Durability, Not Speed, Is the Real Weapon in Ultramarathons

​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.