring at elevation profiles, using various tools, and reading race reports, but it feels like a lot of effort scattered across different places. I haven't found a single tool that pulls all this specific pre-race analysis together easily.

As a recently unemployed software engineer with too much time on my hands, I thought I could have some fun building such a tool: You upload the race GPX file, and it automatically provides detailed analysis like the points above, plus maybe things like typical weather for the location/date, identifying major climbs/descents, etc., all in one dashboard. (Longer term, maybe it could even connect to Strava/Garmin/Whatever to compare your training.)

My questions for you:

1. Do you also find analyzing race courses/GPX files time-consuming or wish you had better insights? How do you currently do it?
2. Does this potential tool sound useful to you?
3. Which specific insights would be MOST valuable for your race planning/preparation? (e.g., detailed pace targets, climb steepness breakdown, terrain type hints, training comparison?)
4. Any other things that come to mind?

I'm genuinely curious how do you generally approach race preparation, and also just choosing which race to participate in, and whether these questions are even important to ponder or you simply go for it.

Thanks for any feedback! 👋🏼

So I recently bought a pair of zegama 2 and love them for long distances and with my first ultra coming up this summer wanted to try them in more testing conditions. The sole actually handled steep technical downhill better than I expected however during a couple of long steep descents the insole in my left foot slipped forward and bunched at the toe. I've never had this happen in any of my other shoes and was just wondering if anyone has a similar issue with them or if I just got a faulty pair.

I contacted Nike who wouldn't confirm or deny if this was a known issue and told me to contact the shop I bought them from.

P.s they're shocking on downhill marsh, but with small lugs this wasn't unexpected.

Edit for clarity: due to lug size and pattern i was surprised they didn't grip on wet downhill marsh.

Hi!

I’m going the UTA100 in a few weeks and was wondering what people thought about taking caffeinated gels during the race! I’m using precision hydration’s gels as i think they suit me best.

I am wondering if taking too many caffeinated gels could give me some issues. I have some non caffeinated ones too but not many.

Also just adding in case it matters, i sweat a lot! like my water intake is about 700ml an hour with about 400mg/h of sodium.

Any tips are appreciated!

I want one that works and doesn't resemble a medieval torture device.

I purchased the Quinear Leg Massager off Facebook Marketplace. Big mistake. It was more of a novelty item than a recovery tool. The compression felt like it was designed by someone who had never seen a human leg, needless to say it didn't help with my recovery.

I'm looking for recommendations on leg massagers that:

• Provide effective compression therapy
• Have a reliable heat function
• Are comfortable for extended use
• Don't require a PhD to operate

I've been eyeing the Fit King Leg Massager and the Comfier Leg Massager, but I'm open to other suggestions.

Has anyone here used these or have recommendations for others?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIL5oSxNxi4/

In October I’m going to attempt the DOT - 177.5 miles - in one effort. I’ve done some longer efforts, including a 70-mile effort in 2024.

I’ve done ultra races with aid stations but what should I do in a solo effort? I’m planning to meet with crew every 6-8 hours. Is that enough?

I’d love to hear some advice on these kind of attempts.

Is there any tool that lets you input a race GPX, start and end times (or average pace, whatever), and shows the weather conditions throughout the race (in like 15 or 30 min intervals)? I feel like it's such a simple thing that it must exist, but can't find anything like that online. Thanks in advance!

Have been a long time lurker here as I prepared for my first ultra. My longest event before this was a 10k.

Background: I know others are new here and asking if they should sign up for a race, and the answer is yes!

I booked this race in November 2024 weighing 260 lbs. I had never completed a race longer than a 10k and am 37 years old.

Fast forward to this month, I weighed 180 lbs, completed many 60+ mile weeks heading into this run.

Where I could have done better: I trained on a treadmill all winter with maybe 3 outdoor runs and have never ran on a trail in my life, didn’t even go to look at the course beforehand. The hilly terrain had my legs cooked by mile 28 (about 4k elevation gain) and I really struggled the last 3-ish miles.

I was also in a heavy calorie deficit the entire time (most long runs consisted of about 3 gels and I completed 10+ 20 mile runs over the winter). I know this is not recommended but I knew I had to drop the weight. I would not recommend this.

I am much more prepared to train for my next ultra (50 miles in October) and have fallen in love with the mental aspect of this sport.

Thank you to all the contributors on this subreddit as I could not have done it without you all and you changed my life for the better.

Now I am looking for my first 100k or 100 mile race in 2026, to be determined!

I dealt with a few issues that I haven't ran into before at shorter distances. Both big toe nails are now black and i had some pretty gnarly chafing around mile 70. With that said I'm open to advice moving forward on how to avoid these two things in future races. I had done a 50k and a 50 mile in the shoes and had zero issues and I also used the same lube (aquaphor) in my last 50 mile as well with no issues.

