Hiking is an essential skill for endurance racing, and is also a great cross training option for all runners. Grab your poles and get going…

Words: Keri Wallace

I first started hiking when I moved to a small village on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in my early 20s. Donning a pair of hiking boots seemed the obvious way to explore my new moorland home and add an element of adventure to walking the dog. As I learned new skills and gained confidence over time, I started to venture into the mountains of the Brecon Beacons, North Wales and the Lake District, finally settling in the Scottish Highlands some six years later. Throughout this time, I’ve always been a runner, and I’ve found that hiking is the perfect accompaniment.

There are many reasons why walking or hiking is great for you as a runner. The first of these is that it is simply slower and easier on your body. “There is a much higher ground reaction force when running, which means there is less impact load through your joints, muscles and tendons when you’re walking,” says physiotherapist Mariam Kilpatrick of Physio Effect. This means that hiking is the perfect low-impact activity for cross training or a rest day, and an effective way to return to running following injury. Like running, hill walking is free being the pace. If you’re interested in hiking in upland or less accessible areas, and enables you to get outside and raise your heart rate, without the need for expensive equipment.

Walking and running are not mutually exclusive. Why not swap a long run for a hike this weekend?

It’s also the most accessible way of venturing into mountainous or remote terrain; after all, in reality, hill walking is not much different from trail or mountain running, and it can be a great way to transition between the two.