How a Race Recce Boosts Ultra Performance & Key Tips
Trail running and, in particular, ultrarunning on challenging and exciting courses require more than physical fitness - it demands a good level of strategic preparation. One of the most effective elements of this preparation is a race recce, i.e. a reconnaissance of the route, either partially or in full. This involves exploring the course to familiarise yourself with its specific challenges, from type of terrain to future location of aid stations. Running at least some parts of their goal race route before the event allows athletes to refine their pacing strategy, test their equipment, and mentally prepare for the challenge.
In this article, we’ll cover the key benefits of a recce, sharing advice and learnings from the team.
Poppy during her recce of the La Sportiva Arc 50 - which she went on to win
What Is a Race Recce?
Scouting the race route before your event is known as a “recce” - short for “reconnaissance.” Athletes will run parts of, or the entire course over several days, looking to learn key aspects such as under-foot conditions, tricky sections, layout of aid stations, where they can meet with their crew, etc.
For ultrarunners, exploring the route of a 100 km or 100-mile race also doubles up as a training opportunity. Typically, you can split up the recce of a 100-mile race over three or four days, as in the case of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). This can be a great “long weekend” of training, accumulating the volume of a long race without placing the same stress on the body as running the whole course in one go (and in race conditions).
The Benefits of Learning the Course
Carrying out a recce is considered beneficial by coaches and athletes alike. From being prepared for the specific terrain and conditions, to testing kit and nutrition or simply enjoying the area so you can focus fully on race day, here are what our ETT athletes have found most useful about their recces.
Understanding the Route
Performance Coach Doug advises: “Becoming familiar with the course helps massively on race day, with navigation and psychologically. Although most races are well marked, taking the stress out of route finding makes a difference. It also helps to know what’s coming up as you pace yourself throughout the course.”
Kris during a recce of the European Off-Road Running Championships
Avoid the mishap of getting lost on race day (the most prominent example of this probably being Jim Walmsley’s wrong turn while leading the Western States Endurance Run in 2016). It can not only lead to losing places, but could also end up in injury. You can add the GPX file to your watch, but by having run the course once in training you’ll also be able to identify some key sections where you may encounter difficulties and prepare for them accordingly.
ETT athlete Kris recalls the confidence he got from recce-ing the routes ahead of this year’s European Off-Road Running Championships: “My recces gave me confidence to push hard because I knew what to expect in the races. I knew when tougher sections would finish and I could push a little closer to the limit because of this. It also gave me more confidence to send it on the descents.”
Another route learning benefit you’ll get from recces is knowing what areas you need to work on in training. For example, Catalin found that running on the Transgrancanaria Advanced route (where he placed 7th this year) helped him consider how to adapt his training to perform more race-specific workouts. “It helped me work with Coach Doug to address weak areas, but also test the gear on the terrain and in similar weather conditions to the race.”
Knowing when the tough sections will come, understanding your likely pace in between aid stations or checkpoints, and learning what skills you need to work on in training are all key benefits from doing race recces.
Mental Preparation
Nico & Gian recce-ing the Swiss National Championships at Madrisa Trail
Through a race recce or visualisation, you can build confidence for race day and help you stay calm and focused. Nico found that recces were essential for mental prep and Poppy says that having run the La Sportiva Arc 50 route in training helped her “not burden the mind with more worries on race day and keep the morale high.”
Team sports psychologist Dr Josie Perry shares that visualisation and imagery are great tools to help rehearse race plans, improve relaxation, reduce anxiety, or “psych up” before a race. Having the visual references from having recced your route will facilitate this activity. Effective imagery can help you feel in control, focused, and confident. And it can help you consider “what if” scenarios: how will you cope in the event that something goes wrong on race day? Consider where or when you could be going through a rough patch, what hazards could present an issue (wet sections, steep descents, exposed ridges…), etc. Having gone through these in your mind and visualising yourself problem solving will help you be calm, confident, and efficient if things do go awry during your event.
Test Your Kit
Until you actually experience the weather conditions and the terrain of your chosen race, you have no way of knowing exactly what kit will work best for you. Of course, you cannot recce at exactly the same time of year as the race (unless you’re very organised and you plan a year in advance!) and, even then, the weather can change dramatically. But it helps to see exactly how your clothing and your fuelling strategy should adapt to a specific climate.
Test your shoes to make sure you have the right amount of cushioning and grip for the terrain you’re about to tackle. Practice with or without running poles to decide if you’ll use these on race day. And learn where on the course you’re likely to feel the cold or the heat more (for example, high-altitude passes at night will probably require a jacket, while going across exposed ridges in the sunshine at midday will mean you may need to top up on your sun cream).
Practice Nutrition & Hydration
Catalin exploring the Transgrancanaria Advanced route
Ahead of Transgrancanaria, Catalin was training in Romania in winter, so the temperatures and sun exposure were very different. Running on the race route, he was able to test exactly how to adapt his hydration plan and work with our ETT high performance dietitian Rebecca to create a race-specific nutrition and hydration strategy.
Another key thing to consider is the difficulty of the course, which you cannot learn 100% from watching race videos and reading maps. You may cope with a technical descent differently from other athletes, for example, so being aware of when you could make slower progress is really important. In this case, you can plan to take on an extra gel to give you an energy boost or some caffeine to help increase your concentration.
