The core idea is that a trail with lots of positive elevation gain can still be prepared even when the local landscape is described as “desperately flat”. The stated goal is not to replicate the mountains exactly, but to prepare the body for the demands encountered on race day, compensating for the absence of relief with specific work.
To work on uphill and downhill sections without hills, the source focuses on muscle strengthening, pointing to specific exercises. It mentions, in particular, squats, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, deadlifts, calf extensions, single-leg exercises and core strengthening, with an emphasis on unilateral work to build leg strength and stability.
To create a load similar to an uphill section, the source recommends using stairs. It offers an example workout with 10 × 2 minutes of uphill followed by an easy descent, and another endurance-oriented model: 3 × 8 to 10 minutes of effort on the stairs, with recovery between blocks, adding that there’s no need to sprint.
If access exists, the incline treadmill is presented as a tool for reproducing a long climb, with control over duration and intensity. The text suggests blocks of 5 to 15 minutes at incline, and also mentions a strategy where fast walking can replace running depending on the slope, with a sequence of running followed by fast walking.
To get the body used to the chaining of efforts and fatigue, the source describes the value of long runs and also provides a “back-to-back” format to simulate legs that are less fresh. It cites, in particular, Saturday: 2 h 30 of running and Sunday: 1 h 30 of easy running, while noting that the second outing starts with muscle fatigue already present.
