A core session in your UTMB® training plan will be hill workouts with significant elevation gain, simulating the climbs and descents you will face on race day. The UTMB® course accumulates roughly 9,900 m of positive elevation: training specifically for vertical gain is not optional.
Choosing a significant climb
Depending on the local terrain near you, choose a hill that offers 500 to 1,000 m of elevation gain. If this is unavailable in your area, pick the closest significant hill and repeat it as many times as necessary to build up the target elevation.
Running uphill and downhill sessions
The UTMB® course features long climbs followed by equally long descents that can be brutal on the body if you are unprepared. You will need to train yourself to absorb massive terrain shifts.
Regarding timing: one session per week during the specific phase, with a minimum of 500 m of accumulated elevation, then one session every fortnight over the last two months, as the volume of long runs takes over. The aim is to fatigue your muscles and teach them to respond better to terrain demands, while developing alpine running instincts.
Working on downhill technique
Unlike short hill interval sessions, the goal here is to descend for a long and continuous duration to adapt the body to the repeated impact of the long UTMB® descents.
Key technical points:
- Keep your chest leaning slightly forward, not back as natural instinct dictates.
- Shorten your stride and increase cadence rather than braking on your heels.
- Keep your eyes focused well ahead to anticipate the terrain, rather than staring at your feet.
- Relax your shoulders and arms, which serve as balancers.
Running downhill at a sustained pace works the quadriceps eccentrically—contracted and lengthened at the same time—exactly as during the race. This is the most effective training for enduring the UTMB®, but it is also the most physically demanding movement in running. Introduce it gradually: controlled descents during the first few weeks, then a few faster reps only once your muscles have adapted. If muscle soreness lasts more than three days, the dose was too high.
Complementary strength training
Alongside your hill sessions, targeted strength training—squats, lunges, and core work once or twice a week—helps you absorb elevation gain and loss better. It strengthens the quadriceps, calves, and ankle stabilisers heavily taxed in the mountains, reducing the risk of injury on rough terrain.
Frequently asked questions
How to train for elevation gain in trail running?
By combining several methods: long hill runs with 500 to 1,000 m of elevation gain to adapt the body to sustained climbs and descents, technical downhill work, and targeted strength training to protect joints.
How long before the UTMB® should you start this type of session?
Include at least one weekly elevation session as soon as you enter the specific phase, around 3 to 4 months before the race, progressively increasing the cumulative elevation gain per session.
Should you run fast downhill in training?
Only progressively. Eccentric downhill work is the most specific to the UTMB®, but also the most taxing on the body. Start with controlled descents and only increase the pace once your muscles have adapted.
Find out more
- Improving downhill trail running
- Long runs to prepare for the UTMB®
- Interval training to prepare for the UTMB®
- Altitude training to prepare for the UTMB®
Photo credits: Clément Dumas, Delphine Daniélou.
