Saving your legs on climbs
Poles transfer work to your upper body. When preparing for your first ultramarathon, managing your quadriceps fatigue over thirty or forty miles is crucial. Pushing down on the grips helps distribute the work. “Your arms can take over ten percent of the load,” a veteran trail runner told me. This distribution of effort becomes even more critical during steep ascents, such as a vertical kilometer race, where the angle of the slope makes running impossible. By keeping your chest open and using the poles for leverage, you can maintain a steady rhythm without spiking your heart rate too early.
Using carbon fiber shafts reduces the swing weight, which keeps your shoulders from tiring over a twelve-hour day. Adjustable poles allow you to shorten them for climbs and lengthen them for flats, though fixed-length folding poles are often lighter and faster to deploy. Whichever style you choose, using them on steep gradients shifts the burden from your calves to your shoulders and back, preserving your legs for the flatter sections of the trail where you can actually build up speed.
Managing rough terrain
On loose scree, wet shale, or muddy singletrack, two extra points of contact provide stability. You can use poles to probe unstable ground ahead of you, much like you might use a branch to test deep mud. When running at altitude, where balance can feel slightly compromised due to fatigue and thinner air, poles act as stabilizers that keep you from slipping. They allow you to maintain a consistent forward lean. You can even use them to clear low-hanging brush or brambles out of your path without having to stop. I once watched a runner spot an unusual hawk and use a pole to steady his hands as he looked through his birding binoculars — a clever dual-purpose use for the gear on a slow scouting run.
During technical descents, planting a pole can help you hop over a fallen log or slide down a steep drop-off with more confidence. However, you must be careful not to catch the tips in rock crevices, which can snap a lightweight carbon shaft instantly. Many trail runners prefer using rubber tips to dampen the vibration on hard stone, while others rely on the raw carbide tips to bite directly into dirt, damp wood, and pine needles.
Deciding when to pack them
Poles are not always helpful. On flat, smooth dirt roads, they often become dead weight. Carrying them in your hands for hours can cause shoulder tension and fatigue your wrists. If you do not need them, stow them. Modern running packs have quiver systems or elastic loops across the back or chest to secure them. Knowing when to deploy them is a skill that takes practice… learning to fold and unfold them on the move will save you minutes during a long race. It is best to practice these transitions during long training runs.
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