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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I started using poles in 2014, while training for the Kendall Mt. Run (Silverton, Colorado) My coach at the time, made the suggestion, so I bought a pair of poles, and she trained me on how and when to use the poles on the trails. I use poles on moderately steep terrain and for balance on technical downhill.
When training for increased gain in long ultras. They are also great towards to end of long ultras that are rocky as they provide great stability on unforgiving terrain.
I’m relatively new to trail running, and will be running TRT50 this Saturday. During the training I struggled with the hills with my old heavy hiking poles and a friend suggested LEKI. I got them and did a trail run to Yosemite’s iconic Clouds rest using the Micro Flash Carbon poles. It changed my life! Looking forward to using them for the race now! ??
I wasn’t a fan of poles until I started practicing with them more. Then I did some very challenging races and was happy I had them! My last 50 had one .75 mile stretch that ascended almost 900 feet. Without poles, that would have been even harder.
As with anything, practice is key!
I started using poles for my first 100 mile race about 4 years ago. Definitely helps going up and can be helpful going down also.
I used to think of poles as being burdensome, until I got more competitive and realized it was the best way to go!
Tor Des Geants. I never used poles until then and used them the entire race, uphill and downhill. During the race, I saw small children (maybe 5-6 years old) from the Aosta Valley who already looked
like experts with poles.
I started using poles after seeing lots of runners using them at an ultra with lots of elevation gain. I asked about them and decided I should try them and they have been so helpful! But the poles I have broke a few weeks ago and research suggests the Leki running poles so I want to try them!
Four pass loop outside of Aspen, 2020. They saved my legs a great deal of pounding over the 28 miles / 8,000 ft of climbing, and yeah, I did feel cool using them 😉
For me personally, the thing that poles help the most with is form. Later in 100 milers I tend to start leaning way forward when I’m tired during climbing. With poles I can stay upright and drive forward. I also leverage them hard on the downhills. I don’t think a flat lander like myself could have done a race like Ouray without them, they are a game changer.