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.
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When I first saw people using poles, I thought it was because they had bad knees or some similar injury. My first time using them was in the Tetons, and after one day it was immediately clear what a huge difference they could make. I love feeling sore in my shoulders after a big elevation day knowing that it’s strain I kept off my legs.
Began using poles while hiking in northern Vietnam in 2020. As I got into trail running in 2021 I experimented with runs both with and without and found that I definitely preferred having them. They help with stability and balance when needed and help spread the workload to my upper body as well. Now visiting the US and surprised that poles are not allowed on some of the trail races I’m doing here. Looking forward to returning to my favorite races like the Vietnam Trail Series.
I just got my first set of poles after feeling like I needed them at my last race. I have been starting to practice with them and looking forward to using them in upcoming hilly races.
I just started into ultrarunning in 2020 and have never used poles. My wife recently purchased a pair which I’ve experimented with on the trail.
I started using poles back with I started backpacking 15 years ago. It makes a huge difference on the climbs and on steep descents.
I bought a pair of $35 poles from Costco that I kept in the house thinking I might need them one day. That day came when I went to run my first 50 miles race which happened to be the North Face Endurance Challenge in San Francisco, CA with unbelievable elevation gains. I had a knee injury, hadn’t been able to train a month before race day and decided to bring them with me. At the starting line, someone came up to me (another runner) and said I couldn’t use those on the course… I frantically ran over to one of the organizers asking if I had to give up my poles and she looked at me and said… don’t worry about what that person said. You do you and go run your race. I was one of the last people to cross the finish line that day before they closed the line… I couldn’t have survived without those poles taking some of the strain off of my knees that day. I haven’t been able to upgrade and I still use those heavy, blister prone poles… and I can’t wait to have a pair of Lekis!
I’m just starting to train with them for running! I bought a pair after I went hiking in Colorado in 2019. Since then I haven’t been back out to the mountains but remembered them while I am training for a 100 miler.
I first started using poles for hiking when I solo-hiked into Havasupai in 2018. As I got into ultra running, they naturally joined my transition and I ran my first 55k entirely with poles last summer.
During my first 100-miler I was anti pole but bright some poles along just in case. Glad I did, my legs and feet were sore and boy did those poles help out on the final 30 miles!
Nice shot but don’t see a trail she is running on. Keep in mind that plants at that elevation grow by the inch and die by the foot.