Spartan Race offers hundreds of obstacle course race (OCR) events each year in North America. The longest one they offer is the Spartan Ultra Race, a 50K trail race with 60+ obstacles. We usually see 12-15 of these events offered each year.

The distance and number of obstacles already make these races difficult. But Spartan holds several of these events on mountainous courses, making them one of North America’s most brutal and challenging OCR events. Ultras will push participants to their limits, and the mountain courses become true tests of endurance, strength, and mental determination.

Scott “The Fayne” Knowles is a well-known athlete in the Spartan Race community and podcast host for “I AM A SPARTAN! OCR PODCAST.” Scott has completed in over a dozen Spartan Ultra Races and has interviewed over a hundred Age-Group and Elite athletes.

Through listening to Scott and his guests through the years, OCR Directory, your go-to trail running and OCR resource, wants to point out seven vital tips we’ve learned when preparing for your 1st or 20th Spartan Ultra Race.

1. Train for Time on Feet

Scott’s key piece of advice is to be able to handle “time on feet.” Training for time on feet becomes essential when discussing a mountainous Spartan Ultra Race, where you could be out there moving for 10, 12, or 15 hours.

So it’s less about actually running and more about being on your feet for this length of time. Getting a higher volume of running is, of course, ideal, but if you can’t get that kind of training in, go for long hikes, walk around work, take the stairs whenever you can, or use the stair stepper at the gym or an incline trainer. Mileage is less of a factor; it’s all about that time on feet.

2. Train for Hills

Hill training will help you on all types of courses, but definitely add more of it into your training plan for those mountain Spartan Ultra Races. Scott suggests finding a good hill and going up and down or looping it—Really prepare the legs for going straight up and straight down.

Neil Murphy is an Age Group athlete racing the Killington Ultra event since 2013 and was on Episode #171 with Scott. Neil lives in one of the flattest states, Florida, and suggests training at parking garages where you can run up and down the ramps or stairs. He also talked about his lunge workouts. He says he adds a ton of lunges into his training, sometimes doing full 1-mile lunge workouts!

3. Keep the Momentum

It’s crucial to KEEP MOVING, even if it’s at a sloth’s pace. Remember, slow is okay. A Spartan Ultra Race is a long event, and you don’t want to start out too hot; you want to keep your heart rate and perceived effort low. Spartan Race holds several of their Ultras in early spring or late fall, and we see chilly days on the course. By continuing to move, it’ll keep your body warm and keep your muscles from tightening up.

When Neil was talking with Scott, his biggest piece of advice for anyone going to Killington was: “Don’t go zero miles an hour!”

“Don’t Go Zero Miles An Hour!”

4. Practice Fueling and Test Gear Options in Training

Make sure you test your fueling strategies before your race. Find out what works for your body, and test some products, whether gels, gummies, liquid options, electrolytes, etc. And also figure out how you can comfortably carry it with you. Neil suggests eating something to keep you fueled every 45 minutes or so and gives us the strategy of eating while going uphill. You’re already moving slowly; take this opportunity to fuel up here.

5. Have a Clothing Strategy

This advice is most important on mountain courses, where the weather at the bottom and top can be drastically different. You will likely encounter much colder weather and higher winds at the top of the mountain. Also, when the course map is out, consider where the swim and dunk walls are—places where you’ll get wet. Due to all this, you’ll likely have clothing changes throughout the day. Have a good clothing plan and practice it in your training. 

6. Optimize Your Drop Bin

Every Spartan Ultra event allows you to have a drop bin at a transition area roughly halfway through the 50K distance. Most racers will use a 5-gallon bucket you can pick up at Lowes or Home Depot.

— Check our Article out about ALL the items Spartan Racers have put into their drop bin bucket: What’s in the Bucket?!?! Spartan Race Ultra Drop-Bin Data —

Spartan Ultra – Transition & drop bin tips:

• Anything you might need for an EMERGENCY or FUELING is KEY here to put in your Drop bin.
• Anything that you NEED at transition should be placed at the top of your bucket for easy access. Anything that’s just extra or emergency-related should be on the bottom. 
• Don’t leave your drop bin out on Friday during packet pickup. If you wake up in the middle of the night, stressing out, trying to remember if you packed this or that, you’ll want to be able to check! 

Spartan Ultra – drop bin items to bring: 

• Extra pair of shoes and socks in case of emergency and you need to change them. 
• Food & Snacks: Scott likes Reece’s pieces, bite-size snickers, and honey stinger waffles here. Take Note: If you are RACING, keep this simple and easy to eat as you go back on course. If you are just there to complete it, bring whatever foods make you happy! 
• First Aid stuff: Blister prevention kit, mole skin, Leukotape P, bandaids, body glide, etc.
• Headlamp: (in case you’ll be out after dark)
• Caffeine: whatever form of caffeine works best with you here. 
• Extra Hydration vest or waist belt if you have one. That’s packed and ready to go!
• Something for your gut if feeling uneasy. Scott likes Ginger Chews. 
• In hot weather events, Scott suggests a frozen water bottle. Let it sit beside your bucket and pour it over yourself when you get back to it. 

7. Review Race Details

Spartan Race will send an email several days in advance with race details and a schedule. If you miss it, follow Scott on Instagram. He usually re-posts info like this for the East Coast events. Know when you need to make it to the transition point and make the first cutoff time. The DNF percentages can be HIGH at these events. In the past, we have seen completion rates in the single digits on difficult years at the Killington Ultra.

Scott suggests staying in transition for 2 minutes, 5 minutes at the very most if you need to change shoes or something. But overall, don’t take this moment to relax for too long. Remember, you need to KEEP MOVING!

Hopefully this quick summary has given you some tips and strategies towards your next Spartan Ultra.

Comment below with your own personal tips and experiences.

If you want to listen to full episodes or learn more about Scott “The Fayne” Knowles, find him on Instagram at: IAMASPARTANPODCAST