UKC

As more climbers seem to be transitioning to running and swapping tight rock boots for trainers and trail shoes, Shirin Shabestari explores how the two sports complement and contradict one another...

If you are a keen climber who loves a bit of running (or, as in my case... 'a lot of' running) then you likely appreciate the joys of loving two sports — maybe one a little more than the other, but you still enjoy them both enough not to want to give one up or reduce one activity significantly. Perhaps you are one of those genetically gifted individuals who excels at both and climbs and runs at an incredibly high level, or like us mere mortals, you belong to the majority of climbers and runners who have settled for more mediocre levels when it comes to their achievements and goals.

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Good article. Getting the balance right is definitely tough; it seemed when this spring came around that I hadn't trained enough for either running or climbing, although I'd done plenty of both over the winter, and felt a bit disappointed somehow. Especially running against people for whom running is their main sport, and similarly climbing with pure climbers. I realised that if I wanted to raise my game in one, I'd have to accept lower performance in the other. But as Shane says; difficult to make that choice! 

Really good article, thanks. I’d also put in a word for orienteering, as it combines the challenges of running with the mental challenge of problem solving under physical stress. Much like climbing - particularly onsighting. 

I think many mountaineers have always ran, there's never been a transition they've grown in parallel, it's how you keep fit mon to friday ready for the weekend, or make charging into crags with longer walk ins much easier, or as pre alps training.

Seconding the above, orienteering makes a world of difference if you ever plan to do summer or winter ML assessments. There are a surprising number of climber / mountaineers racing in the various multi day mountain marathon events, or the duathlon score 'open' events. 

Unless you plan to climb high Es / 7+ and beyond I don't think the training for both compromises each other either. You can't beat a quick thrash up to heather terrace, gimmer, dow crag etc.. passing people, knowing you'll have your breath back in a minute and still be fresh to climb, with any potential queue avoided.

Great article! Like many others, I've found that running is a welcome distraction when injuries or weather mean I can't hit the rock like I'd want to. As a larger climber I find it's also the only reliable (read: not miserable calorie restriction) way for me to lose some weight in a healthy way. Running between easy solos in Eryri is also my favourite way to do lots and lots of climbing, efficiently and quickly.

Last weekend a group of 40 of us Cardiff University Climbing alumni gathered in Deiniolen for a reunion of sorts - probably about 15 of us went running on the rainy Saturday and then most went climbing when the sun came out on Sunday. It works!

For us it was always about maintaining cardio vascular fitness, weight etc,  the competitive nature and pure enjoyment. Fell running especially is so rewarding. Members of our former running climbers group had won marathons, the Karrimor elite and numerous fell races. One member represented the UK at cross country, fell running, was UK fell running champ. and world 10K road running champ. Age has seen us move to bikes, but we all still climb a bit.

Walking probably the more natural fit for all of that of course.

Unless you live on the doorstep of very big hills and enjoy walking with heavy loads, it's very difficult simply by walking to train at the cardiovascular output you'll need to be replicating if you're training for mountain routes. Running allows you to get into "puffing like a steam train" mode within minutes and sustain it for as long as you are able.

True, the best training for walking up hills is walking up hills. 

Next best arguably gauntlet stair masters, as you don't get impact injuries, however you also don't work those muscles used descending hills. 

Third, any exercise where you move your body weight (so cycling, swimming, etc, aren't the best), running fit, threshold training, and hill efforts all make a big difference. Think about pushing uphill walking, you tend to sit just below your threshold, that point where you'll start to burn out if you go faster. 

Yes, while running is a lot better than nothing, you simply can't beat flogging up hills with a big sack as training for mountaineering. I would have thought that, traditionally, hill walking would be the activity of choice for weekends at the times of year, generally the autumn, when there is no rock climbing or winter climbing to be had, with running, on hills if possible, for evenings when not cragging or training indoors.

Scrambling best wet weather activity: good for hill fitness, promotes good footwork and balance too, amazing routes and you cover a lot of ground in a day  

To answer the thread title - I'm a runner cos I booked a guided Alps trip and their recommended fitness level was specified by running a certain distance. I never liked running but realised I was nowhere near that fit so I thought I'd better give it a go. I didn't enjoy running on the road, but I really liked how quickly I got fit doing it. So much more effective than cycling. Then in lockdown I started running trails, and I love it. Just like in my climbing, I don't push myself too hard and I'm not fussed about improving, I just enjoy it in the moment and that's good enough for me.

I run mainly because I don't have as much time as I'd like for hill walking. I mainly bolt clip and boulder nowadays because I don't have as much time as I'd like for whole days out on Stanage or Scafell. I love whole days out in the mountains more than anything else but life gets in the way!

And is a shed load more time efficient 

The most mountaineering fit I've ever been has been off the back of a lot of hilly road cycling - if you stay in the saddle on climbs (which I needed to do because of the distances I was doing) it seemed to build strength in my legs that I didn't get from fell running. 

