Run-Walk Pacing for the Long Haul: A Practical Ultrarunning Approach
For most people I coach, the real shift in ultrarunning happens when they stop chasing a continuous pace and start listening to what their legs and lungs are trying to tell them. The run/walk method is one of the most reliable ways to do that listening — alternating short stints of running with deliberate walking breaks, used by everyone from marathon debutantes to 200-mile veterans. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a tool, and like any tool it works best when you understand the why behind it.
Australia's ultramarathon scene has matured in a way that rewards runners who can manage hours rather than kilometres. The Six Foot Track, the Hume Ultra, the technical climbs around Katoomba, and the long trail sections on the Bibbulmun all demand different things every hour. A structured walk-on-purpose buys you something running alone cannot: a second wind, a quieter heart rate, and the leg freshness to finish upright.
This is a working guide drawn from racing and coaching on Australian soil. We will look at the physiology, the ratios, how to handle the heat that arrives in November, and how to rehearse the pattern so it shows up automatically on race day. If you prefer reading to listening, this run-university guide covers similar ground from another angle.
What the Run/Walk Method Actually Does
The premise is straightforward. Instead of holding a steady pace from start to finish, you commit to a structure — running ten minutes, walking one, for example — and you repeat that cycle for the entire session, in every session, including race day. The run block covers ground efficiently. The walk brings your heart rate down, offloads tendons and quads, and gives your gut a moment to push food in without sloshing.
The walk also acts as a forced sensory reset. After a few minutes of work, your breath is loud and the trail feels narrow. Drop to a brisk walk and your peripheral vision expands. You notice the runner closing on you, the creek crossing coming up, the kink in the track where someone rolled an ankle last year. Australian courses reward that attention — the granite slabs of the Blue Mountains, the soft sand of the Cape Pallarenda Trail, the root-strewn single track in Tassie.
Run/walk also flattens variance. Pure running produces a pace that decays over hours; run/walk produces a stable average that surprises people the first time they try it on a long run. For events over 80 kilometres, that freshness at the back end is worth more than any 30-second-per-kilometre gain you might squeeze in the first 50.
The Australian Terrain Demands a Softer Touch
An Australian trail throws more at you than elevation. It throws dust, granite, sand, and the occasional kangaroo flushing out of the bush. Adopting a structured walk from step one on a hilly course makes sense because uphills are where the method delivers its biggest return. A brisk hike up a climb does not waste much time compared with a slow shuffle, and it spares the calves and glutes for the next descent where running pace really matters.
I watched this play out at the Heysen 105 in the Adelaide Hills, where temperature swings of fifteen degrees between early morning and lunchtime are normal. Runners who leaned into a strict walk on every climb came into the second half smiling; runners who fought every up arrived at Cudlee Creek hollow-eyed. Walkers handled the rocky outcrops better too, because they had the breath to pick their footing rather than blindly steaming over loose rock.
Heat, Cooling, and the Long Australian Summer
Heat overrides most tactics in this country. Once the mercury climbs past 32 — and it does in regional Queensland, the Perth hills, the western suburbs of Sydney, and treeless stretches of the Great North Walk — walking intervals also function as cooling windows. You duck under a gum for shade and dump a cup of water over your head. You trade a small amount of pace for a meaningful reduction in core temperature, and over six hours that adds up to the difference between finishing and pulling out.
Race directors know it too, which is why summer ultras in Australia tend to start at four in the morning when the air is still cool. A walk-up climb through a sun-baked slope costs more than a hike on a shadier track, and your race plan should reflect that. Carry single-serve salt sachets from the supermarket in your pocket and refresh at every creek crossing, even if you are not thirsty.
Choosing the Right Run/Walk Ratio for You
There is no single correct ratio. What suits you depends on event distance, base fitness, terrain, and the day's weather. Most ultrarunners settle into a handful of patterns and keep the cue on a Garmin or Suunto watch so it fires automatically. The comparison below covers the most common ratios used on Australian courses. Adjust as needed; the goal is structure, not rigidity.
| Ratio | Best For | Uphill | Flat | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run 9 min / Walk 1 min | Road ultras, gentle trail under 80 km | Still strong | Maintained | Lowest disruption to stride, good for first-time adopters |
| Run 5 min / Walk 1 min | Hilly trail, 50–100 km, hot conditions | Walked in full | Fully recovered | Standard pattern for many Six Foot Track hopefuls |
| Run 4 min / Walk 1 min | Steep, technical terrain, 100 km plus | Almost exclusive hike | Steady with brief recoveries | Frees the legs for long races like Hume Ultra |
| Run 2 min / Walk 1 min | Brutal climbs, sand, end-of-race fatigue | Always walked | Maintained | Backup pattern triggered later in race |
| 5 km run / 500 m walk | Multi-day events, off-track sections | Fully walked | Maintained | Useful when navigation matters more than pace |
A good way to settle on yours is to test two or three of these across a few long training sessions and note your heart rate, perceived effort, and how your legs feel two hours in. The pattern that keeps the heart rate in your aerobic zone without you having to think about it is usually the right one.
Common Mistakes When New Runners Adopt the Pattern
The most common error is treating walking as failure. New converts skip the walk the moment the trail flattens or a mate passes them, and they pay for it between the 60th and 90th kilometre. Write the walk into your plan like you would a hydration cue, and protect it.
Another trap is walking too quickly. The walking block is meant to bring your heart rate down. A breathless march at 7 km/h does not deliver that. A genuine shuffle at 5 km/h with relaxed shoulders will, and that is also the moment to scout the next section of trail, eat a gel, or check your watch. Aussie aid stations tend to be well stocked — lollies, salted boiled potatoes, the occasional vegemite sandwich — so use the walk to find what your gut likes. Practise taking in food and fluid during the walk; many runners unconsciously only eat during the run blocks.
Training the Pattern Until It Feels Natural
The pattern needs rehearsal. Pick a long loop, a fire trail, or even a flat bike path, and do the entire session in your chosen ratio without adjusting it for hills. You will be tempted to break the rule every time the trail tilts up; don't. The whole point is to let the structure govern effort, not the terrain.
During the week, mix in two speed sessions where you hold the run portions a touch harder but keep the walks exactly the same length. That contrast teaches your body to load up during the run and discharge during the walk, which is what you need when the back half of a 100 km hits and your brain starts bargaining with you. Use the off-season to walk plenty too — a Saturday arvo loop around the Adelaide foothills or a slow traverse through the bush — so the gait stays smooth.
I also volunteer at least once per build at a local event, whether that is a Sri Chinmoy series stop in the Blue Mountains or a smaller Coastal Twist, walking alongside runners who use the method through the turnaround. Watching them move is a masterclass you cannot get from any training run. For a different but related take on habits and endurance, former fat kid blog covers the same themes well.
The method rewards consistency, not heroics. The runner who walks on purpose almost always finishes ahead of the runner who runs until they cannot. Banking minutes early, trusting the pattern, and treating the walk as a working interval is what carries you through the second half of a 100 km. That is the part worth carrying into the next start line.