Want to walk a trail ultramarathon? Here’s how to do it – and why
In recent years, a niche breed of extreme ultramarathons has slowly emerged into the public consciousness, inspiring varying levels of excitement, awe, confusion and horror. From the mammoth 106-mile UTMB – which spans three countries as it encircles Mont Blanc – to the 268-mile Spine, hosted by the Pennine Way in the punishing heart of winter, these ultramarathons often push people far beyond their known limits. And let’s not forget the bizarre but brutal Barkley Marathons – a cult-like 100-mile quest that only 20 people, including one woman, have completed in its 30-year history.
Whether you consider them marvellous or masochistic, we can all likely agree that such an intense subset of events can give the illusion that ultramarathons are inaccessible – if not impossible – and open only to fast-paced runners with ferocious amounts of self-discipline. However, this is far from the case. Each year, across the UK and beyond, thousands of friendly ultramarathons welcome participants of all abilities, backgrounds and experience levels – and guess what? You can walk ultramarathons.
This is a message that is being broadcast loud and clear by Threshold Trail Series, which recently surveyed 1,000 active women about their motivations and hesitations surrounding ultramarathons. According to the survey, more than half of women (54%) said that they’d feel more willing to take on an ultramarathon if they knew that they could walk it.
As such, Threshold Trail Series – which organises the ever-popular Race to the King and Race to the Stones events – now aims to equip more people, especially women, with the knowledge and confidence they need to tackle their first ultramarathon, whether they choose to walk, hike, jog or run it. Among many other things, one of the most game-changing things the company offers is walker-friendly cut-off times for all its events.
We spoke with Tom Bosworth, Threshold Trail Series ambassador and former professional race walker for Team GB, to find out why walking an ultramarathon is such a rewarding way to do it – and, of course, to glean his top walking tips.
Why should we walk for exercise?
‘Walking has so many benefits – where do you even start?’ says Bosworth, who still holds the world lead for the one-mile race walk, having covered the distance in a rapid 5:31.08 in 2017. ‘Walking can be an entry point to fitness and to achieving a new goal, even if that’s to complete your first 5K. For a long time, walking wasn’t even passed as exercise – but, thankfully, people are starting to consider it now.
‘Obviously, we’re not asking people to do competitive race walking, like I did,’ continues Bosworth, a two-time Olympian who is also the world record holder for both the 3000m indoor race walk (10:30.28) and 3000m outdoor race walk (10.43.84). ‘The basic point is simply movement. Walking is so good for you physically and, as we now know, the mental health aspects are just incredible.’
How do you motivate people to get walking?
‘Just go outside – discover a new area, a new loop, a new park, or whatever it might be,’ says Bosworth. ‘It’s as simple as that. Then, you can start to set yourself goals.
‘Say, for example, you’ve got 30 minutes at lunchtime to fit in a walk. Go outside and see how far you can walk in that 30-minute period, then try to do more next time,’ he suggests. ‘Or perhaps there’s a loop near you that’s a mile long – why not see how many loops you can walk in the time that you have? That’s such a great way to start and keep things interesting as you begin to progress and cover more ground.’
What kit do you need for walking – especially on the trails?
‘If you’re taking to the trails or going for a longer endurance walk, you’ll need a decent pair of trainers,’ urges Bosworth. ‘They don’t have to be expensive, just solid and secure.
‘When you look at running, a lot of people now jump straight onto carbon-plated shoes because they think that’s what they need, even if that’s not the case for them. The same goes for walking. Among all the options out there, the best shoe is the one that’s affordable to your budget and comfortable, because, ultimately, with a trail ultramarathon especially, you’ll be out there for hours.
‘Your feet are your stabilisers and the first and only points of contact with the ground, while your ankles need to be working well – otherwise, you’ll start to feel discomfort that will quickly worsen as you rack up the miles. So, getting the right footwear that supports your feet and ankles is key.’
How can we encourage people to walk longer distances like ultramarathons?
‘I think ultramarathons are having a real high right now and social media is really pushing them on,’ says Bosworth. ‘However, you often see people wearing themselves down with fatigue and pushing to such a limit that it’s not actually doing them any good.’
A six-time indoor and six-time outdoor British race walking champion, Bosworth is also a passionate advocate for movement. ‘Walking should be accessible for everybody,’ he says. ‘What I like about Threshold Trail Series events is that they’re not races. As soon as you start putting any kind of barriers in place, you’re eliminating people immediately. Most people don’t know that you can walk ultramarathons, but what’s marvellous about Threshold’s ultramarathons is that there are no cut-off times and plenty of checkpoints and support along the way. That’s how it should be.
‘Walking itself is still a challenge, but a very achievable challenge when you set your mind to it. When it comes to an event like an ultramarathon, you can walk it. You can run it. You can walk it and add a bit of running into it. You can take on these challenges as you see fit – and enjoy the experience.’
