The Progress Theory How To Train For Extreme Ultramarathons with Kris King
Hello, and welcome to the Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. I am Dr Phil Price. In this episode, we are joined by Ultra Runner and CEO of Beyond the Ultimate, Kris King.
Now, ultra marathons are gaining in popularity. More and more people are looking to push their running performance further than they've ever done before. However, have you ever considered doing an ultra marathon in some of the harshest environments in the world? Well, that's exactly what Beyond the Ultimate offer. Providing ultra marathons in places like the jungle, the desert, and the mountains. And Kris King created these races
So in this episode, Chris and I discuss exactly what you need to do to prepare for some of the harshest races in the world.
In this episode, we discuss:
- 1:30 - Kris King and Beyond the Ultimate
- 5:39 - Different ultra environments
- 13:15 - Ultramarathon personality
- 17:39 - Kris’ race and challenge history
- 24:26- Training specificity
- 28:07 - The mindset and physical qualities of successful Ultramarathon runners
- 34:20 - How to prepare for an extreme ultra
- 40:30 - Kris’ next challenge
- 43:50 - racing strategies
- 49:46 - Tips for those wanting to do Beyond the Ultimate
Key topics
Ultrarunning and Mental Health: "I think it's partly to do with that, and I don't think it's any, coincidence, or probably, you know, a topic to go too deep too soon, but you know, when you look at the mental health crisis, I don't think that is a coincidence that you have more people on things like antidepressants, more people in therapy than ever before, and there's a rise in a sport that often has a link to people with trauma."
Endurance Racing and Professional Success: "we get a lot of successful business people do our races because I think it gives them that same kind of founder, you know, that exciting bit of research, that exciting thing to kind of obsess over and stuff like that."
Advancements in Athletic Science: "So I was bringing science into my training, learning all about that, and and and trying to get those extra percentiles out of my performance."
Ultramarathon Resilience: "No matter how prepared you are to run a 100 mile is so Adam Kimball, a good mate of mine, is probably one of the best 100 mile races in the world. Like, he loves that distance, and he'll cruise for 60, 70 miles, and then at this kind of, like, final 30, which is mad to say out loud, isn't it? But this is a guy that can 6 minute mile comfortably for 70 miles, and then the race is on. And he has races, of course, where he feels shit, like, shitty at 30 and 40 and stuff, and it's just how it goes. But he is one of those guys that can kind of get into a pain cave and just he has such a positive attitude that he can kind of bring himself through it."
Mastering Ultrarunning – Energy and Mindset: "ultrarunning essentially is an energy and is a balancing of energy in the mind."
Athlete Training Philosophy: "You would just look at getting the basics right, getting the consistency in, getting all of the things that any athlete needs, good nutrition, good sleep, good support network."
Ultrarunning Training Insights: "Even if it's just a one session a week or a quick session, couple of sprints, just to get kind of prep the body for that. You know, one thing that I think all ultrarunners should be is adaptable."
Training Intensity for Athletes: "You're there to create an adaptation and and to go hard. So you know you know you've got it right when you turn up to the gym that day and you're kind of dreading it."
The Importance of Consistency in Athletic Training: "I think if I'd been consistent through the years of my training, I'd not had this gap of time out, I'd probably be a bit different at you because I'd be a different athlete."
Adapting to Extreme Physical Challenges: "By week 2 and 3 my body had just adjusted and actually doing 60 70 mile days wasn't bad it was just a thing you know, and it seems crazy, but your body kind of, so I will be approaching this where I'll be really trained."
Follow our Host / Guest
For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.
Thanks for listening!
All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025
Mentioned in this episode:
The Science of Hybrid Training
It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance. However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought. But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance? In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.
Progress Theory Newsletter
The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today. Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email. https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/ Sign up today.