FitFlow Blog

How Much Vert Is Enough For an Ultra?

Vertical gain targets for ultra marathons are not one size fits all. Your target depends on your race's specific profile, not just a weekly number. For a 100k with 3,000m of climbing, you need to be banking around 1,500m per week, consistently.

Races are won and lost on the climbs. For ultra runners, how much vertical gain, or "vert", you accumulate in training is a constant source of debate and anxiety. The simple answer is that your weekly vert goal must reflect your target race. A 100km race with 3,000m of climbing demands a weekly average of at least 1,500m, but consistency and specificity matter more than hitting one big number. A flatlander training for the UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) faces a very different challenge from a local prepping for a rolling 50k.

So, how much vertical gain do I actually need?

Your weekly vertical gain target is dictated entirely by your goal race's profile. A good starting point, used by many coaches, is to consistently average 50% of the race's total vertical gain as your weekly training total. For a race with 3,000 metres of ascent, that means aiming for 1,500 metres of climbing each week in your peak training block. This isn't a hard rule, but a foundational benchmark.

This principle scales. If you're targeting a 50km race with 1,500m of vert, you should aim for at least 750m of climbing per week. If the big one is a 100 miler with a monstrous 10,000m of gain, like the Hardrock 100, your weekly training needs to consistently feature 5,000m of climbing. Hitting these numbers week in, week out, is far more effective than one or two heroic mountain days followed by weeks of flat running.

Of course, life gets in the way. Not everyone has mountains on their doorstep. The key is consistency and specificity. If you can't get the vert, you need to get creative with what you have. More on that shortly.

Why is vert more than just climbing?

Vertical training prepares your body for much more than just the uphill grind; it builds crucial resilience for the entire race. The eccentric loading from running downhill is where most of the muscle damage in an ultra occurs. Without specific training, your quadriceps will be shredded long before the finish line, turning every descent into a painful hobble.

Think of vert as a multi-faceted conditioning tool. Climbing strengthens your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, building the engine for powerful ascents. It also improves your running economy, teaching your body to move efficiently when fatigued. The descents, however, are what make or break your race. They teach your nervous system to handle impact and your muscles to absorb shock, which is a skill in itself.

Furthermore, tackling vert forces you to practice skills essential for race day. You learn how to use poles effectively, how to manage effort on steep grades, and how to fuel while power hiking. You develop an internal sense of pacing that a heart rate monitor alone can't teach you. This is the art of mountain running, learned through thousands of metres of practice.

A tale of two race preps

To understand the impact of vertical training, let's look at two common race profiles and the training they demand. A "fast and flat" 50 miler versus a "technical and mountainous" 50 miler might have the same distance, but they are entirely different sports requiring separate approaches.

For the flat race, training will prioritize sustaining a moderately high pace for hours. Long runs on gentle terrain and tempo sessions are the bread and butter. For the mountain race, the focus shifts dramatically. The most important sessions become long days out in the hills, practicing climbing and, crucially, descending on tired legs.

Illustrative example: How Sarah conquered the Dragon's Back

Sarah, a 42 year old marketing director from the pancake flat Netherlands, had her heart set on completing the legendary Dragon's Back Race in Wales, a brutal multi day event with 17,400m of ascent. With no mountains nearby, she faced a huge challenge. Her first attempt, relying on long flat runs and gym work, ended on day two with obliterated quads and a DNF.

For her second attempt, she completely overhauled her training. She bought a treadmill and set it to a 15% incline in her garage, spending hours power hiking on it while watching films. Two evenings a week were dedicated to "stair laps" at a multi storey car park, carrying a weighted pack. She replaced her Saturday long run with a train journey to the Ardennes in Belgium for a full day on the hilliest terrain she could find, focusing on technical descents.

Her weekly vertical goal was a non negotiable 3,500m, a target she built using a combination of the treadmill, stairs, and her weekend trips. It was a logistical and financial commitment, but it paid off. When she returned to Wales, the climbs felt manageable, and her legs held up on the descents. She finished the race, not just surviving but feeling strong, a testament to specific, if unconventional, preparation.

How to get your vert in when you live in a flat city

Living in a flat area is a common barrier, but it is not an excuse. With some creativity, you can build the leg strength and resilience needed for a mountain ultra.

Get to know your local hills

Every town has a "that hill". Find the steepest, longest one you can and make it your friend. Hill repeats are a non negotiable staple. A good session is 10 to 15 repeats of a 2 to 3 minute hill, jogging back down for recovery. Focus on form: drive with your glutes, keep a tall posture, and use your arms.

