Preparing For a Mountain Race like UTMB

Inspired by UTMB? There's a lot more than hill reps to consider when thinking about tackling your first mountain race. Mountain Leader Dan Summers, shares his top tips for race selection and we dig a little deeper into what it takes to prepare for an event like UTMB.

Choosing Your Race

"Everyone tends to focus on the distance and ascent of races but also makes sure you think about the terrain – do you prefer rough technical trails or smoother rolling trails? Try to match the trails you’ll be racing on to the type of trails you have accessible to you in training.

Think about the time of year you’ll be running. Each time of year presents different challenges. Also, don’t assume just because you’re running in the summer that you will have hot and dry weather - alpine summer races often have snow and in the UK people often have to retire from races because they have underestimated how cold it can be.

Finally, choose a place you love/are inspired by – this will help you through in the tough times of the race."

Choose Your Kit - And Practice Using It!

Think about what kit you'll need for the race and what capacity race vest you'll need to carry to fit everything, including your mandatory kit, in. Practice packing and carrying this on your training runs.

Ultra Collection

As Dan mentions above, be sure to think about the weather and spare layers for higher altitude where the temperatures will be much lower.

Will you be using poles? Think about how you'll carry these when not in use. For a race like UTMB, if you plan on using poles you'll need to carry these from the beginning (not pick them up from your drop bag). It's also worth noting that if you're flying to your race, poles cannot be taken in carry on baggage, so you'll need to have a checked bag to bring them along.

Pole Collection

Preparing For Race Day - Acclimatisation

Once you've chosen your race and as you approach race day there are some other key points to consider such as acclimatisation.