why do elite ultra-runners weigh more than elite marathoners?

Ultra runners aren't the same level of elite as marathoners.

That said, more muscle mass means more glycogen stores

Years ago, when I started trainging with an ultra crowd, I noticed after a couple months I had gained five pounds. I asked about it and was told, "Everyone gains weight when they move up to ultras."

Obviously there are exceptions, especially at the top level, which I decidedly was not. I think for the rest of us, it's two factors.

Trails are uneven. My thighs got thicker and my glutes got bigger. Part of this is due to recruiting more fibers due to the uneven terrain. Distance runners go more or less in a straight line with a few turns over *relatively* flat terrain. Trail running is constantly changing direction with lots of ups and downs.

Prior to ultra training, my thighs looked skinny from the front/back, but muscular from the side. After ultra training, my thighs were noticeably wider from the front.

The second factor has already been discussed. The body adapts to burning more fat, so it tends to accumulate more fat. At the very top level, this probably doesn't happen because weight is more closely monitored than among recreational ultra runners.

Rio Bandwagon wrote:

I read something Dean Karnazes or one of the older ultra guys said and it has stuck with me. He said one of the most important things he sees as physically beneficial to ultra training is body symmetry. Most have one leg longer than the other, a slightly curved spine, something. He says he's totally balanced, so all of the crazy mileage he does lands exactly evenly on each foot, bone, joint, muscle, ligament etc.

it makes sense. i know all of the running related injuries I've ever had are imbalance ones.

This *may* make sense for roads but trails are ... wait for it... uneven.

Dean also mainly ran ultras on the road I believe. He's a pretty small guy too....5'8" 140 lbs tops I'd say.Max King...(a beast)...also about 5'6" or 5'7" build very solid, but prob. 135lbs to 140lbs tops. He'd crush basically all ultra-trail runnesr at a road 50km or obviously a marathon...but he's yet to win any trail-mountain ultra with more than 6000' of climbing. Hopefully this year he'll do much better at Comrades as it's a "down year."Killian is also about 5'6" to 5'7"...prob. 130-135lbs. You just don't compare road ultras to trail/mountain ultras. Vertical profile and terrain matter more than sheer distance. For sure a faster marathoner has a huge advantage though. Some can transition to hills well....others can't. It's all about variable running economy and some can be trained but other aspects come with musculature/fiber type. Finally you just have a really small sample size with ultra runners (compared to marathoners). We're just scratching the surface of what's possible in the sport and there are many, many CRs and "world records" that can be taken down with more numbers and talent in the sport.

middle.professor wrote:

Rio Bandwagon wrote:

I read something Dean Karnazes or one of the older ultra guys said and it has stuck with me. He said one of the most important things he sees as physically beneficial to ultra training is body symmetry. Most have one leg longer than the other, a slightly curved spine, something. He says he's totally balanced, so all of the crazy mileage he does lands exactly evenly on each foot, bone, joint, muscle, ligament etc.

it makes sense. i know all of the running related injuries I've ever had are imbalance ones.

This *may* make sense for roads but trails are ... wait for it... uneven.

Elite Ultramarathoners like ...Alberto SalazarSipho NgomaneStephen MuzhingiLudwick MamaboloGift Kelehe???Or are you guys making the assumption that American ultra/trail runners are the elite ultrarunners?

seriousquestion wrote:

any thoughts...

why do elite ultra-runners weigh more than elite marathoners?

They former run as much if not more than the latter in training - yet they seem to weigh much more.

cl wrote:

jaguar1 had no power on the trails at Lake Sonoma. She looked tremendously weak.

I've had a bum hamstring the past 6 wks and had to focus on getting healthy and couldn't put in the proper training. 3 weeks ago I couldn't run at all, but I got myself healthy enough to at least start and learn what I could from the experience. My butt is locked and got worse as the race went on-- your power comes from your butt. I'm working with a massage therapist to loosen everything. I certainly learned a lot to work on to prepare for my next trail race, but most importantly right now I need to get healthy so I can run like myself. I'm very candid about my mistakes, health, and look forward to working to improve!

Camille: I had a similar issue a few months ago, and even with massage, activation exercises, etc., it was very intransigent. What has really helped me get back to "normal" training has been to dovetail cross-training, mainly on a stationary bike, so that I run every other day, yet am building fitness, while minimizing the niggles much less injuries.

seriousquestion wrote:

any thoughts...

why do elite ultra-runners weigh more than elite marathoners?

Ha, trick question. Isn't such a thing as an elite ultra runner!

U Asked For It wrote:

Camille: I had a similar issue a few months ago, and even with massage, activation exercises, etc., it was very intransigent. What has really helped me get back to "normal" training has been to dovetail cross-training, mainly on a stationary bike, so that I run every other day, yet am building fitness, while minimizing the niggles much less injuries.

Thanks for the feedback-- I appreciate it! I've had hammy issues in the past, and each time it's a little different and requires trial and error figuring out what helps it. It's been an interesting process trying to rest and then train at a level that allows it to continue to heal, while working with the healthcare professionals to figure out how to make it strong and functional again. It's been 5 steps forward and 2-3 steps back-- work it a little, but not work it too much and aggravate it again. I'm trying to remain patient with it. I'm blessed I got healthy enough in a short period of time to start, finish, and experience it all. Lake Sonoma was an amazing first trail race!

seriousquestion wrote:

any thoughts...

why do elite ultra-runners weigh more than elite marathoners?

They former run as much if not more than the latter in training - yet they seem to weigh much more.

I think your assumption is that ultra-runners run more, consistently, then elites. And I'd imagine that the assumption is wrong.

From my experience, ultra-runners tend to have punctuated training cycles. Ultimately leading to them suffering from an injury because they are trying to do too much too soon or just too much in general.

ultra-runners in general, are usually gimmicky types of runners. They pride themselves on running 100+ miles on minimal to no training. Of course, that's also abusing the word 'running' since most do some form of run and walk through such an event. While actual racing involves keeping up a high intensity for the entire distance, this means you have to take training serious so that your body can adapt to such stress. And so this is the fundamental difference between the two groups, and where the latter group is, on average, burning more calories over time.

One of the best in the business, Rob Krar, is 5'8" and weighs 130 lbs (quoted in 2013).

[quote]Get used to it.. wrote:

My nephew is 6'4" and weighs 135 lbs. He is much skinnier than Teg and my nephew doesn't run at all. Running doesn't make you skinny. Look at all the overweight marathoners.'/quote]

They are not doing much running look at Kenyan runners who are

Here's another one that was mentioned:

More muscle means more glycogen that can be stored.

Glycogen is gold during ultras.

Fueling is important, but the bigger factor is that mountainous trail running engages the leg muscles in a different pattern than road running. It's more like XC skiing than road running. Not just in how the muscles are engaged but in training volume done by the top of the sport. The more training volume one does, they can't get away with under eating as much. You have to have a certain amount of muscle to withstand the amount of training volume they do Look at Olympic level xc skiers, they're not necessarily toothpicks like the average elite 10000m/marathoner is built. They are lean for sure, but have the necessary muscle mass to succeed at their sport.