PRO Team Update: Kallum's Prep for Nice 100

Last time we caught up with Kallum, he’d just taken the win at the Bjelasica Trail 60K in Montenegro. Next up is something even bigger: the Nice 100.

Last time we caught up, you’d just won the Bjelasica Trail 60K in Montenegro. What’s been happening since then and how did you come out of that race physically and mentally?

I came out of Montenegro in a good place physically and was able to get straight back into training after a couple of easy days. The biggest lesson was how important efficient hiking is on long, steep climbs. I’d done almost no specific hiking beforehand and got dropped pretty quickly on the opening climbs, then spent about 15 miles working my way back to the front.

That was a bit of a mental shock too. I used to be pretty good at “yomping” from my Royal Marines days, but apparently if you stop doing something for years you get worse at it. Funny how that works!

The positive was that I could recover quickly once the terrain became more runnable, make time back on the descents and eventually win the race. It was a great learning experience and a brilliant race in some spectacular mountains.

Your next big target is the Nice 100. How has training shifted as you move from a 60K race towards taking on 100 miles?

The Montenegro 60K was always more of a stepping stone towards Nice. It gave me a good mountain training day with over 10,000 ft of climbing and, more importantly, highlighted what I needed to work on.

Since then I’ve sacrificed some of the faster sessions I normally enjoy for much more race-specific work: incline treadmill intervals, StairMaster sessions, strength work, steep hill reps, pole practice and plenty of training on tired legs.

The overall volume has increased too, although there’s always a balance. I work full-time and have two little ones at home, so running has to fit around the things that matter more. I don’t have mountains on my doorstep in NW London, so I’m basically trying to manufacture them using whatever I have available.

What does training look like in these final weeks before Nice? Are there any particular sessions, terrain or areas you’re focusing on most?

There isn’t much fitness left to gain now, so the focus is mainly on sharpening the areas that are specific to Nice without carrying too much fatigue into race week.

I’ll probably get another long, undulating 20+ mile session in at Wendover Woods, plus one or two pole-focused hill sessions. I’ll keep some incline treadmill and StairMaster work in over the next week, then start backing things off with roughly a one-week taper.

What’s the goal for Nice? Are you thinking about position and performance, or is the approach more about managing the race and seeing what happens?

Nice is completely outside my normal comfort zone. I’m much more experienced at faster, runnable ultras, whereas this is 100 miles through proper mountain terrain with roughly 30,000 ft of climbing.

There will be a huge field and some very experienced mountain runners, so I have to be realistic about that. My primary goal is to finish and manage the race properly. It’s probably the most physically demanding event I’ve ever entered.

That said, I know what I’m like once I put a race number on. If I’m still moving well and there’s an opportunity to be competitive, I’m not going to ignore it. I just don’t want chasing positions early to stop me reaching Nice.

You’ve been testing some of Harrier’s new kit along the way. What have you been reaching for most in training, and what’s earned a place in your race-day kit for Nice?

The biggest change has definitely been poles. They’ve become a regular part of my training now, particularly the new gloved prototypes, which I’ll be racing with in Nice.

I’ve started to appreciate just how much energy you can save by using poles properly on long climbs where running simply isn’t economical.

My planned Harrier kit also includes the Prototype Waterproof Jacket, Waterproof Trousers, Thorpe Baselayer, Mini First Aid Kit, soft cup, Prototype Technical Race T-Shirt and Tube Scarf.

For 100 miles, getting your kit right might make a big difference. What are the pieces of gear you absolutely wouldn’t want to be without? 

For Nice, the poles are probably top of the list. With around 30,000 ft of climbing, anything that helps spread the workload and makes the long ascents more efficient is going to be valuable.

Good waterproofs and a warm base layer are equally important. One of the challenges with Nice is the potential variation in conditions. You could be dealing with near-freezing temperatures above 2,000 metres and then much warmer conditions closer to the coast later in the race.

Over 100 miles, you need kit that works across that whole range rather than just dressing for the conditions at the start line.

Have you learned anything from testing the kit in training that’s changed what you’ll carry or wear at Nice?

Definitely. The biggest change is that I now see poles as part of my race system rather than something I might use if things get difficult. Practising with them has shown me how much more efficient they can make sustained hiking, so the gloved prototypes will be used from much earlier in the race than I probably would have considered before Montenegro.

I’ve also become more conscious of managing temperature rather than simply carrying kit to satisfy the mandatory list. With the potential difference between conditions high in the mountains and down near the coast, having lightweight waterproof layers and something like the Thorpe Baselayer gives me options without carrying unnecessary bulk.

The main lesson has probably been that for a race this long, every bit of kit needs to have a clear purpose.