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# Scott Johnston on training for mountain running
- URL: https://www.gwintrob.com/scott-johnston-on-training-for-mountain-running/
- Published: 2025-10-21T22:41:04.000Z
- Updated: 2025-10-21T22:41:04.000Z
- Author: Gordon Wintrob

[These](https://evokeendurance.com/resources/questions-from-utmb-part-1-how-we-dont-train/?ref=gwintrob.com) [two](https://evokeendurance.com/resources/questions-from-utmb-part-2-how-we-train-and-why/?ref=gwintrob.com) podcasts were interesting. Scott is the author of [Training for the Uphill Athlete](https://www.amazon.com/Training-Uphill-Athlete-Mountain-Mountaineers/dp/1938340841?ref=gwintrob.com) which is a great, nerdy book on endurance sports. He trained both winners of the main UTMB race this year and here are his main training takeaways:

- For long mountain races, the legs are the limiter, not the heart
- VO₂max isn't really the “gold standard” for these races and a bunch of 3-5 minute intervals that push this create more stress than they're worth
- To build **muscular endurance**, he recommends weighted workouts like uphill hiking (with extra \~8–10% body weight), tire drags, or stair machine
- He also recommends building **anti‑glycolytic capacity** (going faster while staying aerobic) via short sprints plus long sub‑threshold work

Hope you find this helpful if you're ever training for a mountain ultra!