How to Train for a Stage Race
In 2023, I trained for my first stage race, a self-supported journey of 250 kms through the Atacama Desert of Chile. I did well and finished in 2nd place. After the race, I made notes about my training and, although I knew at the time that I could have done more in training, I felt that my training plan was not bad. I still believe that, but now, after coaching several racers for desert stage races in Atacama, Gobi, Jordan, Morocco, and even Antarctica, I’ve learned a few things and have updated my training philosophy and methodology. What follows is a basic outline of how to train for a self-supported desert stage race. The best plan will always be the one built specifically around the athlete, which is why I got into coaching, but hopefully the following information can provide a starting point for anyone who is considering training for one of these incredibly unique challenges.
Jeremy Inabnit running in Racing the Planet’s Atacama Crossing in Chile
THE RUNNING PROGRAM
A good running plan will help you get your fitness from where you are starting to where you want to be on race day. A common mistake is to select a program or template based only on where you want your fitness to be on race day. A runner may see a template that has a lot of volume or intensity and believe that it will deliver the fitness needed, however, if they are neglecting their starting point, and in taking on more than they can handle, they may actually set themselves up for injury, illness, or burnout.
This is why I always recommend starting training earlier than you think is necessary. Having several months available to train gives you a much better opportunity to slowly build up your training volume and intensity in a way that your body can handle and recover from. More time also makes it easier to work around unexpected obligations or illness.
What your training program should focus on each week is determined in part by how much time you have available to train. Both time in months and time available per week affect the design of the program.
As the primary goal for any stage racer would be to have strong endurance to be able to complete the distance of the race, you’ll want to include plenty of easy runs. These are often defined as Zone 2 runs, runs at a conversational pace, or runs at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 5 out of 10. With enough time to train, and depending on your fitness, including other training runs at various intensities would be highly beneficial to developing overall fitness and improving speed as well as endurance.
A weekly long run is essential, as this is where you will begin to simulate your stage race experience, although ideally, you’d keep the effort easy, as opposed to a race day effort. You’ll practice with your running nutrition and hydration strategy and eventually add weight to your pack as you prepare for the demands of carrying your gear, clothes, and food through each stage of your race.
It’s not necessary to simulate the stages in training, but ideally, at some point you should be able to complete a couple of stage-equivalent distances back to back and have at least one long run that is longer than a 50k.
Including a 50k race can be a good idea for some as this may give you a good opportunity to practice in a race environment. A race may also present more varied terrain and elevation changes than your usual training runs, all of which can provide a good training stimulus.
I quite like Coach Thomas Watson’s take on training goals, as mentioned on his website, Marathon Handbook:
“A simple rule of thumb for a stage race might be that prior to the race, you should be able to:
Do a long continuous run of 60-70 km (say 80% of the longest stage of your race)
Run two back-to-back marathons on consecutive days.”
Scott Nagao running in Racing the Planet’s Gobi March in Mongolia
RUNNING WITH A WEIGHTED PACK
Running with a weighted pack is one place that often trips runners up. Sometimes runners wait too long to train with the pack, but more often than not, the very ambitious runners start too early with a full pack, which can be up to 10-12 kg (22-25 lbs) including water. This is troublesome for at least a few reasons:
Running with a weighted pack can affect your biomechanics and running form negatively, which can increase the risk of injury. Going from 0 to 10kg, for example, can force a more extreme change in running form. Furthermore, extra care should be taken when running downhill as this adds a lot of extra stress on the musculoskeletal system.
The weighted pack adds another physical stressor and it can take away from any other training adaptations you may wish to attain if the pack reduces your ability to train at a desired intensity or duration. For example, in the early season, it may be better for some to focus on running intervals to build VO2 max.
My suggestion for most runners is to start their long runs carrying the water and food that they need to be self-sufficient for that run, meaning they won’t need to stop for refueling or refilling bottles. As the long run duration increases, so too will the weight of the necessary water and food. For example, on a 4-hour long run I may need 3-4 liters of water and several gels, chews, or bars. This could already add up to 4-5 kg (8-11 lbs).