How does your current ultramarathon training compare with your previous race walking training?
‘It’s very different!’ says Bosworth, who is taking on his first 50K ultramarathon with Threshold Trail Series this year. No stranger to covering long distances at a fiery pace, Bosworth became the British record holder for the 20K race walk when he placed second in the event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, having clocked a staggering time of 1:19:38. However, moving from elite-level races on the road and track to more relaxed walking on the trails – for many more hours at a time – will be refreshing new territory for him.
‘The routine and regimen of my professional race walking career took over my life,’ continues Bosworth. ‘I certainly won’t be doing that this time. I feel like a normal person now, if that makes sense. I’m just going to walk the ultramarathon – not race walk it. What I’ve really appreciated since retiring from professional athletics in 2022 is the benefits of being on my feet and exercising for enjoyment, not for performance or time. I’ve got a Black Labrador, so I’ve been going out for longer dog walks, getting a good few hours on my feet every week and, as I say, simply enjoying the process, rather than forcing something out of it.’
Do you complement your walking with cross training, like running?
‘Yes – I’ve obviously got a lot of base fitness, so I run several times a week as well,’ notes Bosworth, who ran his first-ever 13.1-mile race at the hot and humid 2024 EVA Air Half Marathon in Taiwan. (I can attest, from personal experience, that the conditions here made for an especially tough debut.) ‘As is the case for runners, a lot of motivation for walkers comes from mixing things up.’
In fact, running is a great way for him to back off. ‘I actually find running so easy now compared to race walking,’ adds Bosworth, who remembers breaking into short runs after finishing race walking competitions to slow himself down. ‘That’s not to say that running is easy – you want to run with good form and efficiency, of course. It’s just that it’s not as technical as race walking. When you’re training as a race walker each day, doing that technique with every step is so challenging. So now, blending regular walking with running is such a breath of fresh air for me.’
Can you talk about Walking with Purpose?
‘Walking with Purpose is a programme that I’m launching to help people start moving through the medium of walking,’ says Bosworth. ‘It’s for people who might be struggling with chronic illness, or those who have never done any exercise before, or not since school. Here, I use walking in quite a funny way – by making it such an accessible thing to do, I’m almost tricking people into exercise without them really realising.
‘I’m also starting to work with the Department of Health and local GPs to try to get walking prescribed as a form of healthcare – that’s the aim. By getting people to incorporate a little bit of movement into their days, we’re seeing their lives change.’
As Bosworth is keen to reiterate, you don’t need to race walk to reap the rewards, either. ‘It could be easy to think that if you’re walking slowly, there are no benefits to it,’ he says. ‘But that’s just not true – you will see a difference from walking consistently. If you start walking for 15 or 20 minutes a day, then add a few minutes on each day after that, in a few weeks’ time, you could be walking for 45 minutes to an hour. This will naturally change your body, your lifestyle and your mental health. You’ll essentially transform the person you are by doing something so simple.’
Top tips to perfect your walking technique
If you want to walk with ease and efficiency, whether that’s leisurely or at top speed, Bosworth has some expert tips to help you step out on the right foot.
Straighten your front leg
‘Let’s start with race walking – the more extreme end of the spectrum!’ he begins. ‘The most important rule with this sport is that you can’t have any visible loss of contact with the ground and the front leg must always be straight on landing. Getting that straight leg is probably the most challenging part, because it feels so unnatural – and it’s also what gives you the wiggle. So many people think that the wiggle comes from shaking the hips, but it doesn’t. It just looks funny because of that straight leg motion.’
Emphasise your heel strike and arm swing
‘With race walking, you need to reach out with a firm heel strike and build momentum with a powerful arm swing,’ continues Bosworth. ‘Thanks to that strong arm motion, you’re also working your core. In fact, walking uses your entire body, which is why it’s so great for general fitness.
‘You’ll probably find that your stride length is longer with walking than it is with running, too, because when you run you have a quicker cadence.’
Boost your balance
‘A lot of people overlook balance,’ says Bosworth. ‘A simple drill to do before you walk, run or do any sport, in fact, is to stand on one leg while reciting the days of the week, or something similar. Then, do the same for the other leg.
‘When people try to balance, they’re often silent and focusing on a single point to make it feel easier. Talking, meanwhile, puts you off and forces you to work harder on your balance, which leads to improvements,’ he explains. ‘To progress the drill, recite the days of the week while hopping on each leg.
‘All of this only takes about five minutes, but it’s so valuable when it comes to injury prevention. If you’re wobbling all over the place, you could roll your ankle, then get problems further up with your knees as they try to stabilise your ankles, then perhaps even further up with your hips as they try to stabilise everything that’s going on below. So, you should always work on your balance!’
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