Trail Tips for Running Uphill and Downhill

One of the things runners will quickly notice when they begin trail running is the ever-changing topography. Trail runners constantly find themselves face-to-face with challenging inclines and thrilling declines. And whether you're going uphill or downhill, it can be intimidating and also very taxing on your body to overcome these obstacles. Our advice? Embrace it! Accept the challenges of the trails and meet them head-on. We've partnered with top trail running brand Salomon to offer some techniques and strategies from decades of experience that can help you make these mounds, hills, or mountains much more manageable.

A key difference when running on trails, as opposed to the road or track, is the need to alter your stride. Because there are more obstacles to manoeuvre around, as well as more frequent, dramatic variances in both incline and decline, runners will need to adjust their step length and cadence accordingly. We recommend shorter strides with a higher cadence (steps-per-minute), which will give you more adaptability and control to avoid tripping or falling over obstacles in the path. Using a short, high-cadence stride will also help you conserve energy so that you can finish your trail running adventure without getting too worn out.

No matter your amount of running experience or your fitness level, running uphill can be very challenging. Fortunately, there are slight changes in running technique that can make climbing hills feel easier. The first strategy is to slow down. The goal of trail running is to keep a consistent effort, not necessarily a consistent pace. When you start attacking an incline, you will need to moderate your pace so you can continue to run efficiently and conserve energy for later in your run. Depending on the length and steepness of the climb, you may decide that power hiking is more efficient and just as fast.

Power hiking is a great technique that allows you to conquer a climb while maintaining a manageable effort. The key to power hiking is to lean slightly forward from the hips, not from the shoulders, so that you are properly engaging your glutes. Many runners even put their arms on their hips or thighs to help assist them with their ascent. This is also where you can open your stride a little bit to compensate for the slower cadence.

For those who can run up the incline, make sure to shorten your stride and run on the balls of your feet. Avoid leaning forward too much; instead, keep your torso upright with your centre of gravity over the forefoot. This technique will properly engage your leg muscles to maintain an efficient running form and enable the lungs to better take in oxygen. A strong arm swing will also help propel you up the hill.

It is commonly believed that running downhill is easy, but that is not entirely true. Your aerobic system may get a break as gravity pulls you down the hill, but repeatedly catching the weight of your body with the increased force from a descent can leave runners pretty beat up.

To help mitigate the impact of running downhill, runners should make sure that they are running on the forefoot. This will reduce the overall load on the muscles and alleviate some of the harshnesses of the impact by evenly distributing the forces your body is absorbing.

Next, do not fight gravity. Instead, let it do some of the work for you by slightly leaning forward from the hips. Continue to take shorter strides with your centre of gravity over the forefoot. Runners should also keep their eyes on the trail ahead of them to better analyse the terrain and anticipate their next step. Finally, let your arms extend away from the body and feel free to flail a little to help maintain your balance.