Ultra-endurance running: An analysis of current trends in preparation and training for competition
August 2009 - see the results Paul has collated - HERE
January 2010 - Pauls latest findings and stats - HERE
In the spring of 2007, I completed a long held ambition to compete in the legendary Marathon des Sables (MdS), one of the most established multi-stage footraces in the world. Having first read about the race some ten years ago, I had revisited the idea of entering many times, only to continually place it in the ‘to do at some stage’ file. After many years of procrastination I decided, in 2005, to bite the bullet and finally entered the event.
As a runner with many years of experience in events from 5k to marathon, I immediately began to consider what the optimal training and preparation should entail for such a race. The area of multi-stage ultra-running was new territory for me, however, and so I began to compile research in as methodical fashion as possible. My professional background is as a lecturer in sport science at the University of Lincoln, with a particular interest in exercise physiology, and I started my search for knowledge through the traditional scientific sources. However, it quickly became apparent that this was an area of study where there is a complete dearth of knowledge, with research articles examining the training and preparation for ultra-endurance exercise being particularly thin on the ground. What little exists in this field is limited, with the focus generally concentrating on other endurance sports, such as Ironman triathlon or long distance cycling (eg. Tour de France and RAAM). Studies which have been conducted on ultra-running have tended to use a case study approach, ie. small samples of individuals within one race, and be narrow in their data collection procedures, for instance examining biochemical markers as an indication of the physical demands of such racing. Very few have looked at training methods and race preparation for ultra-endurance exercise of any kind and there is next to nothing on multi-stage running.
So, having drawn very little from this search, I turned to the ultra-racing community in general and now found a plethora of sources to draw valuable information from. There exists here a growing number of internet sites, dedicated to ultra-endurance racing of many kinds, coupled with online fora, to discuss and debate aspects of preparation for this type of event. It was from these, together with one or two textbooks and my own knowledge as a runner and sport scientist, that I compiled my training programme for the eighteen month lead into the MdS. However, there was, running throughout all of this, an ad-hoc experimental feel and it was only with continual reflection and tweaking of the programme, did I arrive at the start-line in Morocco with any feelings of confidence. In the end it was solely by crossing the finish-line at the conclusion of the race that I knew I had done enough and it immediately made me reflect further on this ‘hit and miss’, experiential approach that many ultra-runners must have gone through over the years and the seeds of a research programme were sown.
In mid 2007, following my return to the University, I began to contact a number of runners who had been part of the MdS that year to discuss whether they’d be interested in being included in this new research programme at Lincoln. Also, I started to make a number of approaches to individuals who organized ultra-races around the UK and contacted the main ultra-running websites to post messages for people who were interested in joining the research project. Gradually a subject group took shape and the first part of the programme was rolled out towards the end of 2007. This consisted of each subject receiving a copy of a questionnaire, which was devised to collect information on the following: participation in ultra-racing, history of competition in single and multi-stage events, training schedules, perceived strengths and weaknesses of preparation for events, technical aids used in training and history of injury. The topics were selected on the basis that the research aimed to establish benchmarks that may exist within the group and to investigate areas of commonality and diversity, in terms of preparation and training for ultra-endurance races, and look at themes that may arise from the various levels of competitor.
The questionnaire was self-administered, with directions given towards its completion, and encouragement offered to add detail wherever necessary to increase the depth and breadth of information obtained. Further help was offered and clarification was made available whenever subjects requested this. The runners were asked to complete and return this as soon as feasible and, after several months of data collection, the analysis of the results began.
In total 44 runners (34 males and 10 females) completed the questionnaire and they ranged from 21 to 60 years of age, with the majority being between 36 and 50 years old, with between less than one year and up to sixteen years of ultra-running experience. There was an enormous range of knowledge and ability within the group, with some of the athletes having just commenced their ultra-running career, and involved in training for their first event, and others having completed up to 209 single stage ultras. The average, though, was around 10-20 ultra races completed, indicative of the recent growth of participation in this branch of running. By far the most common race distance completed in single stage ultras was sub 50 miles (35 subjects), with only 17 subjects having raced between 50 and 70 miles, 15 completing 70-100 mile events and only 7 racing further than 100 miles. Experience in the multi-stage events was, as expected, less common, with 30 of the participants having undertaken at least one of these style races, 18 having experienced more than one and only 4 subjects having completed more than five.
The motivational factors for competing in ultra-running was an area for questioning and the most common reasons stated here were ‘to push oneself/as a physical test/for the challenge’ (27 respondents), ‘for the scenery/variety of countryside/visit new places’ (14 respondents), ‘to increase or maintain fitness and health’ (9 respondents), to ‘meet new people/comradeship/spirit of the events’ (8 respondents) and ‘personally suited to the longer distances’ (8 respondents). These results tended to indicate the more ‘inclusive’ nature of ultra-running and the fact that this style of running was seen more for its cathartic value and operates on a more personal and emotional level, where competition in the purist sense of beating others was not as highly valued. Only 2 participants indicated that their motivation was ‘to win races’, ‘to finish in the top 3’ and/or ‘to be the best’. When ambitions and goals for future events were discussed most subjects mentioned ‘to race abroad/compete in different races’ (31 respondents) and ‘to improve times/PBs’ (15 respondents), reinforcing the comments made previously.
The next section of the questionnaire examined the techniques and approaches applied to training for ultras. 75% of the subject group indicated that they followed a training plan, but that this was based on an anecdotal and experiential foundation, where ‘trial and error’ and research from websites was the principal source of their information. This was unsurprising, given my own experiences when compiling my MdS training schedule, and only served to reinforce that lack of science and objectivity applied to many ultra-running programmes.
