We all remember our first race or favorite adventure, but what about the first time you added poles into the mix? Below, LEKI athlete Sabrina Stanley shares her story of when she started running and training with poles and why it has been a game changer for her.
Have a story of your own? Share your experience in the comments section and be automatically entered for a chance to win a new pair of LEKI Ultratrail FX One Superlite Poles. One random winner will be selected and notified.
I started running with poles consistently when I began training for a mountainous 100-miler in the summer of 2018. I knew I would be using poles for the entirety of the race, so I ran with poles during all my training miles. This helped get my upper body familiar with the additional load it would be taking on while climbing and descending. It also taught me how to use the poles efficiently.
My “Ah-Ha” moment came when I was studying the most competitive runners in the world at races that piqued my interest. These runners were all using poles. To be competitive I knew I had to learn how to use poles to assist in my running if I wanted to run at the same level as the top athletes.
Poles take some of the load off a runner’s legs while going up and downhill. This transfer of power to the upper body allows a runner to conserve their legs for a longer period.
Don’t forget! Comment below about your first experience running or training with poles and you could win a free pair of LEKI Ultratrail FX One Superlite Poles. [the contest period for commenting is now closed]
Comments are closed.
I absolutely love my LEKI poles. After lots of practice, i just keep getting faster and faster with them!
I started using poles after my first 24 hour race. I never understood the need for them until actually observing others using them. I have used them in every timed event sense and on many long training runs. They have help with keeping me standing more straight and lessening my normal lower back discomfort as well as giving me something else to occupy my mind late into these timed events.
I’ve never used poles. Had a tough time with my quads for part of the Wildhorse ultra last month. I’m going to look into using poles to see if it helps with load management going forward.
poles are lifesaver, i started using them in oct 2021 at Westfir 50k/30k for over 4000 vert. Helped tremendously to take the load off my quads. I am pro-poles for races that are more than 3000 vert gain. Leki poles are a trust worthy brand, their poles are lightweight, durable and collapsible making it a breeze to pack these “bad boys” on a long trek, i am a big fan.
I just started using poles a month ago with the intention of racing the Never Summer 100k with them to save my legs. I was surprised to find that I was pretty bad at using them, planting them in bad spots and dropping them. But after more practice with them on long easy days rather than tempo days, I find my form improving with them and that they help with uphill movement a lot as well as steep descents.
I started running ultra’s as a poor college student and told myself that I didn’t want to spend the money on poles. About a year into racing, I happened on finding a lost pole on the course and picked it up to leave at next aid station in hopes of returning to the owner. Ended up taking it all the way to the finish because it was so helpful on the steep terrain!
I haven’t tried running with poles but I was sure wishing for some on the Ragnar Tahoe Black Loop last weekend! My legs were getting very tired and I really wanted to be able to tap into the strength in my arms.
After completing more than 60 trail marathons and ultras, in August 2020 I had a hemorrhagic stroke that had me hospitalized for seven weeks and discharged to life in a wheelchair. I was unable to walk, much less run. With a lot of therapy and persistence over the months, I progressed to an old lady walker, then a high-tech rolling walker and then trekking poles, a gift from my 90-year-old mom.
With the trekking poles I can actually hike with little to no risk of falling, even on singletrack trails, a real gift. The trekking poles have made it possible for me to complete four trail half marathons and assorted 5Ks and 10Ks since October. For now my post-stroke half-marathon PR is 6:20. That’s not a typo. More than six hours for 13.1 miles. But it’s only possible at all thanks to trekking poles. They open my world back up, get me back on the trails, and bring me closer to a return to ultras.
I did a three day backpacking trip with my brothers and dad in the Never Summer Wilderness and used poles for portions of the trip. They helped significantly with carrying my backpack and the technical terrain!
I started using poles when i was training for my first 100 mile mountain ultra. I used them on as many training runs as possible, just getting used to carrying them and getting my arms used to being at a different angle while running. I also had to get used to not tripping on them!
I am 65 and completed my first 100 in October of 2021. It was an amazing experience and it was then that i realized that the poles were a game changer when my legs got tired. They were most useful for the downhills and more technical terrain. They were more of a mental help on the uphills but probably assisted more than i realize. I use them every chance i get!
I think the benefits are both physcial and mental. They help with stability and confidence.