Defining your training precisely will certainly be one of the key steps in preparing for the UTMB®. Planning and organising your training is essential to handle the workload required to complete the race in optimal conditions, without risk of failure or injury.
Setting a schedule and a training plan
One of the first steps is to put together a calendar that maps out month by month and week by week the workload to complete and the nature of the sessions, with intermediate goals (shorter races or trails) and dedicated mountain stays. For a concrete week-by-week plan, check out our dedicated article: training plan to complete the UTMB®.
The main session types
A UTMB® training programme rests on a few complementary pillars: base endurance (low-intensity sessions to accustom the body to duration), hill and elevation work, long runs that simulate real race conditions, and back-to-back weekends that stack a large volume over 2–3 consecutive days to test the body and equipment. Each of these session types is covered in a dedicated article in our preparation guide.
Training in the mountains and on flat terrain
If you're lucky enough to live in a hilly or mountainous area, you have very different resources available compared to someone who has to train from a flat region. But even on flat terrain, there are always ways to train for mountain ultra-trails with specific exercises and a bit of organisation.
Further reading
Photo credits: Clément Dumas, Delphine Daniélou.
