I had a love affair with Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB®) which took me around the massif four and a half times (five and a half if you count a recce). The course, largely following popular hiking route Tour du Mont Blanc, is a belter, the competition is intense and the crowds are large in number and loud in voice.
Jump to the training plan (includes PDF download)
It’s a special event. But while your ears will hurt from all the cowbells, your quads can take an absolute battering if you’re under-prepared. The Alps have longer descents, albeit largely on good trails, than we generally find in the UK.
It could be a mistake however, to focus on vertical gain (vert) for months beforehand. Muscular adaptations are easy-come-easy-go, so the eight weeks before the race is the key time for hurty vert (and strong downhills, for leg conditioning). Before that, aim to get as aerobically fit as possible, work on speed and your running economy.
WHO THIS PLAN IS FOR
Ideally you will have completed a 100-mile race before UTMB®, as with 30,000ft of vert it’s likely to take significantly longer than most UK 100s. You should also start this plan with around three months of good training (30-50 miles a week) in your legs.
Always think about your lifestyle when not running. Good fuelling and sleep, reduced stress and so on are crucial, especially around bigger training weeks, to allow adaptations to take place, rather than injury.
DAMIAN HALL’S 16-WEEK UTMB® 100-MILE TRAINING PROGRAM
It's important you read the training guidelines in conjunction with this program, as it explains the sessions in more depth.
| Week | Mon | Tues | Weds (all workouts bookended by 2-3 miles easy) | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
1 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 6 x 20s hill strides | Easy 6-8 miles + 6 x 30s hill strides | Easy 6 miles | Rest | Easy 12 miles on trails | Easy 6-8 miles |
| 2 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 6 x 20s hills | 10 x 1min slight hills | Easy 8 miles | X-train 45-60mins | Easy 14 miles on trails | Easy 10 miles on trails |
| 3 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 6 x 20s hill strides | 15 x 1mins | Easy 10 miles | X-train 45-60mins | Easy 16 miles on trails | Easy 10-12 miles on trails |
| 4 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 10 x 2mins | Easy 8 miles | Easy 4-5 miles | Easy 13 miles on trails | Easy 6-8 miles |
| 5 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 8 x 3mins | Easy 10 miles | Easy 5-6 miles | Easy 15 miles on trails | Easy 10 miles on trails |
| 6 | Rest | Easy 10 miles + 6 x 20s hills | 5 x 3mins hills + 15mins tempo | Easy 10 miles | Easy 6 miles | Easy 17 miles on hilly trails | Easy 12 miles on trails |
| 7 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 20mins tempo | Easy 6-8 miles | Rest or X-train | Easy 14 miles on trails | Easy 10 miles |
| 8 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 6 x 20s hills | 30mins tempo | Easy 8-10 miles | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | Easy 18 miles on hilly trails | Easy 12 miles |
| 9 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 6 x 30s hills | 45mins tempo | Easy 10 miles | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | Easy/moderate 20 miles with 6,000ft vert and 20mins tempo after warm-up | Easy 14 miles on trails |
| 10 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 3x 3/2/1mins | Easy 8 miles | X-train 45-60mins | Easy/moderate 16 miles with 5,000ft vert and practise race fuelling (60-90g carbs/hr) | Easy 10-12 miles on trails |
| 11 | Rest | Easy 10 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 6 x 2min hills | Easy 12 miles | Easy 8 miles + 4 x 30s hills | Easy/moderate 24 miles with 8,000ft vert (or B race) | Easy/mod 18-20 miles with strong downhills (rest after B race) |
| 12 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 5 x 3min steep hills | Easy 8 miles | Easy 6 miles | Easy 15 miles with 30mins tempo after warm-up | Easy 10 miles |
| 13 | Rest | Easy 10 miles + 6 x 30s hills | 60mins moderate/ tempo | Easy 12 miles | Easy 6-8 miles + 4 x 30s hills | Easy 25-30 miles with 8,000ft+ vert + all race kit | Easy 14-16 miles with strong downhills |
| 14 | Rest | Easy 8 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 5 x 3min hills + 15min tempo | Easy 8 miles | Easy 5-6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | Easy/moderate 18 miles on trails with vert | Easy 10-12 miles |
| 15 | Rest | Easy 6 miles + 4 x 30s hills | 20min tempo over hills + 5 x 1min steep hills | Easy 6 miles | Easy 4 miles or rest | Easy 12 miles on trails | Easy 6 miles or rest |
| 16 | Rest | Easy 2 miles, 2 miles marathon effort, easy 2 miles | Rest/mental prep | 3 miles easy shakeout run | RACE DAY! | RACE DAY! | GELATO! |
Damian after finishing 5th in the 2018 race, together with fellow INOV8 ambassador Hallvard Schjolberg who was 4th
DAMIAN’S TOP 5 TIPS FOR RACING THE UTMB®
- Check the mandatory kit list early as it’s pretty specific and items will be thoroughly checked at registration. The weather could do anything
- You may want to get to the start early as the narrow area starts to fill up from around two hours beforehand
- It’s crucial to aim to leave Courmayeur (around halfway), feeling good
- Put your poles away on flats and downhills, otherwise there’s more temptation to hike when it’s not necessary and you’ll likely eat more. Talking of which, low mood = eat food
- Don’t be a hero in the first half, don’t be a wimp in the second