How to train for Ultra Trail Australia

The Ultra Trail Australia is undoubtedly Australia's premier ultra and trail festival. Always held in the middle of May in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, it now boasts multiple races distances from the punishing 100miler down to the short and fast 11km and serves as a testing ground for racers, and would-be finishers alike. 

My personal journey at UTA started in 2009 with my first 100km ultra finish (it was called The North Face 100 back then), where only about 200 runners participated (compared to the thousands that line up now). Since then I've had a love/hate relationship during my seven attempts at the 100k event with a top 10 finish to my name but also a DNF and a death-march to the finish!!

I've also been fortunate to coach numerous athletes to success at the event - ranging from Tom Brimelow's win in the 50k through to people finishing their first ultras, and two runners knocking of the inaugural 100 miler last year. So, based on this experience, here are my top tips on how to train for the UTA :)

Winners are grinners. Tom Brimelow crossing the line 1st at the UTA50 in 2021

1. Start training now!

As I write this, the 2026 UTA is 8 months away - plenty of time to train, right? Well, ideally you should be starting your training journey as soon as possible. If you wait until after Christmas to start building your long runs and your training volume, you are risking going into the race underprepared, and also risking injury due to trying to do too much too quickly.

It's better to start your training now, to allow your body sufficient time to adapt.  The first part of this process is to build your total training volume. Don't get too fixated on your speed and threshold sessions, or specific hill strengthening. Before you tackle these, your biggest training goal should be to build your overall volume of training. This can include running, hiking, even some cross training (for example, bike riding). Your base training will help condition your body to some of the more demanding sessions that will come later in the training block, and build your aerobic base fitness. 

2. Improve your technique 

Trail running is a technical sport, and the courses at UTA each have their own technical challenges. Whether that is the steep and loose plunge off Ironpot Ridge, or the long, quad destroying descent down Kedumba Pass, having good running technique, particularly on uneven terrain and descents is essential. 

The good news is that running technique, whether that is on the flat, climbing, or on descents, is all very trainable, and can dramatically improve with practice. For example, when running downhill, a simple tip is to set your gaze on the ground a few metres in front of you, not down at your feet. This will allow you to pick your route down a descent and avoid stalling and tripping on unseen obstacles. Again, practicing this early in your training, will mean your skills are top notch for race day!

3. Buy the right gear

Your equipment can be a make-or-break choice in an ultra event (and in shorter events as well). The top pieces of equipment you'll need are:

• Shoes and socks. Trail shoes are an essential part of your run, and socks that help prevent blisters can make or break your race. Try shoes on, and get used to them before you race. Don't try anything new on race-day that you haven't practiced in training. 
• Vest. For UTA you need to carry a certain amount of mandatory gear  and this needs to be carried in a comfortable pack or vest. ​In addition you'll need to be able to easily access your nutrition and hydration, so a good pack is essential for success. 
• Watch. A GPS watch can be invaluable. It will help you follow your nutrition schedule, as well as track your position so you know how far along the course you are, your distance to the next checkpoint, and also give you elevation data so you know when that interminable climb up Nellie's Glen is close to being finished!
• Poles. Some people love poles, others don't. If you are planning on using poles, you should start using them in training right away so your body is conditioned and you can get the most out of using them. 
• Clothing. You'll need to carry (and perhaps purchase) some mandatory gear for the race, some of which you hopefully don't end up having to use (for example, water-proof pants). On the other hand, your main race shorts and top will need to be comfortable, without chafing, breathable and light weight, and also potentially warm and thermal. As with your shoes, you should go into the race having practiced with all your gear. Don't buy a new shirt from the expo and wear that for the first time on race day. 

The UTA expo. Don't wait to buy your race-day gear from here!

4. Know the course

The UTA has a great selection of courses across it's range of distances. Each of the courses has it's own challenges and it pays to know what you've got yourself into before you line up to race. Ideally, you'll head to the Blue Mountains before the race and check it out, but for most people this isn't practical so studying the course and speaking to people familiar with the course is a great substitute for first-hand knowledge. 

Using the 100k as an example, there are a few key sections that are worth being familiar with.

• Tarros Ladders. At about the 15km mark comes a steep and technical section either down or around the Tarros Ladders. This is an enjoyable section of the course, but is narrow and can be a place where bottle-necks and queues form. Unless you are in the first two waves there is a reasonable chance that you'll get stuck here for a short while (the organisers have taken steps to spread the field out more here, so hopefully it's not such an issue in 2026).  The key thing to remember is that if you find yourself waiting in a queue you can get cold really quickly. Put on your thermal and windproof jacket and enjoy the views while you wait to get through. 
• Nellie's Glen. This is a long climb, mostly on uneven stairs at about the 50k mark. Preceding this is a wide, very runnable firetrail section for about 5km. This is a key section for me, because if you hit the firetrail feeling good, then you'll be able to run strongly, then hike the climb out. If you've gone too fast too early in the race and are struggling here, then you are in for a long day (trust me, I've been there!). 
• Katoomba Checkpoint. The biggest, loudest, warmest checkpoint of the day and also the point where it's really easy to DNF (the CP is really close to the start/finish). Get in and out of this CP and beware the temptation to sit for too long enjoying the pizza and soup, as you might not get up again!
• Stairs. The whole UTA course is punctuated by stairs, but there is a particular section through the Leura Forest between 60k and 75k that is particularly difficult. By now your legs will be quite fatigued and this section contains the biggest concentration of stairs on the whole course. There are no huge flights like the Ferber Stair (the final set of stairs to the finish), but they are relentlessly up and down. It goes without saying that you need to practice stairs in your training. 
• Kedumba Pass. The final 20km starts with a 10km downhill on a wide and very runnable dirt road, followed by basically the same climb back up and out the other side. This downhill can be the nail in the coffin of already trashed quads, so you need to hit this section somewhat fresh, and to have practiced some long downhills in training. 

UTA100 2024 elevation profile.

5. Get specific with your training

Once you have an understanding of the course, you can get more specific with your training. Depending where you live and what you have available you can aim to mimic sections of the course as closely as possible. You can also do specific conditioning sessions to train the body for the rigours of your event. Some key sessions are:

• Hiking hill repeats. Load up a backpack with 5kg or more and find some steep hills. Do repeats of short hills, or long efforts up sustained hills. Hike up the hill and run back down to condition your legs for the uphill and downhill sections. 
• Stairs. Similar to your hill repeats session, you can condition your legs to the specific action of going up and down stairs by doing hike/run sessions on stairs. 
• Threshold and speed training. Although the UTA races, particularly the longer distances, may not actually see you running that fast, it's important to do faster-paced training to condition the legs and maximise your aerobic fitness. The fitter you are, the faster you'll run. 
• Road running. Although UTA is a trail race with solid elevation, a lot of the course is actually quite flat and very runnable. It's important to include road or flat trail running to keep the legs conditioned for these sections. 
• Long runs. These can be done on roads, trails, or a mixture of the two. A fun way to do this is to try and mimic the UTA course. Here is a link to a route from my training in 2024 where I connected some road, trail, and stairs sections into an epic long training run at Springbrook NP, Gold Coast. 

UTA 100 Katoomba Checkpoint. Beware the chair here!!

So there we have it. How to train for the Ultra Trail Australia. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. If you'd like more help with your training for UTA or any other ultra events, then please check out the details on our coaching page.

​Happy running :)