Coach Cliff Pittman of Carmichael Training Systems argues that endurance races are won through durability, not raw speed.
In long-distance racing, from the half marathon to the 100-miler, the winner is rarely the athlete who looks sharpest at the start line.
According to coach Cliff Pittman of Carmichael Training Systems, durability, not raw speed, is what separates contenders from survivors when fatigue begins to compound.
Pittman, who coached Molly Seidel to a fourth-place finish at the Black Canyon 100K and a Western States 100 qualification, builds training around one core idea: maintain performance deep into accumulated stress.
Research published in 2025 supports this approach, identifying muscle damage and associated fatigue as more performance-limiting in ultras than aerobic capacity alone.
His system relies on four pillars.
First, high-volume Zone 2 running forms the aerobic backbone, often layered after early-cycle VO2 max and threshold work.
Second, controlled intensity is inserted into long runs to simulate late-race surges.
Third, two- to three-day mini-blocks stack fatigue safely, building resilience without overtraining.
Finally, athletes rehearse “running well” under fatigue, protecting mechanics and fueling strategy as efficiency declines.
In ultras, the real talent is not running fast when you are fresh, but refusing to fall apart when you are not.
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