19 Weeks | Intermediate / Advanced | 24-Hour Ultra Preparation

The SPC Equinox24 Ultra Training Plan is a 19-week programme designed for experienced runners preparing for a 24-hour ultra event. This plan is built around the specific demands of long-duration, lap-based ultra racing: controlled pacing, repeatable movement, fuelling discipline, run/walk strategy, night running, strength, recovery, and race-specific simulation.

This is not simply a mileage plan. It is a complete preparation block designed to help the athlete build the physical durability and decision-making skills needed to keep moving for 24 hours.

The plan includes easy aerobic running, long runs, back-to-back weekends, structured run/walk sessions, hill strength, mixed-terrain running, night practice, loop simulations, recovery weeks, strength work, and tapering into race week.

A key feature of the plan is learning how to use pace, heart rate and effort together. Pace helps with lap rhythm and race planning, but effort and heart rate are used as guardrails to stop the athlete drifting too hard too early. Athletes are encouraged to know their threshold heart rate and stay comfortably below it during long runs, simulations and race-specific sessions.

Run/walk sessions are included deliberately. These are not filler or a sign of weakness. They are a race-specific tool used to protect the legs, control heart rate, support fuelling, build lower-stress aerobic volume, and prepare the athlete for a strategy they may need to use during the event itself. The plan uses distance-based run/walk structures so athletes can practise repeatable movement patterns.

Simulation sessions are a major part of the programme. These are designed to recreate the rhythm of Equinox24 as closely as possible: moving steadily, fuelling regularly, resetting between loops, checking kit, managing effort and going again. Athletes are encouraged to use these simulations to find their own aid-station rhythm and reset strategy, as different athletes may need different amounts of time between loops.

Strength training is included throughout the plan to support durability, posture, climbing, descending, trunk stability, calf resilience and late-race movement quality. Strength is used to support the running, not to create unnecessary fatigue.

This plan is best suited to runners who already have a solid endurance base, are comfortable running consistently, and can currently handle around 30–40 miles per week before starting. It is ideal for athletes who have completed marathons, ultras, trail events or other long-distance endurance challenges and now want structured preparation for a 24-hour event.

The aim of the plan is simple:

Build the athlete who can stay calm, fuel well, pace smartly, walk with purpose, reset when needed, and keep moving.

The goal is not perfection.
The goal is repeatable forward progress.