Top 10 Mistakes in Ultra Marathon Pacing (And How to Fix Them)

In my 15 years of coaching ultra runners, I've seen the same pacing mistakes destroy countless races. The good news? Every single one is preventable. Let's dive into the top 10 pacing mistakes—and more importantly, how to fix them.

Mistake #1: The "I Feel Great" Trap (Miles 0-10)

The Mistake

You've tapered, the gun goes off, and you feel AMAZING. So you run with the lead pack, chatting easily at a pace 1-2 minutes per mile faster than planned.

Why It's Deadly

Your glycogen stores are full and masking the damage you're doing. By mile 30, you'll be walking when you should be running strong.

The Fix

Set an ego-check alarm. Program your watch to alert you if you go faster than planned pace + 30 seconds. Force yourself to slow down even when it feels easy.

Real Example: At Western States, I coach runners to aim for 11:30/mile to Robinson Flat even if they could run 9:30. The ones who listen finish strong. The ones who don't often DNF at Michigan Bluff.

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Mistake #2: Time Goal Rigidity

The Mistake

"I MUST finish in under 24 hours" becomes an obsession. When you fall behind schedule at mile 40, you panic and push too hard to make up time.

Why It's Deadly

Speeding up when already fatigued accelerates breakdown. You're better off adjusting your goal than blowing up completely.

The Fix

Create tiered goals:

• A Goal: Stretch goal if everything goes perfect
• B Goal: Realistic based on training
• C Goal: Minimum acceptable outcome
• D Goal: Finish (always valid!)

When plan A dies, immediately pivot to plan B without emotion.

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Mistake #3: Ignoring the Clock at Aid Stations

The Mistake

You spend 8-15 minutes at each aid station "recovering," eating, chatting with volunteers. Over 20 aid stations, that's 3-4 hours added to your time.

Why It's Deadly

Aid stations should be brief refueling stops, not rest areas. Long stops let your muscles stiffen and your mental momentum fade.

The Fix

The 3-minute rule: Set a timer. Get in, execute your checklist, get out.

Aid station checklist:

1. Fill bottles (0:30)
2. Grab food (0:30)
3. Use bathroom if needed (1:30)
4. Quick gear check (0:30)
5. OUT (3:00 total)

Practice this routine in training so it becomes automatic.

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Mistake #4: Running the Downhills Too Hard

The Mistake

You're behind schedule after a big climb. The downhill looks like a chance to "make up time," so you hammer it, trying to bank minutes.

Why It's Deadly

Downhill running causes eccentric muscle damage—micro-tears in your quads that won't show up until 10 miles later when your legs turn to concrete.

The Fix

Controlled descent strategy:

• Shorten your stride
• Increase cadence (180+ steps/min)
• Stay light on your feet
• Let gravity pull you, don't push

Power metric: If your heart rate drops below Zone 2 on descents, you can go a bit faster. If it stays in Zone 3, you're working hard enough.

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Mistake #5: Power Hiking Too Late

The Mistake

You try to run every step until you physically can't anymore, then you're forced into a survival shuffle or walk.

Why It's Deadly

Strategic power hiking on climbs saves enormous energy. Fighting to run 18-minute miles up a 15% grade is ego, not strategy.

The Fix

The 12% rule: When gradient exceeds 12%, hike with purpose. You'll move nearly as fast and save massive quad energy.

Power hiking technique:

• Hands on knees for leverage
• Short, powerful steps
• Maintain steady breathing rhythm
• Think "hiking with intensity"

Data point: At Hardrock 100, the top finishers hike 30-40% of the course strategically. Middle-of-pack runners who try to run everything hike 60%+ from exhaustion.

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Mistake #6: No Pacing Plan B (or C or D)

The Mistake

You have one pace chart for one goal time. When things go sideways—heat, altitude, stomach issues—you have no framework for adapting.

Why It's Deadly

Racing without contingency plans turns problems into catastrophes. A hot day shouldn't end your race; it should trigger plan B.

The Fix

Create scenario-based plans:

Plan A (Perfect conditions):

• 10:00/mile average, sub-16hr finish

Plan B (Heat/altitude/minor GI):

• 10:45/mile average, 17hr finish
• Add 5min per aid station for cooling

Plan C (Major issues):

• 12:00/mile average, 20hr finish
• Walk/run ratios after mile 50

Plan D (Survival):

• Finish before cutoffs
• Walk if needed, just keep moving

Having these pre-loaded reduces decision fatigue when you're suffering.

