Many runners think of the climbs as the toughest part of a hilly race. Uphills send your heart rate soaring and slow even the strongest runners to a grind, while descents offer a chance to catch your breath and let gravity do some of the work. But David Roche, ultramarathoner and coach to New York City Marathon women’s runner-up Jess McClain, says those easier-feeling downhills can come at a cost later in the race.
And Roche knows the importance of late-race performance, which is why he integrates strategies into his training to fight fatigue through long distances. Take McClain’s finish in New York City as an example: She outkicked reigning champ Hellen Obiri just feet from the finish line to take second place by mere seconds, clocking 2:24:42 and becoming the first American woman to reach the podium in NYC since 2018. Roche’s fatigue-fighting tactics take him even farther in his own races.
The two-time Life Time Leadville 100 winner—and course record holder—covered the famously demanding trails in 15:12:30, averaging roughly 9:07 per mile. Yet he rarely relies on extremely long, arduous training runs to prepare for conquering late miles. Instead, Roche uses downhill workouts to reproduce some of the muscular stress that can cause runners’ legs to fail in an endurance event.
The best part is, you don’t have to be an elite like McClain or Roche to benefit from his advice. He shares how purposeful downhill training can help runners preserve their strength, form, and pace deep into a race. Plus, he offers his go-to workout to add to your buildup.
Running downhill may provide some relief to your cardiovascular system—by lowering your heart rate a bit as gravity naturally carries you downward—but it puts much more strain on your musculoskeletal system. To keep you from tumbling down the hill, the quads must repeatedly brake the body’s momentum. Braking action involves eccentric contractions, meaning the muscles produce force while lengthening under load, Roche explains.
Eccentric contractions occur during many activities—including simply walking down stairs—but running a lengthy descent can deliver thousands in succession, significantly increasing the load on your muscles. When the body isn’t accustomed to the stress caused by downhill running, the aftermath can wreck you. Roche explains that while a runner may feel relatively normal after their first downhill running workout, they end up developing significant soreness within a day or two.
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