Having coached Timothy since he set that record, I can attest that on any given day, an 8:50/mile pace is not challenging for his cardiovascular system, even on terrain similar to that of Western States. At a pace slower than 6:00/mile, his aerobic system can keep up with his energy demand, delivering oxygen to his muscles at a rate that is sustainable with few negative byproducts. When we tested Timothy in our lab, his lactate threshold pace was under 6:00/mile. With a little effort, one can easily achieve 18-minute miles, which is a pace that would yield a 30-hour 100-mile ultramarathon finish.Īs of this writing, Timothy Olson holds the course record for the Western States 100 at 14:46:44. The preferred walking speed for the average human is around a 19-minute mile (Levine and Norenzayan 1999 Browning and Kram 2005 Mohler et al. I say this not as an opinion but as a biomechanical fact. Related: Emotional Video Follows Ultrarunner Anna Frost To Her HometownĪll reasonably healthy individuals can locomote at the necessary speed to beat the cutoffs for any ultramarathon. This is because the finish line for the elite athletes in those races often comes before the failure points discussed in this chapter have a chance to impact performance. The very small exception is elite athletes competing in 50Ks and 50-mile distances and flat 100Ks. These failure points are somewhat universal, as indicated by the research I cover further in my book, and help define the limiting factors for ultrarunning. Because so many things can go wrong, and the penalties for failure are high, “success by lack of failure” is a key element in successful ultramarathon running. They continued to be able to eat, drink, and locomote down the trail, even if it was not very fast. They prevented themselves from becoming a nauseous, sore, blistered, battered, and stumbling mess. They prevented time spent at 0 miles per hour. They achieve their goals, win races, and get those coveted belt buckles not because they ran one section very well but because they prevented the negative. In my experience, most ultramarathon athletes, even the elites, find success through a lack of failure on race day. In his book, Koop reveals his highly effective ultramarathon training methods for ultrarunners of all abilities.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!Īdapted with permission of VeloPress from Training Essentials for Ultrarunning by Jason Koop, coach to elite ultramarathoners.

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