How to Power Hike and Use Trekking Poles in an Ultra

Hike whenever hiking is as fast or faster than running but costs you less, and that line shows up sooner than you would think. On flat ground walking gets cheaper than running once your pace drops below roughly 12:30 to 13:00 per mile, which is the walk-to-run transition speed. On a climb that crossover comes at a faster pace. Coaches at CTS say that on a normal 4 to 15 percent grade, once you are down to running about 18 to 19 minutes per mile or slower, you are better off dropping to a strong hike. And the steeper and more technical it gets, the earlier you switch. The whole idea is to spend less to cover the same ground and bank your running legs for the flats and the descents.

There is no magic number. It depends on your fitness and how technical the trail is. But the ranges are pretty clear. Below about 4 percent you should almost always run. From 4 to 8 percent it is a judgment call by effort, so run it if you can hold an easy effort and hike it if your pace or your breathing blows up. From 8 to 15 percent most runners are as fast or faster hiking, for a lot less cost. Above 15 percent, running is rarely worth it for anyone but the strongest climbers early in a race. Go by effort, not ego. If running the climb spikes your heart rate and barely saves you any time, hike.

Good power hiking is aggressive, not a stroll. Lean your whole torso forward from the ankles and hips (not by hunching your back), keep your upper body stacked roughly over your feet, and take short, quick, constant steps instead of long lunges. On the steeper stuff, put a hand on each thigh just above the knee and push down as that leg straightens. Your arms take some of the load off your quads, almost like built-in poles. Drive the push through your whole foot and keep your eyes up so you can pick a line. Done right, a strong power hike on a steep grade is barely slower than a labored run, and it costs you a fraction of the cardio.

It depends on the course. On steep mountain ultras with lots of vertical and long technical descents, poles are worth it. They add stability, share the load between your arms and legs, and save your legs for later. On rolling, runnable, or flat courses they usually are not, because below roughly a 15 to 26 percent grade poles tend to add energy cost instead of saving it, and they get in the way on the runnable ground that defines those races. Coach Jason Koop has a good rule of thumb here: the more you plan to power-hike and the more total vertical change a course has, the more poles help. Match the tool to the terrain.

Use poles in time with your stride and plant them to push, not just to lean on. On moderate climbs, alternate them with your opposite foot in a natural diagonal rhythm and push back and down through the strap so the force turns into propulsion. On very steep steps or obstacles, switch to a double-pole plant (both poles together, planted ahead or even on the next step) and push with your whole upper body. On long descents, lengthen the poles a little and plant them ahead of you for braking and balance. And stow them when the trail turns runnable so you are not paying the energy penalty on ground where they slow you down. Let the strap carry the load so you can keep a relaxed grip.

For most ultrarunners, lightweight folding (Z-style) poles are the sweet spot. They are stiff, packable, and quick to deploy or stow, which matters a lot when you keep switching between hiking and running. Carbon poles are lighter and stiffer. Aluminum is a touch heavier but less likely to snap on gnarly, rocky courses, so go aluminum if you are hard on gear or racing technical terrain. Look for a comfortable grip (cork or rubber sheds sweat better than foam, which gets slippery) and a secure strap or glove system so the power transfers well. Fixed-length poles are the lightest and stiffest, but you carry them the whole time, so they suit experienced pole users who will use them constantly.

Yes, and this is the step most people skip. Poles change your stride mechanics and load your shoulders, lats, triceps, and core in ways your running never does, so going from zero to all-day poling on race day is how you end up with shredded arms and blisters. Coaches say give it at least about four weeks of practice before a goal race so the movement feels automatic and you build the upper-body strength and skill to use poles for propulsion, stability, and downhill braking. Practice deploying and stowing them fast too, because fumbling your poles at every transition eats up the time they were supposed to save.

On the right terrain, modestly in pure energy and a lot in perceived effort. The metabolic crossover, where poles become more economical than no poles, sits somewhere around a 26 percent grade, though Koop notes it could be as shallow as 15 percent or steeper, and most famous ultra climbs are actually below that. Field research (Giovanelli and colleagues, 2019) found the energy savings on very steep grades are real but small, on the order of a few percent. The bigger effect is that poles let you split the work between your arms and legs, so the same climb feels substantially easier even when the raw oxygen cost is similar. That redistribution, plus the stability and quad protection, is why poles help in long mountain races even though the calorie savings alone look small.