“When should I start training for an ultramarathon?” We get two versions of this question. Runners looking to tackle their first ultra ask, “How long will it take to be prepared for my first ultramarathon?” Then there are athletes who have attempted one or more ultras and struggled. Soon after a DNF or disappointing …
How much should you run each week? The appropriate run training volume is a fundamental question every athlete asks at some point. Should you run as many hours as you have available? Should you limit your running hours or miles based on the demands of your goal event? Is there a running test or data …
Jason Koop is Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning and author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning“ Many runners injure themselves because they seek to increase performance by simply training more. Up to a certain point, a reasonable increase in overall workload (i.e., time on feet, elevation gain, strides, strength training or really anything) usually results in some …
Beta-alanine is a workout supplement that promises to reduce fatigue and increase exercise capacity. It is very popular with athletes who engage in short bouts of intense exercise (e.g., Crossfit, strength training, sprinting) but not as commonly used by endurance athlete, especially ultraendurance athletes. Would supplementing with beta-alanine improve trail and ultrarunning performance? The short …
Forty CTS Athletes are gathering in the Chamonix for the 2025 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) races, including the winner and runner up from the elite women’s Western States: Abby Hall and Fuzhao Xiang. I have attended UTMB multiple times to support athletes and it’s always a highlight of my year. As in previous years, …
Running injuries in ultramarathon training and racing are not going away. That’s a sobering fact, but the numbers don’t lie. On the training side, up to 70% of runners will become injured every year and lose at least one day of training. Racing is just as injurious. For every 1000 hours of ultramarathon racing, there …
Mental fatigue is an expected component of ultramarathon running, but there are strategies athletes and support crews can use to lessen the negative effects of a tired brain. What Mental Fatigue Looks Like in Ultramarathons We’ve all seen the scene play out. A runner’s crew enters an aid station with enough gear to supply a …
Of all the successes North American cyclists have earned at the Tour de France, only one US rider has ever won the final road stage on the Champs Elysees. Yes, Greg LeMond famously won an individual time trial that finished on the Champs to win the 1989 Tour by eight seconds over Laurent Fignon, but …
How do you follow up a 2024 season highlighted by victories at Western States Endurance Run (in the second-fastest female time on record) and Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc? For Katie Schide, it was to win the 2025 Hardrock 100 in her debut appearance and break the counterclockwise and overall female course records! Hardrock …
Fuzhao Xiang has a strong chance of becoming the first Chinese athlete to win one of ultrarunning’s most prestigious races: Western States (WSER) or Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). Her stellar performance at the 2024 WSER was the third-fastest female finish (16:20:03) in history. Athletes endured a hotter race day in 2025, …