There are also time savings to be made by knowing how you can refuel smartly. You can easily gain a few places just by running through a crowded aid station and refilling your bottles at a fountain a few miles down the trail - something Coach Doug found out himself when recce-ing the UTMB and spotting strategic water fountains in La Fouly.
Streamline Race Logistics
Knowing the general area of your race, including the start and end points (different if you’re not racing on a looped course), will reduce stress in the days before the race. It allows you to brief your crew about where they can meet you and it reduces any unknowns around your travel and accommodation. All these can bear a huge influence on how you’ll perform on race day.
Additionally, being very clear on where aid stations will be on race day will influence decision-making around how much fuel you carry with you, what mix of own vs. race-provided nutrition you’ll be consuming, and when you can rely on crew to get more of your food and drink. All these little elements add up to helping you succeed on race day.
ETT athlete Hugh won the Dragon’s Back Race in 2023 after doing extensive recces. He summarises all the advantages we’ve listed so far beautifully: “I spent a lot of time on the course in the months leading up to it. The result was one less thing to think about on race day. I knew where I could get water, where might be times to take it easy and where to attack, how long the climbs were and what the ground was like. I also picked up a couple of cheeky shortcuts (it’s an unmarked race!) which saved me probably 10-30 minutes over the length of the race.”
Hugh during the Montane Dragon's Back Race - © No Limits Photography
Enjoying the Route
If you’re running competitively, you won’t be stopping to take photos during the race or admiring the scenery. Some athletes go through really beautiful parts of iconic courses at night, missing even more. But, during your recce, you can take your time, enjoy the views, and get to really know the places you’ll run through. Going at a slower pace also contributes to helping you understand the route. This can be even more useful for night-time sections and can potentially save you from getting injured or lost in the middle of a race.
Our Tips for a Successful Race Recce
If you can physically get to the location of your key race and are able to spend the time required to do it, we would always recommend a full course recce (potentially spread across several days, depending on the length of your race).
Here’s how to make the most of your trip:
Ideally, work out your transport logistics well in advance. As there are no officials there during your recce, you may need to rely on public transport to get back to your start points so work out when you’ll pass through villages or ski resorts (which often have summer bus services). Ski lifts are also a good option if operating in the summer, to either avoid an extra climb or descent. If all else fails, make sure you have friends or family available to give you a lift!
Short on time? Consider where you can gain the most from recceing the course. Run only those key sections, for example the longest or steepest climb/descent, the final uphill or downhill, the start and end parts, any particularly technical sections you’ve heard others mention or you’ve seen in race videos.
Take lots of photos and videos! On the one hand, these will be great memories of beautiful places. On the other hand, they’ll serve you well when you try to visualise the race or remember specific sections.
Practice with your race kit, including the mandatory equipment and the same amounts of food and drink you plan to run with on race day. This will help you see how the weight feels on the specific terrain and may give you ideas about switching your running vest.
When thinking back on what you’ve learnt during your recce, consider the differences between the time of day when you ran on the course and the time you will be passing through there during the race. If you start at night, for example, consider how this may affect your pacing if you’re not as comfortable running in the dark. A good tip, if you can do it, is to try to run an expected night-time section in the dark, so you can really know what to expect.
What If You Cannot Do A Physical Recce?
For all their benefits, recces are not easy to organise and do. You may not have the time or budget to travel to your race location twice or take the extra time to explore the route in detail. Luckily, there are a few ways to still learn a bit more about your route:
Catalin recce-ing the 2023 World Trail and Mountain Running Championships route
Consult race maps in detail. This includes Strava maps where you can see points of interest and even other runners’ photos along the route, but also official hiking maps of the area which offer a wealth of detail about the terrain.
Watch race videos. Nowadays, lots of runners film themselves running iconic routes and even follow up with reviews and additional photos. You’ll get a feel for the terrain and key sections of the route.
Read race reviews. A little more old-fashioned, but there are often many blogs or information people share on social media (especially on race-specific Facebook groups) that you can find very useful.
Search for your race on social media. Try a few different platforms and you’ll find photos and short videos of the route. You can also try to search for key points in the race, e.g. a mountain summit or pass, and see videos and photos people have shared from hiking there.
Use Google Maps Street View. Races pass through towns and villages so there will be some sections you can view this way. Some routes on gravel tracks or forestry roads are photographed quite far out from a trailhead. Western States and large section of the Pennine Way have street view on them as well.
Watch past YouTube livestreams. Finally, lots of races are now streamed live and can be watched back in their entirety. This really is the next best thing to doing a recce, because more recent livestreams have managed to stick with the front runners throughout the whole race. Of course, you will need to be really dedicated to watch over 20 hours of UTMB footage… but then again, if you’ve signed up for it, you must be!
Recceing for Race Success
“Recces are great as you are training on the specific race route, helping you appreciate the demands of the route, and helping assist in things from race pacing to shoe selection,” says Coach Doug. “For all their key races, we aim for ETT athletes (where possible) to spend time on the course, becoming familiar with it, and informing race day strategies and kit.”
However long you can spend on a course will give you invaluable insights into how to plan your day and what to wear, eat, and drink. And it will make you feel more confident on race day - all contributing to a better performance overall.