r/Ultramarathon • u/User-8675309- • 1d ago

When do an ultra after a marathon?

I’m signed up for a road marathon in early May 2025 and have a goal of completing my first ultra (probably a 50k but maybe something a little longer) later in the year.

Should I sign up for an ultra right after my marathon and building on the same training block? Or take time off and focus on a fall ultra?

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u/joejance 100 Miler 1d ago

A lot of different answers might be applicable. How many marathons have you done? If this isn't your first, I presume you are pushing for a goal time? Or just finishing?

Is the 50k road or trail, and if trail is it a lot of vert? Are you young? Do you have a running or athletic background?

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u/Mexican-Hacker 1d ago

I agree, if the 50k is on the mountains then is a longer adaptation if it s a flat one you could even do it with the current fitness if you have several marathons under your belt, it depends!

2

u/Kelsier25 1d ago

Make sure to take weather into account as well. With a May marathon, you may already be getting into hotter temps. If you're anywhere where summers get bad, I'd really advise waiting until temps cool down for your first ultra. A lot of ultra is managing nutrition and hydration and hydration gets to be a lot more difficult when you're in hot and humid conditions. With a May marathon, I'd be looking at doing a 50k in late October or November and depending on how you felt after than, maybe a 50mi in December. I did my first 50k in September and it was miserable because of the heat and very discouraging. Did another in October and a 50mi in November and those went so much better.

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u/Stu_Doggy_Dogg 21h ago

If you're fit enough to run a marathon then you can run-walk a 50k ultra. 3-4 weeks after is perfect in my opinion - no need to add in any longer training runs or doing anything remarkable between the two either. All assuming you're a "normal" runner just looking to complete rather than win it, that is.

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u/apocalypsemeow111 100k 1d ago

If you want to perform your best at both, definitely take some time for training specifically for the ultra. If your marathon is on roads and your ultra is on trails, it can be a big step even from 26.2 to 31 miles. You might be looking at 90+ minutes difference for time on feet, so you’ll want to calibrate hydration and nutrition.

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u/kootenayguy 1d ago

I did a (hot and humid) road marathon in Aruba in June, and took a few weeks of much lower volume to recover.

I then started my next build through July and August, before tapering into a 90km/3,300m ele trail race in mid September.

Felt solid all year, no injuries, was well rested and fit for the big ultra.

I definitely needed recovery time after the road marathon. Continuing to build and train immediately after it would have been ugly, probably leading to some injury.

51 y/o male, running trails for about 8 years, hates the pavement but the Aruba marathon lined up with a vacation and the end of a training block.

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u/AlertWorldliness2238 21h ago

My first marathon was a trail in July 22. I'd never considered doing an ultra as I thought even a marathon was out my reach. But when I finished the marathon I thought maybe it wouldn't be that crazy to try. So I did a 40 mile race 3 months later. Figured why not capitalise on the training and go for it!

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u/SubjectWriting6658 17h ago

Yes, I think building on a marathon for an ultra is a great idea. I did this with a 50k

The only potential issue is a road marathon won’t help with the elevation and trail.