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]
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I LOVE running with Lekis! Like having hand railings in my pocket for the steeps! ⛰??♂️?
I first used poles in a mountain race (Buffalo Stampede Skymarathon in 2018 in Australia). The storms during the days leading to the race left creeks running on the trails and the race was a mud fest. I remember well the last climb being the hardest. It was two steps up, one small slide down… those not using poles were sliding down the entire hill! I finish the course well thanks to my poles. My ah-ha moment was to understand that if the trail has technical hill up or down sections, I must use my poles. You can try to go down on a hill with loose pebbles with and without poles to realise how good they can be. The biggest benefit in using poles for me is safety.
PS: running with poles in snake territory can be a bite safer…
I have yet to have a first experience using poles…
I started hiking with poles while peak bagging in Idaho 20 years ago. The rock can be so rotten and loose that they really helped keep you on your feet. It just became natural to take them with me on any mountain run with long steep climbs.
Haven’t trained with poles but am planning on it because I’m September my husband and I will be running the UTMB course on our own over 5 days!!
Does a trail’s technicality influence the decision to use poles? I’m training for R2R2R this fall and considering giving them a shot, but I’m not sure if they’re warranted given those trails are pretty mellow from a technical perspective.
I was training for Lavaredo Cortina Trail and saw photos from previous races where runners had poles and thought I should too. It was definitely a learning curve but now I break them out whenever I have a big run with tons of vert.
I have run with poles but enjoy hiking with them. Maybe I need to give them a try. Any experience on flattery courses? Do they add benefits there or mainly just up/downhills?
My first time using poles was during the Georgia Jewel 50miler. I was debating on bring/using them but glad I did!
Even as an average runner, I have found poles to be beneficial to save my legs and get me through the final miles of my long training runs.