I do tend to run rather than cycle now, which still gives me pretty good mountain fitness and, as I've said above, is more time efficient so I can spend more of the time I have out going climbing. I tend to ramp the running up through the Autumn, ready for winter, when I'm doing less rock climbing training, and just keep ticking over for the rest of the year. 

So who here is a reasonably dedicated climber but just hates running and tries as much as possible to avoid it? <Toby shamefully raises his hand>

I have run, or at least jogged, reasonably regularly in the past, but even off tarmac trail and field running hurts my knees these days. For years I was spoilt by being able to XC ski from very close to home through winters, and that's so low impact on knees. The past decade I almost solely just cycle. The last time I went out 'for a jog' was in the original lockdown, so now 3 years and a month or so ago!

So #notallclimbers ;⁠-⁠)

Lovely piece, Shirin. I only took up fell running in my late forties and it's been transformative. I was only ever a middling climber (Alpine F6a, Scottish winter V5 at best) in my joyously-misspent youth, so I'm happy to leave all that to the younguns.

One piece of historical perspective: I think Fred Botterill claimed a speed climbing record for Napes Needle back in the twenties. The guy he was talking to was unimpressed with Fred's time of half an hour until it was clarified that this was from the Wasdale Head Hotel.

I think there is a natural connection between climbing and running via mountaineering and hillwalking to hillrunning as really just a fasn 'n light version of hillwalking.

A much harder question to answer is "Why are many climbers also cyclists?". 

Wear and tear, often literally. I tend to split my training 50/50 between between bike and running now. I thrashed it quite hard in my younger years and I probably didn't always have the best footwear, too hard downhill, didn't warm up, cool down or stretch as much as I would now. It all catches up with you! My best advice to my teenage kids and those in their 20s who never seem to get injuries, is training like you're injury prone and you'll have more years injury free. Plus on a bike you can get out and see so much, exploring etc and there's cake! 

That's probably the key for many, I would think.

I know that I got/kept myself very hill fit with 4-5miles walking on a daily basis, sometimes carrying shopping and things. Mostly flat. Plenty of walking at weekends and things too of course.

Its different training, but all useful. The thing is that that does need a lot of time (if often quite pleasurable time) so only really works well if its your commute.

(Or built into your job of course, as per all sorts of very impressive historical/present day people.).

Isn't an absence of hills realistically just a problem for any sort of training? I've certainly been on the odd run with people who were faster than me on the flat but hopelessly slow up a proper hill. Actually downhill too, there must be something odd about club runners not training the muscles/technique for that.

It's a bit anecdotal but when I was running a lot more frequently than I am now, I definitely noticed an improvement in recovery time between climbs. 

A deficiency in character.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Why do many people who do a certain sport also do a different sport as well?

It's illogical captain. 

Live long and prosper, but make sure you don't do more than one thing.

Yes, of course, but why cycling rather than, say, golf?

He said a deficiency in character, not a total absence of character 😂

People who have climbed from a young age and climbed at a good/high level can maintain their climbing relatively easily as they take up running. Those who have always been runners who start climbing later in life then it's much much more difficult to combine the two.

I definitely find my climbing performance drops off if I’m training for an ultra. I can generally still do the moves but can’t link them up. doesbt seem as noticeable the other way around, but I don’t climb that hard anyway.

I think most people probably do multiple activities and running is an easy one to pick up as it requires minimal kit and there aren’t really any technical barriers to entry. Similarly I think if you climb you have an interest in outdoor activities in general and are therefore likely to partake in one of the other outdoor sports. Lots of climber mountain bike too
 

Why? It would seem odd that it might work one way round but not the other.

I started running more when I had kids and couldn't justify being out for long periods. Quickest way of getting tired and all that. Then I got into longer stuff like an idiot. Focusing more on bouldering these days, short stuff but longer days again. Silly person.

I was once accused of "Running like a climber" - here's an article for The Rucksack Club Journal inspired by the observation, 

https://doughton.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/running-like-a-climber-big-day...

Featuring the Peak Hard Rock round, 10 edges challenge and a fairly speedy Cuillin Traverse. 

Cheers, Dom 

The simple answer to the question in the article title: They're both activities that suit skinny fit people.

Another way to tickle some gear autism

It's pretty obvious although seems to be becoming something of a taboo to say it: they're all power to weight ratio sports and reward being light.

I assume that most climbers tend to live in hilly areas and have a preference for more adventurous activities already so are probably more likely to get into fell running or hilly rides which definitely suit thinner people better. The rouleur or sprinter type of rider wouldn't be your natural (rock) climber anyway.

Personally I got into running when my kids were young and I finally lost the will to spend days out driving around the Peak looking for dry rock and getting grief from my wife, or rushing back from Yorkshire in time for nursery pick up. Running from the door and immediately doing quite well in races because I was light and reasonably fit from climbing was a revelation. 

I digress but an Ofsted inspector watched me do a football club once, asked me what sport I was into and then said "You play football like a climber." 

I replied (quite quickly for me!) that that was a lot safer than climbing like a footballer. 

Haha - I did get the opportunity to return the complement that the person in question "Climbed like a Runner"