Eventually, you can increase your weekly pack weight in increments of ½ or 1kg. I find bags of oatmeal, rice, or potatoes to be a simple way to do this. In the final months, as you’ve collected all of your race gear, you can start to practice packing with that and racing with it, but I don’t think it’s necessary to run with your specific race items every week. For most runners, the heaviest the pack should be in training should equal the estimated weight of the pack at the start of the first stage of your race, including the water needed during the run. Overloading the pack too much in an attempt to make your real starting pack weight feel relatively easy seems unnecessary and potentially problematic.
GETTING SPECIFIC
In the final months leading up to the race, you’d ideally train in environmental conditions and on terrain similar to that of your race. Due to the nature of desert races, it’s not always that simple or practical to replicate the desert environment. Going to great lengths to seek out altitude, hotter environments, or sandy terrain may be counterproductive and result in wasted time and energy. (A passive sauna protocol can be a great way to prepare your body for both heat and altitude without adding too much extra stress or pulling from limited resources.) This may be a very unsatisfying answer for many, but the absolute best way to be ready for any environment is to have a high level of fitness, which means executing consistently on a well-designed training program.
If your usual running routes are very flat, or not on trails, then a long weekend ‘training camp’ about 4-6 weeks before your race can be a good way to run on terrain that more closely resembles that of your race. You don’t necessarily need to find a desert, but someplace out of town with some footpaths and some elevation changes may already be more race-specific than what you are used to. It’s also a good opportunity to run long back-to-back runs, perhaps the lengths of the average stages, and experiment with your gear, race nutrition, and pacing strategies.
Rob Marringa running in the Marathon des Sables stage race in Morocco
STRENGTH TRAINING
With all the time and energy needed just for running, we need to have a good reason to include strength training. I believe there are three good reasons to include it:
Build strength, stability, and power to be more efficient
Prevent injuries
Enhance neuromuscular recruitment
Self-supported stage races do require more full body strength than traditional marathons or ultramarathons because of the requirement to carry all of your gear and food for the week on your back. While some choose to opt for taking very little food, I prefer to focus on building enough strength to be able to carry an adequate amount of food to fuel my race.
Strength training programming, like running programming, also needs to be designed with a specific training focus, and dependent on the athlete’s available time, level of experience with strength training, history of injuries, access to equipment, and more. The number of days for training, exercises, sets, reps, and level of intensity all depend on where an athlete is in their training season. In the early season, there may be a good reason to train 3-4 times per week, lift very heavy, and focus on building strength and/or addressing weaknesses. Closer to a race, strength training may be scaled down in all ways, including days per week, sets, and level of intensity.
MOBILITY
Having good mobility just makes everything work better. You can have a more efficient stride, better running economy, a reduced risk of injury, and less pain caused by tight muscles. Mobility exercises can be included in a running warm-up, as part of a strength training workout, or as an accessory workout on their own. Full body mobility is good for everyone, but runners especially need to make sure they have good hip, ankle, and thoracic spine mobility.
CROSS-TRAINING
I define cross-training as another modality of exercise that would be used to take the place of running. For someone who is training for a stage race, ideally most of the training volume would be spent on running, but there are a couple of situations in which cross-training might be a good option:
You need another way to build cardiovascular fitness without adding more repetitive ground force impact. Your heart, lungs, and muscles may be ready for more volume but your tendons, ligaments, and joints aren’t.
You need a mental break from running or need an alternative modality to keep up with your training. Some examples of this are someone who enjoys the peer support of a spin class or a runner who also loves cycling and wants to keep that as a part of their training routine.
Rafiq Karovaliya finishes Racing the Planet’s 20-Year Race in Jordan
SUMMING IT UP
Those are some of the elements to consider when developing your stage race training program. As I often mention when discussing training, the most important consideration in all of this is YOU. Look at everything through the lens of who you are, what you’re capable of, and what kind of program will benefit you the most. This is not always so easy or straightforward, and coaching exists for this very reason, to help athletes pull the right levers at the right time and maximize the effectiveness of their training. If you’d like more help in developing a training program that is perfectly designed for you, drop me a message.
How you train will have the greatest impact on your race performance, but there’s still a lot more that goes into preparing for a stage race. You’ll want to get your training and racing nutrition dialed in, organize your equipment and logistics well, and of course, prepare your mind for the challenge ahead. I’ll write about these other elements soon.