The everyman guide to ultra running

Go ultra
It seems impossible, doesn’t it? Fifty miles. It’d take almost an hour cruising down the motorway. Odds are, though, you once viewed running a marathon as the exclusive province of elite athletes. Perhaps you still do. But it’s not. And neither is an ultra. The 150-mile Marathon Des Sables had four times as many UK entrants as places this year for good reason: all across the country ordinary men are discovering their body’s limits are far beyond what they always imagined. Whatever your excuse, MH is here to bust it and give you that friendly shove out onto the (very) long and winding road.

Myth: Extreme endurance running is bad for your heart
The most recent research on this subject, from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, found ultra-endurance competitors suffered no cardiac fatigue even after six days of non-stop exercise. Since the average work intensity of those monitored in the study was just 40%, this suggests it is exercise intensity, rather than exercise duration, which may cause heart damage.

Reap all the benefits of sustained cardio while dodging the potential pitfalls by breaking up a slow pace with periods of walking. “Introducing walking breaks makes a huge difference to your endurance and your perceptions of how far you can go,” says ultra running world-record holder William Sichel. Next time you head out for a long run, take a walking break of 5-10 minutes for every 30 minutes jogging. “Monitor how you feel at the end compared to your normal run,” says Sichel. “You will probably be amazed.”

Myth: You’ll need a complex nutritional plan
While gorging on pizza and pies in the lead up to an ultra isn’t recommended, undertaking an intricate regimen of superfoods and supplements is far from crucial. “If your goal is to finish then you needn’t worry yourself with an eating plan which requires a PhD in dietetics to understand,” says sports nutritionist Alexandra Rees.

Before
Carb loading. Count back 10 days before the race. For the first six, eat a very low carb diet. Rees suggests porridge for breakfast, an apple as a morning snack, and the rest of the day’s intake based around lean protein – with nuts and low fat yoghurt as snacks. For the last four days, simply ensure you get a good hit of carbs five times a day: porridge, fruit, jacket potatoes, rice, oatcakes, fruit loaf, and pasta are all great sources. “By first depriving the body of carbs, we are subsequently more receptive to storing it, leaving replenished energy stores for endurance work,” explains Rees.

During
You can sweat between one and three litres an hour, so perfecting sipping on the go without cramping your stomach is perhaps the most vital skill an ultra runner needs master. Drink little, drink often, and drink both water and isotonic sports drinks – which provide the glucose, sodium and potassium you need. As for food, you’ll require more than a few jelly babies, says Rees: “Add bananas, slices of orange, oatcakes, dried fruit – all in bite-sized pieces to eat on the run.” Research where the water stations are and at what distance your gel, sweet and energy bar-stocked bag will be dropped for the event.

After
Drink a recovery shake as soon as you can after finishing, and try to get 2-3g of carbohydrates for every kilogram of your body-weight – and a gram of protein for every three carbs. “Plan your post-race meals around pasta, rice, or potato with meat or beans,” says Rees. “Weigh out your carbs, divide by three, and slap that amount in protein on top.” Simple.

Myth: A terrifyingly intense training schedule is necessary
If you’re going to best 50 miles you’ll have to kiss goodbye to your social life, right? Wrong, says Sichel. “Anyone who can complete a marathon could complete an ultra, with no extra training, provided they adopt a suitable run/walk pacing strategy.”

It’s all about fastidious control of your speed. Drifting along at just under four miles an hour might seem incredibly slow, but it’s absolutely the right pace for a dedicated marathon man interested in going the extra (23.8) miles. “Even if you simply went out for a run tomorrow and maintained an average 3.75mph running/walking pace you would probably find you could cover 50 miles with no additional training at all,” says Sichel. That’s Sunday covered then.

Myth: It’s going to hurt like hell
An ultra marathon isn’t going to be a walk in the park, obviously (unless, of course, one of your ambling stints coincides with said environs), but you may well find your body’s screaming is less torturous than during a marathon.

This is thanks to those heavenly half-hour walks. “By using a run/walk pacing plan, the degree of muscle damage is reduced and competitors don’t usually experience a rising spiral of pain,” says Sichel. “Typically, there’s good and bad phases – often with a good patch in the final stages.” Sprint finishing an ultra marathon? Now there’s an endurance attainment really worth bragging about.

Ready already?
September’s London to Brighton ultra winds for 56 miles through the beautiful countryside of three counties – Kent, Surrey and Sussex – ending at the perfect seaside spot for some well-deserved celebrations.

Lakeland’s 50 and 100 mile jaunts take place in July. There’s six manned checkpoints with food and drink available on the 50 and it ascends a measly 3100m over rough terrain. Easy.

After something a bit more tricky? The second Thames Ring race will span four days, cover 250 miles, and take place over the same days as Glastonbury: June 22-26. Painful? No doubt. But not half as soul-rending as forking out hundreds of pounds to watch a man in his late forties who calls himself The Edge play guitar.