“The downhill is by far my favorite part of Mount Marathon. This is when I’m most in my element. When I’m cruising down a mountain, I feel so powerful, and I’m just smiling just thinking about how fun it will be to run this race again one day.” —Allie Ostrander, 2017 Mount Marathon Champion and Alaskan-born professional runner
“Coming down is just phenomenal. You’re just flying, like Superman without his cape.” —Flip Foldager, Mount Marathon race committee member
Mount Marathon
Every Fourth of July, the small harbor town of Seward, AK— population 2,800 — hosts Mount Marathon, the “World’s Toughest 5K,” which is known by trail runners around the world for its difficult terrain and hardcore Alaskan spirit. In 2022, I attended the event for the first time to experience the magic. I was impressed by the toughness, spirit and passion of the Alaskan community who have full pride in this event as their running “Superbowl” of the year.
One of the most talked about and exciting parts of Mount Marathon, according to the participants, is the downhill. In less than a mile and a half, runners descend 3,000 feet from the summit of Mount Marathon—which rises above Seward and the Kenai Peninsula— through loose shale, snow patches, rooted forests, and rocky cliffs. This downhill is NOT for the inexperienced trail runner. Watching runners descend gracefully and seemingly fly down the mountain (many of whom were Alaskans with a knack for running downhill) was a sight to see. Staying upright and moving quickly down challenging terrain is something most trail runners seek to improve, especially when you encounter downhills as “gnarly” as Mount Marathon.
Improve Your Downhill Running
In the following article, and in Fourth of July Mount Marathon spirit, I list my top three tips for improving your downhill running. Use these tips in your training, racing and if you’re crazy enough, at your first Mount Marathon so you too can experience the feeling of flying wildly downhill amongst the Alaskans!
Focus on the trail underfoot and embrace the free speed of gravity. Photo: Tayte Polmmann
Don’t Fight It
Embrace the free speed of gravity, don’t resist it. When many runners encounter intimidating downhills or feel uncomfortable with the sensation of gravity pulling them downwards, they instinctively tense muscles and “put on the brakes,” so to speak as a way of gaining traction and feeling in control. Although you certainly don’t want to be out of control or falling when running downhill, there’s no way to run quickly with the brakes on. Braking puts more strain on your muscles (namely quadriceps) leading to increased muscle fatigue or injury; this is the main reason runners aren’t able to move quickly downhill.
The key to running fast downhill is to recognize that it shouldn’t feel like a large muscular effort. Gravity will provide you with all the speed you need. Your job is to control the speed gravity gives you, not with the brakes, but by staying loose, relaxed and anticipating how to navigate the trail safely at high speeds. Let gravity do the work for you. You’re simply along for the ride.
Flail Your Arms
Watch any of the best downhill runners in the world and they’ll be using their arms as much as their legs. For those unfamiliar with downhill running, it may even look comical how they are flailing their arms like windmills or whipping them quickly side to side to counterbalance their body weight through turns. Two-time World Mountain Running Champion, Grayson Murphy, says, “If you’re using airplane arms, you’re doing it right!”
Flail your arms. Photo: Tayte Pollmann
Although you might feel silly (or look silly to some) when using your arms in this way, it is one of the most effective techniques for maintaining control on challenging downhills. Allow your arms, shoulders and torso to stay loose, while your head remains still and looking in the direction you intend to go. With a loose upper body, your arms will naturally swing and shift into positions that’s needed to counterbalance your body weight while running. This aids in keeping you upright and maintaining proper torso position. It’s rare to find slopes that have uniform angles of steepness, and using your arms as counterweights assists in making micro adjustments to the changes in steepness or terrain while running. So long as your arms remain relaxed, you won’t have to think about what your arms are doing and you can simply trust they are keeping you upright as much as your legs!
Draw Your Lines
Envision the path you’ll take in your mind and your body will follow. Every sport that involves humans moving at high speeds on race courses utilizes this technique to some degree, including skiing, race car driving, motocross, or kayaking. Watch the heads of great skiers before they enter turns and you’ll notice their eyes positioned through and out of the turn, not looking down at their skis. The faster you’re moving, the farther ahead you should be looking so that you give your brain enough time to scan the terrain and process how to proceed safely through it.
For trail running downhill, this means you should be spending the majority of your time looking ahead (not at your feet!) and drawing imaginary lines in your head of how you will descend. How far ahead you look depends on the speed you’re moving, as well as the technicality of the terrain. As a general rule, the more technical the terrain the closer you should be looking towards your feet and the less technical the terrain, the farther down trail you can look. When moving quickly, it’s key to trust your lines and your brain’s rapid computations to coordinate your foot placements. When you master this technique, it is one of the greatest feelings, using your brain and body in perfect synchronicity.
