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80/20 Endurance

Ultramarathon Training Plans

4.6out of 5TrainingPeaks rating across every level of the 80/20 Ultra 50 Kilometer plan.

From your first 50K to a 100 mile buckle. Big easy volume, long runs and just enough speed. Four levels each, coach support included.

Join Team 80/20Buy a single plan from $49.95

Every plan and TrainingPeaks Premium, as low as $16.58/month when paid annually. 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • Coach email support
  • Free switch to another level
  • Never expires
  • Syncs to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift, Apple Watch and more

Ultrarunners on 80/20

Hundreds of athletes share their 80/20 results on our Wall of Fame.

  • “The almost-daily runs and training consistently with the established intensity were key. I had no injuries while training!”

    Ashish Gupta

    Ultra Marathon

Testimonial 1 of 4, from Ashish Gupta: “The almost-daily runs and training consistently with the established intensity were key. I had no injuries while training!”

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Read hundreds more athlete results

Choose your plan and level

The levels below are for the 50K plan, and the other three plans use the same four levels. Pick the one that matches the running you can sustain today. If it turns out wrong, we switch you to another level at no cost. Still not sure? Try the plan finder.

Best value

Every plan on this page, and every other 80/20 plan

Team 80/20 Gold includes TrainingPeaks Premium and Mind of Matt, as low as $16.58/month when paid annually. 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Ultra 50 Kilometer

80/20 Running

4.6TrainingPeaks rating

Your first, or fastest, 50K. Mostly marathon fitness plus durability, with long runs that respect the distance.

18 weeks · Heart rate, pace and power

Help Me Choose

Which level is right for you?

Ultra 50 Mile/100 KM

80/20 Running

4.7TrainingPeaks rating

The plan most of our ultrarunners choose. Big easy volume and back-to-back long runs for the 50 mile and 100K range.

19 weeks · Heart rate, pace, power and RPE

Choose your level

Every plan includes

  • Every workout on your TrainingPeaks calendar, synced to your watch
  • Your zones built into each session
  • Works with a free TrainingPeaks account, no Premium needed
  • Coach email support for as long as your plan runs
  • A free switch to another level if yours is wrong
  • Lifetime access, the plan never expires

Why 80/20 works for ultras

Ultras reward the runner who slows down least, and that runner is built on easy miles, lots of them. An 80/20 plan keeps about 80 percent of your running at low intensity, so you absorb the volume and long runs an ultra takes, while the other 20 percent keeps your legs honest late in the race. Every run lands on your TrainingPeaks calendar with your zones built in, a coach answers your questions by email, and Team 80/20 includes all four plans on this page.

An ultra is run almost entirely at low intensity, so it is tempting to train only slow. Matt did exactly that for his first 50 miler, when an Achilles injury ruled out fast running, and his race was humdrum. He won his next ultra after a build with regular doses of faster running.

Research backs him up. In a 12 week study of 20 ultra runners, only the group that trained 80 percent easy and 20 percent hard improved running economy and time to exhaustion. If this is your first ultra, coach JW McKenna's advice is to pace yourself, expect to hike and know the cut-offs. There is more in our running articles.

What a week looks like

Take a typical Level 1 week. Day 1 is your rest day and Day 7 usually carries the long run, which is set by distance rather than time. Most of the other runs are easy, and their pace should move with how you feel that day rather than hold to a number.

The faster work stays small but regular, in sessions such as Fartlek Runs, which bring modest doses of speed into base training, and Progression Runs, which teach you to run faster on tired legs. Every rest week includes a test, so your zones keep up with your fitness, and every run syncs from TrainingPeaks to most watches.

Read the workout code glossary

Ultramarathon training plan questions

How many weeks is an ultramarathon training plan?

It depends on the distance, and each plan is the same length at every level. Our 50K plan runs 18 weeks. The 50 mile and 100K plan runs 19 weeks. The 100 mile plan runs 22 weeks. The Masters Ultramarathon plan runs 21 weeks. If your race is closer than that, email a coach and we will tell you where to begin.

How many hours a week do I need to train for an ultramarathon?

On the 50K plan your weekly running averages 4.8 hours at Level 0 and 9 hours at Level 3, with peak weeks of 7.3 to 11.5 hours, and the longer plans ask a little more at the top. Matt's rule is to train at the highest volume at which you consistently feel good, so pick the level you can hold most weeks.

Is there an ultramarathon training plan for beginners?

Yes. Level 0 of the 50K plan is built for a first ultra, with five runs in a typical week and two days off, and it is the level most of our 50K runners choose. If you are torn between two levels, start with the lower one, and if it turns out wrong we switch you at no cost.

Should I train by heart rate, pace or power for an ultramarathon?

All four plans come in heart rate, pace and power versions. On trails and hills pace stops being reliable, so heart rate or power is the better guide there. Keep in mind that heart rate lags behind changes in effort and drifts with heat and fatigue, which matters over many hours.

What if I miss a week of ultramarathon training?

Pick up the schedule where you are rather than trying to make the runs up. That holds for a missed run or two when you are healthy. After a longer gap, especially for illness or injury, ease back in over a few days first. If the plan no longer fits, email a coach and we can move you to another level.

Does it include strength training?

Not in the plan itself. Strength comes as a separate Premium Strength plan matched to your distance and its weeks, Marathon/50K Premium Strength for the 50K and Ultra 50 mile/100K or Ultra 100 Mile Premium Strength for the longer plans. Team 80/20 includes them, along with every other 80/20 plan.

4.6out of 5TrainingPeaks rating across every level of the 80/20 Ultra 50 Kilometer plan.

Running a marathon on the way to your ultra? Team 80/20 includes every 80/20 plan, so both races and the strength plans for each come with one membership, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Join Team 80/20Or buy a single plan

Other running distances

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Running training plans · Intensity Guidelines for 80/20 Running