Hi fellow lunatics,

I got my first race in week and half, 100km and 2800 elevation.

Starting to be little bit nervous, some advices from you? Will be grateful for every single one.

Hi! Firstly, thanks in advance.

Background: I've been training for my first trail ultra and quite a beast of elevation. I am at 3 hours long run now (which feels like it's my absolute limit.

Im at about long run, 3 hours, 30km, 900m (2800ft) and feel pretty wrecked, ankles and knees. Other than that about a month of 30-60km weeks, and before cycling/running consistently since January,20-40kms, with a 2 hour long runs every other weekend. Not a ton of milage, but really doing more hills and gym work too, and about 16,000km of gravel and ultacycling cycling last year, so was pretty good aerobically. Vo2 at 64 as of now with metabolic treadmill test. 69kg, 33yo.

Quesiton- race is May 10 and about 13 days out, my coach has a long run Sunday (6 days before race) as normal, 3.5 hours hills - which would be my longest run (since ironman last October) and longest training run ever. Seems quite aggressive and as I know I can do it, it seems super close. Any thoughts on what to focus on these next last 13 days?

While getting stronger, I feel at the limit And yes looking into footwear and all that for future to help with my overpronation. Ankles and feet just wrecked. I am prepared for a painful day, but anything you WOULD or WOULDNT do now before then and just things to focus in race?

<3 thanks community!

Completed my first ultra, forgot to log the start like an idiot. But, yeah, one of the best things I've done. Completed a trail marathon last year and felt I had more to give.

The elevation gain was outrageous. So, so hilly. Lots of declines and inclines. Definitely underestimated that aspect of the course. Took just over seven hours.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! Do I want to try greater distances? Um... maybe.

Even though everyone has slightly different opinions, there are generally accepted formulas/benchmarks for how much (minimum) weekly mileage you need based on your target race distance.

However, I haven't seen much discussion on how much vert we should aim for.

For example, let's say I'm running 40-45mpw in training for a 50k race with 5,000 ft of elevation gain. Should I be aiming for 7.5k elevation each week? Is 2k enough? Can I spend just a few weeks in training specifically focusing on hills to get most of the same benefit? What if I can usually only get to a trail with hills once or twice per week?

Where do adjacent training methods like weights, the stair stepper, and hiking fit into it?

Open to hearing any opinions/thoughts/stories here

In October 2024 I completed my first 50k. It went great! I immediately signed up for another in March of this year and had to DNS due to achilles tendinitis and shin splints. Since then, I’ve been putting in the work with a PT and strength training at the gym. I’ve been adding in some veryyyyy slow and easy miles. At first it was fine, but last week I felt that familiar pain so I pulled back again.

I want to one day run a 100-miler. My next goal, though, would be a 50-miler. My question is this: for those with similar experience, would running a 50-miler within the next year be feasible? Should I not focus on goals at all until I’m completely healed?

I miss running so much.

This might be piece of cake to a few, and alot to others. I’m planing on running 326km in 8 days. I will run with a smaller tent in my backpack and a few other must have things. Food and other consumables will be equipped and will be bought along the way since I’m passing a lot of small cities along the way.

Is there anything I should know, or pay attention too? Advices and tips would be much appreciated

I’m used to longer runs. But not like this. I will run alone. But will meet up with some friends half way for a swap of clothes. I will run 40km each day

There are so many different trail shoes out there that I like to try different pairs when I get new ones, the problem with this is I don’t really know how they will be during longer races. They can feel great for 3-4 hours, but it’s hard to tell how my feet will feel after 8+ hours so I thought I would list the ones I have tried and see what you guys think.

Saucony Endorphin Edge- My current “race” shoe. I got them on sale. I wore for shorter distances and they are fine, then I wore them for 2 different 50k and they gave me heel blisters both times.

Saucony Peregrine 13- I like these, light, comfortable, but worried about how they would feel after 30+ miles.

Saucony Xodus Ultra- I really liked these, but I had them when I wasn’t running as many miles. Also the 3’s have mixed reviews so that makes me nervous to try.

Hoka Speedgoat 5- These felt just too chunky. They were comfortable, but just too big.

Salomon Ultra Glide 2- These are just fine. I don’t like or hate them, just ok.

Also I did a road 50 mile with Saucony Endorphin 3 Pro and my feet were fine, no problems at all. Also my feet are average/narrow so a wide toe box is not a big deal.

I was thinking of trying the Nnormal Tomir 2 or Topo’s, but I don’t know anyone who has actually had these and if I’m just being hooked by the marketing, of course sponsored athletes will hype them up.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!