(Runner) Help Understanding Vertical on a trail course

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OregonRunner5
OregonRunner5 Posts: 404 Member
edited December 2017 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all, I want to sign up for the Elk King 25k but it has over 5,000 feet of vert, most of that within the first 3 miles.

I train at sea level, I own a Garmin and it tells me how many floors I go up during a workout on the trail over all, but someone told me that is misleading and I didn't have a good handle on understanding vertical ascent.

Is there some special way I should be calculating and tracking my vert to train for this race?

When it says "technical" how scared should I be? This company does another race I usually participate in every year and they're runners themselves and they put on good events.

Sorry for the dumb question. Cheers :-)

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
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    That is a very steep course. Most moderately graded trails climb about 500' per mile or a 10% grade. With 5000' in 3 miles you'll be using your hands to climb. There won't be a lot of running involved in those first miles.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    judging from the photo on the registration page where the runner is descending USING A ROPE I would suggest this is a VERY steep course and not something to attempt without some mountain racing experience. The cut-off appears to be 5 hours to complete the first 12k. That should tell you something about the terrain and gradient to expect.

    Ideally you would want to have some experience of similar terrain. I wouldn't go into it lightly
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,432 Member
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    Course description:
    A steep and technical course run on single-track trails in the Tillamook State Forest. In this 15 mile race, runners will summit two mountains – Elk and Kings – and involve ~5800 ft of gain. There are a number of sections requiring scrambles as well as very steep descents on rocky – and sometimes muddy trails. This is NOT your typical 25K trail race. We recommend you run the course prior to race day to give you an understanding what this course will throw at you.

    I'd follow their suggestion if you can - run the course prior..........

    They are giving all kinds of indicators ... "scrambles" "NOT typical", "technical", "summit two mountains" :o:#

    Technical trail runs are a totally different animal.

    If you can't run it, see if you can talk to someone who has .....
  • stingrayinfl
    stingrayinfl Posts: 284 Member
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    This would be a great challenge. Sounds like a tough one. Would be fun. If you live close, try to do part of the course or something as similar as you can. Excited for you.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Sounds like my kind of race!
    But yea, unless you have run(climbed) similar type terrain before, you might want to skip that one as it could lead to a very miserable experience
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    OregonRunner5 wrote: »
    Hello all, I want to sign up for the Elk King 25k but it has over 5,000 feet of vert, most of that within the first 3 miles.

    I train at sea level, I own a Garmin and it tells me how many floors I go up during a workout on the trail over all, but someone told me that is misleading and I didn't have a good handle on understanding vertical ascent.

    Is there some special way I should be calculating and tracking my vert to train for this race?

    When it says "technical" how scared should I be? This company does another race I usually participate in every year and they're runners themselves and they put on good events.

    Sorry for the dumb question. Cheers :-)

    For your reference, when people use the term 'technical' to describe activities, it generally means something that requires tools, expertise, and/or a certain level of precision to do it well.

    A technical trail would be one where you won't necessarily be able to or want to go flat out. More beneficial than speed will be the appropriate choice of route, the method of traversing the trail, and/or the skill with which you navigate the challenge/hazard.
  • OregonRunner5
    OregonRunner5 Posts: 404 Member
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    My training area for this run is going to be Saddle Mountain
    "The main trail is steep and difficult in spots, with a 1,640 foot rise in elevation over 2.5 mile"

    This is the toughest trail I've done, would it be adequate to train for Elk King on, or is too easy? This trail does have hand / foot scramble sections that are quite vertical, loose rocks held down with chain link fencing, perilous drops on narrow hug the side of a mountain trail, and very few run sections. I'm a really slow runner and I spend a lot of time hiking. Trail running with some hills I average about a 15 minute mile. Going straight up like that, it's probably going to at least double and I'm going to have to carry a pack.

  • maybyn
    maybyn Posts: 233 Member
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    5800 elevation gain is quite a challenge especially on a technical single track trail.

    I would also advise you to at least check out the course before you decide. The track you’re training on may or may not be adequate depending on how closely it mirrors the actual course.

    There are usually cut off times for these races so you need to check that you can actually make it before that time. If you think you can or if you can train for it, then why not?! You have a lot of time before the race and it sounds like a truly awesome one!
  • OregonRunner5
    OregonRunner5 Posts: 404 Member
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    Thanks everyone for helping me understand the Vert.

    I think I'm going to go for it. My goal isn't to be a speed demon, I just love the woods and being out there and adventuring. It sounded like a whole lot of fun. I will train diligently and look forward to it. Thanks everyone!

    #RunSteepGetHigh ;-P Run Trail.

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