Uphill running research

Some new research on metabolic cost of running/walking up steep gradients: press release here http://www.colorado.edu/news/feature...uphill-running , from where you will find a link to the published research paper (but you will only be able to read the abstract of the paper unless you belong to an institution that subscribes to Journal of Applied Physiology). The experiments were done with runners on inclined treadmills, which obviously has some differences to running up real hills, but the results are consistent with what I found when I analysed race records from uphill (and downhill) races. Essentially, given the choice of going straight up a steep slope or taking a longer route at a gentler gradient, go straight up (at least on slope angles up to 35 degrees, and there aren't any fell/mountain races with sustained slopes steeper than that - are there?).

The paper also includes an interesting discussion of running vs walking. The metabolic cost of walking is less at slopes from 15 degrees upwards (at the fixed vertical velocity used in the experiments), but many of the experimental subjects preferred to run at some steeper slopes. This is certainly a topic needing further research.

Thank you for posting this.

Thanks for posting mate, sounds interesting - reminded me of the Fell Relays this year where me & my running partner had 2 options; the longer but more "runnable" way around from the bottom of big end or the much steeper, but shorter, climb up...we opted for the shorter but steeper and beat the others to the cross-over point

This must be down to the conditions underfoot, about 20 years ago I did the FRA Relay in Wales and me and my partner went for a 3km level run on a sheep trod and everybody else went for the 1km short route up hill with no path,we picked up 17 places

Depends where you are.
I remember RhysFR won his first Mountain Trial because he took on 2 steep climbs direct, whilst others (of a more orienteering mindset) took a long roundabout route with less climb.
I more often than not take the climb on direct as I'm closer to the best guys powerwalking than running on shallower gradients.

Will be interesting to see how Fell Gate->Seaness CP1 pans out at Black Combe - there's a roundabout route there!

Thanks for this, very interesting as I attempt running and sometimes get passed by fast walking people.

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Originally Posted by Stagger

Thanks for this, very interesting as I attempt running and sometimes get passed by fast walking people.

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Good training sesh tonight Trev! Few more of those and you'll be sprinting uphill!

In my youth it was a matter of pride for me to keep running up slopes which most other competitors were walking up. And in those days it worked: I was quite fast uphill.

I still do try to keep running up everything on training runs; but on my rather rare appearances in races, I find myself having to walk up slopes which I would expect to run up on a training run. However, in one race last year I had the satisfaction of power walking up a hill at the same speed as someone a few metres ahead of me who kept running -- although when the slope levelled out and we were both running, he got away from me.

As I'm injured at the moment I tried an experiment. I walked up the first Giant's tooth climb as quickly as I could. I was approximately a minute slower than when I ran up in the race New Year's Day (not full bore but near enough).
so approx 5 mins 30 vs 4 mins 30. However, I felt that the energy cost was substantially smaller ... ie, I could have run much harder off the top of the climb after walking up.
Because the gradient for much of the climb isn't horrendously steep, it's very runnable. I might try the same experiment on Hunter Hill next week, which is a fair bit steeper.