27/01/2026
This!
We happily use run–walk approaches when someone is injured, returning from a layoff, or rebuilding load.
So why do we suddenly think it stops working once you’re “fit” or in full training?
Strategic walk breaks aren’t a weakness — they’re a way to manage fatigue, protect form, and extend performance as distances climb.
Strategic walk breaks are a performance and durability tool, especially as distance and terrain complexity increase.
Depending on the athlete this could be a valid approach for any distance of race but I tend to use them intentionally for novice marathon runners and nearly all of my ultra runners.
Here’s my thinking:
Run–walk reduces musculoskeletal load allowing greater overall volume with less / shorter recovery time post run.
An ability to stack week on week or multi day long sessions with reduced fatigue and general injury risk.
A more effective and improved fuelling and hydration consistency with deliberate intent and structure.
A strategy to preserve running economy late in races.
If it’s good enough for rehab, return-to-run, and load management… it’s good enough for endurance performance.
The aim remains to finish strong, not fried. Something that’s been blurred by many in this age of celebrating glorious failure and taking chances with a clear lack of preparation and planning (that’s a soap box rant for a different day!).
How I use it will change based on the athlete, the training plan time, the terrain and distance and the intended goals of course.
As will with ratio of walk to run employed.
I’ll also think of strategies based on type of session, for example in trail running maybe we will use automatic walking on steeper climbs - definitely faster for most than running and more economical.
In longer events maybe it’s perceived exertion / terrain driven more than pre planned time ratios.
In 100 mile or longer races then maybe
It’s intentionally done very early, progressing to climb-based walking where the ratio changes as a result.
In hilly conditions of any distance we may
Aim to run flats and gentle ups, but power-hike more severe climbs early and deliberately.
Research on ultra-endurance pacing and fatigue shows that planned walk breaks reduce eccentric muscle damage.
Early pacing restraint improves late-race performance.
Athletes who manage intensity variability recover faster post-event.
Studies by Hottenrott et al., Millet et al., and Hoffman & Krishnan consistently show that fatigue management — not continuous running — is a key determinant of ultra-distance success.
In other words, Walking is not failure. It’s load management.
The golden rule is to start the walk breaks early—before you feel tired—rather than waiting until you are forced to walk.
And of course, start in training and develop the skill of walking- it’ll be faster, more efficient and a real weapon rather than a slow plod of doom because the wheels have fallen off as your dreams and ambitions fade rapidly.
Keep your eyes posted for an upcoming webinar on “Efficiency Over Ego: Mastering Walk/Run in Ultra Running”.
