I follow a few elite ultra mountain runners on Strava and was shocked by these guys casually dropping a 15-16 min 5k off of just jogging around in the mountains. Like WTF, I know guys that do all the right stuff with diet, mileage, speed work etc. and still can't break 17 minutes in the 5k. How can these guys just eat candy and jog in the mountains and just casually run a 15-16 min 5k?
Being an elite mountain runner requires you to have very good aerobic fitness, just like anyone running 5k. The guys struggling to break 17 mins are probably severely lacking in the aerobic part, and very top heavy in the anaerobic.
The reality is you don't need much speed work to run 15 or 16. Yes 15-16 is pretty fast, but it's not like, "Wow that's fast!". You would sort of expect the elite ultra runners to run this at the minimum.
these are ‘top’ mountain runners. They run all day long and train/ recover well because that is their focus. it’s not surprising they can run 15s-low 16s without flat running training. They have a huge base.
I think a lot of people underestimate the talent of the best trail guys. I am good (usually around 20-30th place in races like broken arrow, speed goat and pikes peak) but still pretty far from elite (often 10-20 min behind the winners). I’ve run 2:25 at Chicago. The best trail guys could run 2:15-2:18. In other words, they have Olympic Trials caliber talent. When you are that aerobically fit, 5:10/mile on flat roads does not require that much “speedwork” because it’s closer to threshold pace.
I’ve run 2:25 at Chicago. The best trail guys could run 2:15-2:18. In other words, they have Olympic Trials caliber talent. When you are that aerobically fit, 5:10/mile on flat roads does not require that much “speedwork” because it’s closer to threshold pace.
You know what they call 2:15-2:18 in East Africa? They call it "slow AF". And what do they call 2:25? They call it a "recovery day". America standards for what is considered a fast marathon and "Olympic Trials caliber talent" are a joke.
I’ve run 2:25 at Chicago. The best trail guys could run 2:15-2:18. In other words, they have Olympic Trials caliber talent. When you are that aerobically fit, 5:10/mile on flat roads does not require that much “speedwork” because it’s closer to threshold pace.
You know what they call 2:15-2:18 in East Africa? They call it "slow AF". And what do they call 2:25? They call it a "recovery day". America standards for what is considered a fast marathon and "Olympic Trials caliber talent" are a joke.
Do you know what they call breakfast in East Africa? They call it EPO with a side of triamcinolone acetonide
I’ve run 2:25 at Chicago. The best trail guys could run 2:15-2:18. In other words, they have Olympic Trials caliber talent. When you are that aerobically fit, 5:10/mile on flat roads does not require that much “speedwork” because it’s closer to threshold pace.
You know what they call 2:15-2:18 in East Africa? They call it "slow AF". And what do they call 2:25? They call it a "recovery day". America standards for what is considered a fast marathon and "Olympic Trials caliber talent" are a joke.
Touché. 15-16 min 5k is even more of a joke, which just proves my point.
IF THEY ARE 14:-14:30 MINUTE GUYS IN COLLEGE THEN 15'S IS A JOKE. JUST A COUPLE OF TOUCH UP 1KS WILL DO THE JOB AND MOUNATAINS TRAILS DOES BREED TOUGHNESS.
Wait until you find out there are triathletes with sub-14:00 5k PBs. A lot of ultra guys have solid PBs. The sport is getting more competitive because people in that sub elite category can piece together a living there. If you ran in college & are close but not quite at the pro level but still enjoy running the mountain scene is perfect for you, especially if you have good endurance.
I follow a few elite ultra mountain runners on Strava and was shocked by these guys casually dropping a 15-16 min 5k off of just jogging around in the mountains. Like WTF, I know guys that do all the right stuff with diet, mileage, speed work etc. and still can't break 17 minutes in the 5k. How can these guys just eat candy and jog in the mountains and just casually run a 15-16 min 5k?
A close friend of mine who’s just about to go pro as a road/trail marathon/ultra guy ran a good bit under 14:00 in college. We make fun of him when he runs a 15:30 at the turkey trot and wins by 2 minutes and call him a slow poke. Since i’m a 15:00ish guy at best, I know I’m running at least 16:30 even off of just base training.
You gotta realize that most top trail/ultra guys are people that didnt QUITE have the foot speed to be a professional on the track/roads. They were still usually upper tier collegiate athletes. If they did all of the right things you mentioned instead of chasing miles and vert, they’d be running low 14:00s if not faster.These guys are talented.
Road runners will forever underestimate trail runners because, apparently, all they do is “jog in the mountains.”
As someone who’s done all 4—college track & XC, road races, and mountain running—I saw the biggest jump in fitness when I started trail running at altitude, and racing at ski resorts (Broken arrow, cirque series etc). I matched my college 5k PR off of half the mileage.
May be worth mentioning, too, that there are other reasons someone would choose trail running besides just “not having what it takes on the roads/track.” Variety and the enjoyment to name a few…I’d love to see some of the mountain running haters try racing at 11 or 12,000ft. Your views might change.
not saying ultra runners aren't good runners, I know that there are plenty of talented people in their ranks. but "not having what it takes" is definitely the main reason. even if some of the best within the collegiate ranks decided to go to the trails, it'd be because the competition is weaker, so someone with solid enough ability would be able to compete much more readily with the worlds best than they would on the track/road.