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Uphill Running Technique

Running / Popular

Adjust posture, stride, and effort for efficient climbing.

What coaches agree on

  • Shorten your stride and take quicker, smaller steps as the hill gets steeper - like downshifting gears, this gives you more power and keeps you from burning out.
  • Land on your forefoot or midfoot rather than your heel - heel-striking on the way up acts like a brake and puts your weight behind you.
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  • Drive your arms actively straight forward and back with a bent elbow - this helps power your legs and keep you balanced, especially as the hill steepens.
  • Pace yourself by effort or heart rate, not by your flat-ground pace - hold back a little on the way up so you can keep moving strongly at the top.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping your gaze down to your feet and hunching forward at the waist instead of leaning from the ankles with your chest up, which restricts your breathing.
  • Letting the hips sink back behind you instead of driving them forward, which shifts the load onto your low back and shuts off your glutes and hamstrings.
  • Refusing to walk or power-hike once running stops being efficient, often out of pride - a well-executed power hike is often just as fast as forcing a run.
Training for Hilly Races
Intermediate

Training for Hilly Races

Coach's take: Practical, experience-backed hill training advice - worth your time.

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