In a remarkable showcase of endurance and strength, Tom Evans and Ruth Croft emerged victorious at the 2025 UTMB, a prestigious ultra-endurance trail race known for its grueling conditions. Both athletes, coached by Scott Johnston of Evoke Endurance, exhibited exceptional performance under historic challenges. Evans, a British competitor, finished the race in a stunning time of 19:18:58, marking his rise from past struggles with the event. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Croft claimed her victory by making a bold move in the final third of the race, crossing the line at 22:56:23.
The Role of Coaching in Success
Scott Johnston’s coaching philosophy emphasizes fatigue resistance, or muscular endurance, as a pivotal factor in ultra-distance performance. As co-author of the renowned training guide, “Training for the Uphill Athlete,” Johnston’s unique background in alpinism and mountain sports provides a robust framework for training ultra runners. He argues that fatigue resistance, rather than traditional measures like VO2max or lactate threshold, is the key to succeeding in ultra events like UTMB.
“The heart doesn’t get tired in these races,” Johnston pointed out, indicating that the limitation often lies within the muscles themselves. He has dedicated his coaching efforts to training athletes to improve both muscular endurance and the ability to delay fatigue.
Understanding Fatigue Resistance and Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance allows athletes to sustain repeated efforts over an extended period, which is crucial in events marked by steep climbs and long distances. Fatigue resistance, however, is the ability to maintain that endurance without succumbing to decline. As evidenced by Johnston’s approach, the athletes who demonstrate strong muscular endurance and exceptional fatigue resistance tend to outperform their competitors during the later stages of the race.
A recent study published in “Sports Medicine” by researchers Nicholas Tiller and Guillaume Millet highlighted muscle damage as a major hindrance to ultramarathon performance. Their survey of 824 ultrarunners indicated that 66% identified muscle breakdown as their primary impediment, underscoring the need for effective training methodologies that address this issue.
Training Approaches for Muscular Endurance
Johnston prefers to prioritize muscular endurance in his training regimen before focusing on VO2max or other energy systems. He has observed that many athletes struggle to maintain a high heart rate during high-intensity intervals, indicating that their legs cannot keep pace with their cardiovascular capacity.
To combat this, Johnston employs event-specific workouts, such as steep uphill hiking, weighted vests, and tire drags, intending to overload athletes’ leg muscles without inducing overall systemic fatigue. His training strategies have proven effective not just for Evans but also for Croft, who recently benefitted from the increased focus on strength and endurance in their program.
Training Methods Exclusive to Uphill Events
For athletes competing in mountainous races like UTMB, Johnston emphasizes hiking on steep grades of 10% to 30%, sometimes with added weight to enhance strength and stamina. This form of training targets the legs, ensuring they can endure the rigors of the race while preserving their aerobic capacity.
Johnston also suggests incorporating downhill repeats and tempo descents to enhance eccentric strength, which is crucial under prolonged exertion. His tailored training approach prevents unnecessary systemic fatigue while maximizing muscular durability.
Measuring Progress and Effectiveness
Johnston tracks athletes’ progress through metrics like chronic training load (CTL), which evaluates training stress over a 6-week average. This metric helps him to customize training programs to meet individual athlete needs. Croft has attested to the effectiveness of Johnston’s methods, emphasizing the importance of the relationship and feedback between coach and athlete, which plays a crucial role in the training process.
Muscular Endurance: A New Training Paradigm?
Although Johnston’s approach is gaining traction, opinions on the relevance of muscular endurance in ultra training vary. Some experts argue that muscular endurance is but one aspect of a more comprehensive training strategy that should include aerobic capacity improvements. Cliff Pittman, Director of Coaching Development at CTS, posits that endurance training, often implicit in consistent training volume, naturally addresses muscular endurance without requiring isolated efforts.
Despite varied viewpoints on training strategies, what is clear is that muscular endurance plays a significant role in ultra-endurance performance. Given the ever-increasing competition in ultra sports, methodologies aimed at improving fatigue resistance may provide the edge athletes need to excel. As the sport evolves, understanding these training nuances will only become more crucial.
Final Remarks
The success of athletes like Tom Evans and Ruth Croft at the 2025 UTMB draws attention to a potential shift in focus toward muscular endurance in ultra running. As coaches and athletes explore new avenues for optimization, such strategies may shine a light on areas previously overlooked in traditional training dossiers. Ultimately, as ultra-marathon events continue to gain popularity, leaving no stone unturned in physiological training will be essential for athletes aspiring to reach their peak performance.
