Training & preparation
Prepare for your kind of ultra.
Get to know the course, make room for the practical skills, and build a plan around your actual starting point.
Free planning tool
Put your race day on a timetable.
Add section times, stops and checkpoint cutoffs. See the margins, then print your plan.
Training & preparation
A 16-week plan for a first 50K.
A 16-week schedule for runners who already have a regular long run. Follow the time, not a target pace. Awaiting publisher review.
Read the guide02Training & preparation
An 18-week plan for a 50-mile ultra.
An 18-week schedule for runners who already have a 50K or a trail marathon behind them. The long run is measured in time, and some weekends are split across two days.
Read the guide03Training & preparation
A 20-week plan for a 100K.
A 20-week schedule for runners who already cover long trail days. It builds time on your feet, including one run that starts late enough to use your lights.
Read the guide04Training & preparation
A 24-week plan for a 100-mile ultra.
A 24-week schedule built around weekend time on your feet, not a 100-mile training run. It does not replace a race qualifier.
Read the guide05Training & preparation
Your first 50K: get the preparation straight.
Build a preparation plan around the course, your recent running and the time you have. Includes a race brief, practical rehearsals and a printable checklist for your first 50K.
Read the guide06Training & preparation
Finding the route when the markers run out.
Some ultras are taped. Some expect you to follow a national trail, including at night. Work out which job your race is giving you, then practise that job.
Read the guide07Training & preparation
The month after the finish.
The plans on this site stop on race week. Here is how to treat the weeks that follow, including when to stop and get medical help.
Read the guide08Race-day planning
Ultra cutoffs and pacing: plan the whole day.
Read checkpoint deadlines, include your stops and build a section-by-section time budget. Worked examples show why a finish-line average is only the beginning.
Read the guideMake it your own
A good race starts with a good fit.
Compare the course, the support and the practical details.
The four distance plans are awaiting publisher review. They are general schedules, not a personal programme, and they have not had an independent coaching or medical review.