There’s something quietly deceptive about the word “pace” when it comes to an ultra marathon.
In a 5K, pacing is immediate. You feel it straight away. Go out too hard and you pay for it within minutes. But in an ultra… the cost of poor pacing is delayed. Sometimes by hours. Sometimes by an entire race.
And that’s what catches people out.
They don’t blow up early. They drift into it.
It Starts Before the Start Line
Most pacing mistakes in ultras don’t begin at kilometre one. They begin in the mindset you bring to the race.
You’ll hear things like:
“I’ll just go out steady and see how I feel.”
That sounds reasonable. But in ultra running, “steady” often ends up being too fast—because you’re fresh, tapered, and surrounded by runners who also feel great.
The key shift is this:
You’re not pacing the first hour.
You’re pacing the final third of the race.
Everything early on needs to feel almost too easy. If it doesn’t, you’re probably already borrowing from later.
The First Phase: Controlled Patience
The opening section of an ultra is where discipline matters most—and ironically, where it feels least necessary.
You should feel like you’re holding back.
That might mean:
- Letting people go
- Walking climbs you could easily run
- Keeping your effort firmly in what you’d call Level II
This is where your background in structured training really pays off. If you understand effort levels, you’ll know how restrained this should feel.
A good checkpoint is breathing and conversation. Early on, you should be able to talk in full sentences without strain. If that disappears too soon, so will your legs later.
I’ve worked with athletes who’ve nailed their ultras not by running faster early—but by deliberately running slower than they thought they should.
And then steadily moving through the field as the race unfolds.
The Middle Phase: Settling Into the Day
This is where the race actually begins.
You’ve found your rhythm. The field has spread out. The adrenaline has settled.
Now pacing becomes less about restraint and more about consistency.
You’re aiming to:
- Keep effort stable, even as terrain changes
- Fuel regularly (this is pacing too)
- Manage small issues before they become big ones
This is also where terrain dictates pacing far more than pace itself.
On a flat road marathon, you might chase a number. In an ultra, you chase effort.
That might mean:
- Slowing significantly on climbs
- Letting gravity do some of the work on descents—but not trashing your quads
- Accepting that pace per kilometre will vary wildly
The athletes who do well here are the ones who stay patient when things feel good… and stay composed when things don’t.
The Final Phase: Racing the Race You Built
If you’ve paced the first two phases well, this is where the ultra marathon becomes something special.
Not easy—but controlled.
You’ll still be fatigued. Everyone is. But instead of surviving, you’re moving with purpose.
This is where you can start to:
- Lift effort slightly (towards Level III)
- Run sections you might have walked earlier
- Pick off runners who went out too hard
This is also where mindset becomes everything.
Because at some point, things will get uncomfortable. That’s part of the deal.
But good pacing means it’s a manageable discomfort—not a complete shutdown.
The Role of Walk Breaks
One of the biggest pacing errors I see—especially from marathon runners stepping up—is avoiding walking.
In ultras, walking isn’t failure. It’s strategy.
Planned walk breaks:
- Keep heart rate under control
- Reduce muscular fatigue
- Allow for consistent fuelling
Often, the athlete who walks early and deliberately ends up running more of the race overall.
It’s not about whether you walk. It’s about when and why.
Pacing Is Fuelling Is Pacing
You can’t separate pacing from nutrition.
Go too hard early, and your body struggles to absorb fuel.
Miss your fuelling, and your pacing falls apart later.
They feed into each other.
A well-paced ultra usually looks like:
- Small, regular fuel intakes
- Consistent hydration
- No major energy crashes
If you find yourself unable to eat or drink, it’s often a pacing problem in disguise.
The Common Mistake: Running Someone Else’s Race
Ultras have a way of pulling you into decisions that aren’t yours.
You might:
- Match someone else’s pace early
- Push to “bank time”
- Speed up because you feel good at halfway
But pacing in ultras is deeply individual.
Your training, your strengths, your durability—all of it matters.
The best ultra runners I’ve coached aren’t the ones who react to the race around them.
They’re the ones who stay anchored to their own plan… and adjust only when it makes sense for them.
A Simple Way to Think About It
If you want a practical framework, think of your ultra in thirds:
- First third: Feels too easy
- Second third: Feels steady and controlled
- Final third: Feels like a race
If the first third already feels like work, the final third is going to be a long day.
Bringing It Back to Training
Pacing an ultra isn’t something you figure out on race day.
It’s built in training:
- Long runs where you practise restraint early
- Back-to-back sessions that teach you to run on tired legs
- Fuelling strategies that become second nature
This is where structured coaching really makes a difference—because pacing is as much a skill as it is a decision.
Continue Learning & Building Your Racing Confidence
➡️ Ultra Marathon Coaching with Coach Ray
Learn how structured training helps you pace smarter, fuel better, and build the confidence to go longer—whether it’s your first ultra or your next big goal.
If this resonated, these next reads will help you go deeper:
➡️ Fuelling for Ultra Marathon Success
A practical guide to building a fuelling strategy you can trust—so you can maintain energy, avoid the lows, and keep moving forward when it matters most.
➡️ Training for Consistency in Endurance Events
How to structure your training so you’re not relying on “good days”—but instead building performances you can repeat across races and conditions.
➡️ Developing Mental Resilience for Long Races
Simple, practical strategies to stay composed, focused, and in control when things inevitably get tough during an ultra.
If you take one thing from this, let it be this:
Ultra pacing isn’t about how fast you can go.
It’s about how long you can keep going well.
Ready to train with more structure and confidence? Book your free consultation here: