5 Reasons You Should NOT Run UTMB This Year | Running

[@alirezahomayoon]

As always, a great video. Appreciate your honesty and transparency. Something we cannot easily find on social media

[@leegrantham]

Thank you, Alireza, I appreciate that, Sir!

[@chrislantzy7759]

This video resonated with me, thanks Lee. Last year I prepped for UTMB 100M by moving to Salt Lake City for easy access to rugged mountain training. Big weeks leading up were 75-80 miles and 16-18K elevation gain. UTMB has some serious vert, long, never-ending ascents and steep, rocky descents. Pushing through two nights takes tremendous focus and grit. In the winter I train for road marathons and build up as much fitness before heading back into the mountain ultras. I’ll be doing UTMB 100M again this year and your training videos have helped propel my fitness forward, thanks so much!

[@leegrantham]

Thanks for sharing that. Chris. You clearly give it the respect it deserves, and you're also doing the other training. I think Jim showed us exactly what's needed to finally "crack it", despite "failed" attempts. We can learn a lot from that. Love that level of commitment.

[@pacshots]

Excelent video!! I'm currently working on being able to run UTG, an ultra here in Guatemala, but I'm preparing for a few years. I don't want to have any injuries or have to face difficulties like the ones you mention of being stuck in the mountains. Thanks for the tips.

[@leegrantham]

Great stuff. You're welcome.

[@JuliaRobinson-sf7xg]

super interesting video, enjoyed listening to it!

[@leegrantham]

Hope you're recovering quickly!

[@JuliaRobinson-sf7xg]

@ waaaay slower than i thought, having to practice patience which i absolutely hate doing 🤪 hope the move has gone well!

[@the_different_dad9943]

Ben Parkes has a video. Where he smashes his knee at utmb. It got to a point he couldn't move anymore. He stayed on the mountain overnight. Then walked to an aid station in the morning. But everyone had gone. He ended up being trapped there for 8 hrs. Waiting for an uber to come and get him and his partner. While his knee was shattered. All off one little slip up.

[@leegrantham]

Yep, so simple! If you run long enough, especially off-road, you realise that you can get into serious trouble a few miles from home.

[@romualdbroll4427]

Can’t agree more! My dream was to run very technical sky races because I feel good in such terrain. The problem is that I live in a big flat city so my training is very limited if it comes to terrain. So I ended fighting to survive the race in mountains instead having the best day and enjoying it! It was a tough pill to swallow resining from that type races but the frustration was just huge! Marketing and social media’s are just to strong to resist when you see the kick ass movies from the sky races!

[@leegrantham]

I agree, it's a tough call to make but the right one. There may be a point in your life when you can move to better training environment and go at it, the mountain isn't going anywhere. :)

[@st4331]

Talking about coping with adverse conditions, what do you do when we have very poor air quality; last week was particularly bad and I didn't get a run in for 6 days.

[@leegrantham]

(Good) makes are becoming the go to choice, keeping harder sessions indoors in a place with air purifiers has always been my way, Hugh.

[@Ali94749]

Completely agree. To a lesser extent the same logic should be applied to full marathon. While running should be open everyone and a good time is very individual when people run a 1 hour negative split and walk/shuffle the second half in tears then celebrate that they "ran" a marathon at the finish it just seems a bit silly. Would be better for their fitness to improve their times in shorter distances first.

[@leegrantham]

100% agree.

[@toddboucher3302]

This is so good and I hope some influencers are listening because every year I see videos and it really upsets me about. I ran a 50 K with no training and they filmed himself like dying on the road or on the mountain or where are the same thing with America cause it’s even just not them I’m sure they were not really running a 50 K on train. I doubt it but they’re influencing other people to attempt that and and it can be really dangerous. A friend of mine wants to run 100 mile this year and I’m gonna take them and I’ve been working with them and everything but he doesn’t understand that OK I want you to do speed work OK he doesn’t understand that you have to get a 50 mile or in first and then when it comes down to what I said and we’re gonna run this loop course that it’s like 7 mile loops like 15 7 mile loop And instead of some big mountain race I said cause you’re not really ready for it. I said I ran a couple hundred miles and this is how I did it and I said so if you want my help is how you’re gonna do it and but but people don’t get it and I think a lot of it is somebody’s influencers that mean well and they think it makes great content watching them die out on some trailer or something and it’s not really funny and it really bothers me because they’re they’re doing their position their influencing other people to make bad decisions also, just my rent great video.

[@leegrantham]

That's another great point, Todd. There's alot looking to make great content or elevate themselves by attempting big adventures/documenting the journey - depending on the character, that adds another level of "I've got to finish this, to improve the story". No different to the 1996 Everest disaster. For me, your motivation has to be intrinsic.

[@FoodFFacts]

I much prefer local races compared to those global races. Why? Global races are too much commercialized

[@leegrantham]

Yep, it's a hot topic.

[@WalshyRT]

Good advice but probably not what people want to hear.

[@leegrantham]

I appreciate that, thank you!

[@peterlockitt6771]

Social media influencers, names in the title and people need to understand their limitations against the reality.

[@SageOfEchoes]

Don’t worry, I won’t be.😅

[@leegrantham]

:)