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Mistake #7: Comparing Your Race to Others

The Mistake

Someone passes you at mile 25, and you speed up to stay with them. Or you're "winning" your age group at mile 40 and push to protect your position.

Why It's Deadly

You're racing against the course and the cutoffs, not other runners. Their fitness, preparation, and goals are different from yours.

The Fix

Blinders mentality: Focus on YOUR splits, YOUR plan, YOUR body.

Mental script: "Good job, strong runner. I'm running my race." Then let them go.

Exception: If you're legitimately trying to win overall, this changes. But for 95% of ultra runners, racing others is how you DNF.

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Mistake #8: Skipping "Boring Miles" in Training

The Mistake

Your training runs are either hard efforts or slow recovery. You never practice the sustainable mid-pack effort required to run 50-100 miles.

Why It's Deadly

Racing is about holding a moderately hard effort for a very long time. If you've never practiced that specific stimulus, race day will expose it.

The Fix

Add steady-state long runs:

• Once per month, run 4-6 hours at race effort
• Not easy, not hard—that sustainable middle zone
• Practice fueling, pacing, mental strategies
• Simulate race conditions (terrain, weather, time of day)

These "boring" runs build the specific endurance ultras demand.

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Mistake #9: GPS Watch Addiction

The Mistake

You obsess over every mile split, heart rate spike, and elevation number. When your watch dies at mile 60, you panic because you've lost your pacing anchor.

Why It's Deadly

Over-reliance on technology disconnects you from body awareness—your most important tool.

The Fix

Perceived effort first, data second:

• Learn to recognize your zones by feel
• Practice "blind runs" without looking at your watch
• Use data to confirm, not dictate
• Always have a backup pacing method (effort, breathing, landmarks)

Race day: Glance at your watch every 10-15 minutes for confirmation, but tune into your body continuously.

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Mistake #10: No Practice at Race Effort

The Mistake

All your long runs are "easy" or "conversational." You never experience what race pace feels like sustained for 4+ hours.

Why It's Deadly

Race pace FEELS easy for the first 20 miles, then becomes progressively harder. If you've never felt that progression, you won't know when you're going too hard early.

The Fix

Build race-specific endurance:

Month 1-2: Easy long runs, build aerobic base Month 3: Add 2-hour tempo sections at race effort Month 4-5: Full race-pace dress rehearsals

Example workout:

• Hour 1: Easy warm-up
• Hours 2-4: Race pace/effort on race-similar terrain
• Hour 5: Cool down + practice late-race fueling

This teaches your body (and brain) what race day will actually feel like.

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Putting It All Together: Your Anti-Mistake Checklist

Use this before your next ultra:

Pre-Race

• [ ] Created A/B/C/D pacing goals
• [ ] Practiced aid station routine (3-min drill)
• [ ] Loaded pacing plan to watch
• [ ] Set pace alerts to prevent going too fast
• [ ] Trained at race effort, not just easy miles

Race Day (Miles 0-20)

• [ ] Running slower than I think I should
• [ ] Ignoring other runners' pace
• [ ] Hitting planned split times (not ahead!)
• [ ] Fueling on schedule
• [ ] Quick aid station transitions

Race Day (Miles 20-50)

• [ ] Hiking steep grades (12%+)
• [ ] Controlling downhills (not hammering)
• [ ] Adjusting to plan B/C if needed
• [ ] Staying mentally present
• [ ] No hero moves to "make up time"

Race Day (Miles 50+)

• [ ] Moving forward is the only goal
• [ ] Eating and drinking consistently
• [ ] Breaking race into small chunks
• [ ] Accepting the suffering
• [ ] Trusting my training

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The Biggest Lesson

Most pacing mistakes come from ego and fear:

• Ego: "I'm too good to run this slow"
• Fear: "I might not hit my time goal"

The best ultra runners run with humility and flexibility. They start conservatively, execute their plan, adapt when needed, and finish strong.

Your pacing plan should feel almost too easy for the first 30 miles. If you finish thinking, "I could have gone faster," that's a GOOD sign—you paced it right.

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Get Your Personalized Pacing Plan

Want a custom pacing plan that accounts for YOUR race, YOUR fitness, and YOUR goals? RunPaced analyzes your course elevation, your training data, and creates a mile-by-mile plan designed to help you avoid all 10 of these mistakes.

Upload your GPX file, tell us your goal, and get a downloadable plan you can trust.

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What pacing mistake has cost YOU a race? Share your story in the comments—we all learn from each other's suffering!