The "Treadmill Mountain"

Do not underestimate the power of a treadmill set to its highest incline. Hours of power hiking on a 15% grade can build immense climbing specific strength. It is mentally tough, but it is one of the most effective ways to accumulate vert when you are time crunched or terrain poor.

Urban substitutes

Stairs, stairs, and more stairs. Find a tall building, a stadium, or a car park and do laps. This builds explosive power and mental grit. Box step ups, especially onto a high box and with a weighted vest, are another excellent gym based substitute that mimics the movement pattern of a steep climb.

How platforms like FitFlow build your mountain legs

For an ultra runner, progress is measured in metres climbed and hours on feet, not just kilometres covered. A platform like FitFlow understands this nuance. It is not just about logging a run; it is about capturing the data that matters for your specific goal, whether that is a flat 100k or a vertical kilometre.

An AI powered training plan can adapt to the terrain you have available. Tell it your goal race is the UTMB but you live in London, and it will build a programme heavy on treadmill hiking, stair repeats, and targeted strength work like heavy step ups and single leg squats. It intelligently balances this with your running volume to prevent injury.

By logging every session, you create a rich dataset. The platform tracks not just your weekly vert but your acute to chronic workload ratio for climbing, ensuring you are building progressively without overloading your system. When you connect your WHOOP or Oura ring, your readiness score influences the next day's plan. A low recovery might mean a scheduled hill repeat session is swapped for a flat, easy run to promote adaptation. It makes your training smarter, adapting day by day to your life and your body.

For many runners, this is about taking the guesswork out of a complex process. Athletes using FitFlow can trust their plan is always aligned with their goal, turning data into confident performance on race day.

Don't let the downhills be your downfall

Amateur runners obsess over the climbs, but experienced ultra runners know the descents are where races are truly won and lost. The eccentric muscle contractions involved in braking on a downhill create significantly more muscle damage than climbing. Without specific preparation, your quads will be screaming by the halfway point.

How do you prepare? You run downhill. A lot. It sounds simple, but it requires deliberate practice. Start with gentle, grassy slopes where you can let go and practice a fast cadence. The goal is to "float" down the hill, not slam on the brakes with every step. As you get more confident, progress to more technical terrain.

Specific strength work is also vital. Exercises like weighted squats, lunges, and especially the Nordic hamstring curl build the muscular scaffolding to handle the impact of descending. A strong core is also essential for maintaining stability on uneven ground. As the old adage says, "ascents are cardio, descents are strength".

If you are struggling with the downhills, check out our guide on how to improve your running economy for drills and tips.

Thinking about your next challenge? Perhaps it is time to move from the road to the trails. See how you can train for a marathon and a demanding trail race at the same time.

FitFlow provides a comprehensive platform for athletes to optimize their performance, track their progress, and stay motivated. With personalized training plans, advanced analytics, and a supportive community, you will have everything you need to reach your goals.

Frequently asked questions

How much vert is too much?

Too much vert is any amount that leads to injury or burnout, which is highly individual. A sudden jump of more than 10-15% in your weekly vertical gain is a common cause of issues like Achilles tendinopathy or patellar tendonitis. Listen to your body and build your vertical load gradually, just as you do with running distance.

Do I need to run all the climbs in a race?

No, and in most ultras, you absolutely shouldn't. The best ultra runners are often the most efficient hikers. A steady power hike on steep sections conserves significant energy with minimal time loss compared to running. Practice hiking in training, ideally with poles if you plan to use them in the race.

How should I adjust my nutrition for a hilly race?

Your energy demands increase significantly on climbs. Because you will be moving slower and power hiking, it is often easier to eat solid foods on the ascents. Use these sections to get in calories, saving gels and liquids for flats and gentle descents where it is harder to chew and swallow.

Is strength training necessary for trail running?

Yes, it is non negotiable for longevity and performance in the sport. A targeted strength programme focusing on single leg exercises, core stability, and posterior chain strength (glutes, hamstrings) will make you a more powerful climber and a more resilient descender. It is one of the most effective injury prevention strategies available to a runner.

What's more important: total weekly distance or total weekly vert?

For a hilly or mountainous ultra, weekly vert is arguably more important than total distance. An athlete who consistently hits their vertical targets on less mileage will often outperform an athlete with high mileage but minimal climbing. Your training should always reflect the specific demands of your goal race.