In terms of make-up for the training plans, most runners were split between basing their training primarily on long runs, with occasional higher quality work, such as intervals, hill reps, etc. (16 respondents) and those who advocated a mix each week of long, tempo, interval and recovery runs (16 respondents). Again, with little scientific work on the value of quality versus quantity in ultra-running schedules, this raised the question about the need to examine this area in an objective, methodical fashion.
The issue of average and peak mileage also brought out a range of responses from the runners. The average mileage covered per week (mpw) ranged typically from 21 to 50 (36 respondents), with 5 subjects indicating that they did between 50-80mpw. This was then increased by most to between 40-70mpw (22 respondents), with 9 covering between 80-100mpw and only 1 going over the 110mpw mark. There appeared to be no distinct link between mileage covered and performance levels, but more detailed analysis is required on an individual level, as the information provided by the athletes in the questionnaire was only a 'broad brush' approach in relation to these two variables. Indications are though, that some of the 'top' runners are performing well on only 40-60 miles a week, whereas some of the 'back markers' are doing at least the equivalent or maybe even more (upto 80-90 mpw). The subjective feeling from the data is that the top performers tend to work harder and undertake more quality work than the completers, but this requires more scientific analysis than the questionnaires could provide.
Most athletes are completing their average distance with between 3 to 5 runs per week (27 respondents), with only 9 subjects indicating that they ran 6 or more times per week. The two areas of change during peaking were to increase the distance of long runs (27 respondents) and increase the number of long runs (11 respondents). The area of greatest change in preparation for multi-stage events is in an increase in back-to-back long runs (7 respondents), increased use of rucksack/loaded running (6 respondents) and increased use of quality work, eg. speed and hill reps (5 respondents), but even here 18 respondents indicated that there was no significant change for them in preparing for a multi-stage event from that of training for a single-stage race.
Around 75% of the group followed broadly the practice of periodization in their training plans, with the majority considering the use of tapering before events (25 respondents) and developing their endurance through blocks or cycles of long distance work (15 respondents). 39 of the runners (89% of the subject group) used a diary to record their training, but most noted only mileage covered (29 respondents), timings (23 respondents) and subjective feelings/mood (15 respondents). Very few were any more detailed or scientific about their recording. Finally around 60% of the group use training aids (16 use heart rate monitors and 7 use a Garmin) to assist their exercise plan, but only 20% of the group (8 respondents) had received any sport science support in their running careers.
The diversity of training practice is unsurprising, given that many runners are balancing work, family and other commitments with the demands of their training programmes and there are a number of possible research questions to pose here for future examination. What is the minimum mileage that an ultra-runner should consider in order to complete an event? How does this differ for single stage ultras of, for example, 40 miles in comparison to ultras of 100 miles? What type of training and distance per week should a multi-stage ultra schedule consist of? Is this significantly different to a single-stage ultra? What is the value and benefits of quality work to both single and multi-stage runners? Does completing a programme of 100mpw significantly improve the performance of an athlete over one comprising 80mpw? Or 60mpw? Or is this an area of diminishing returns, where the increased risk of injury and illness outweigh the benefits of the larger mileage? Can training principles such as periodization and aids such as diaries, heart rate monitors and sport science support be used more scientifically to assist in helping the ultra-community? One possible future angle for the research would be to look at a training group and assess the differences that exist in terms of quality and quantity and how this relates to race performance over a period of time. Obviously the genetic make-up of the runner is the real key, as you can only do so much with what God gives you, but it's interesting to see how ultra-runners can maximise this potential!
The ability to accurately answer these questions is obviously undermined at present by the lack of well controlled research conducted by the sport science community and it is the aim of the research team at Lincoln to begin to focus on these questions over the next few years. The next stage in the research programme has begun, and is focussing on building a comprehensive physiological profile of the ultra-running community, from ‘completers’ to ‘elite’. Runners are currently coming into the human performance centre at the University of Lincoln and here we are conducting a battery of tests to collect data on a number of parameters, such as running economy, lactate threshold and VO2 max values. Once this picture is complete in late 2008, it is the aim to then take the project into the field and collect data during races, in order to draw comparisons between levels of runner and relate their performance at single and multi-stage ultras to the baseline measures established in the laboratory. In relation to that, the first stage of the research in the field is to look at taking heart rate, blood lactate/glucose and other biochemical markers at races and match these indicators with the data from the lab. It's of interest to see where individuals are working in relation to, for instance, their personal VO2 max, lactate threshold, HR max, etc. Is there commonality between runners, so does subject X, an ‘elite’ competitor, race in ultras at 70% of his/her VO2 max and is this matched by subject Y at the back of the pack, a person whose relative VO2 max values are inferior, or are they working at less than or more than this relative percentage? Some researchers have also previously mentioned the concept of an 'ultra-endurance threshold' (UET), a level which may be fixed and could be relative to a measurable commodity, e.g. an individual's lactate threshold or certain percentage of HR/ VO2 max, etc. This interesting hypothesis has yet to be scientifically explored to any great extent, but if this does exist then it would be highly relevant to race strategy and training paces for all levels of runner. With all of this in mind we can start to explore some of the questions posed above and begin to provide the ultra-running community with a plethora of information related to training programmes, preparation and race performance.
If you are interested in finding out more and/or would like to be a part of this research project then please feel free to contact me at: pmurgatroyd@lincoln.ac.uk
