What is a multi stage ultra marathon?
Are you searching for a once in a lifetime experience that will challenge you, has bags of adventure and breath-taking views? Let me introduce you to the multi-stage ultramarathon.
What is a multi stage ultra marathon?
An ultra-marathon by definition is anything over a marathon distance. So, anything over 26.2 miles (so yes 26.3 is “technically” an ultra). There are two main types of ultra-marathons: single day event and the multi day event.
A multi day ultra is held over more than one day. The total distance across the days needs to be more than 26.2 miles but each individual day does not. And they usually take place in spectacular and remote places that you never would have dreamt of visiting on holiday before.
Some are self-supported, which means to add to the challenge of not only conquering an ultra, you will also need to carry everything you need for the duration of the race on your back in a rucksack. This will include all the mandatory gear stipulated by the event organisers, your food, the clothing you want to wear and any luxury items. The average weight for competitors is usually approximately 10kg. Although multi stage events from RacingThePlanet and Beyond the Ultimate are self-support, there are event organisers out there (such as Ultra X) who offer the supported option so it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker.
Is it much harder than a regular marathon?
The pace is much slower. In fact, you don't have to run them at all, many choose to walk the entire course and still finish well within the cut-offs. Some might even say they are easier. Your body certainly won't feel as beat up after a multi-stage compared to a regular road marathon.
As the focus is on enjoyment over pace and for many the goal is simply to finish. No one will ask you how long it took because you freaking finished a 250km multi-stage ultramarathon but they might tell you they don't like to even drive that far.
You don't necessarily need to log more mileage than you would do training for a typical road marathon but the type of sessions you do are likely to differ. Back-to-back training sessions, strength training and learning to walk will be key.
How much do you normally walk?
Most people will typically use a run/walk strategy for the entire event, but this largely depends on your goals, fitness level, type of terrain you are covering on the course and how heavy your backpack is.
Events are set up to allow for generous cut-off times so you can walk the entire way and still have plenty of time to spare. You are practically encouraged to walk, so don't feel ashamed to do so, even the pros do it.
Approximately only 20% of competitors will run most of the course, 60% will combine running with walking, and 20% will walk the entire thing. From the Project: Breaking 250 group who went out to Lapland this year 40% of my group hiked the entire course and this is what they set out to do and trained for. The rest of the group used a run/walk strategy with some running more than others.
Like anything in ultra running don't be afraid to walk early on before you feel like you need to. It will be your saving grace in the later miles. It's your race so go at your pace.
How do you approach training?
Training for your first multi-stage ultra-marathon can often feel scary and intimidating but don't feel like you need to hold back from signing up because you think you need to dramatically scale your training.
From the Project: Breaking 250 group this year as an average, they dedicated 9 hours of training each week across all workout types and the single longest training session was 50km.
Of course, there were weeks when this was much lower. In the first 8 weeks training cycle this was no more than 60 minutes daily across all workout types and in the later stages this averaged out at 1 hour 45 minutes with the peak week topping out at 2 hours daily for 4 consecutive weeks.
If you are interested in finding out what it really takes to train for your first multi stage ultra marathon, I opened up the training logs (anonymously of course!) from my Project: Breaking 250 group this year to help debunk some of the myths and really be honest with you about the minimum time you should be looking to commit.