written by The Trail Co.
on 11 January 2023
To the untrained eye, we know that Trail running poles can look pretty similar – especially if you're buying online. So just in case you can't make it into one of our specialty trail running stores in Brisbane, here's our advice on what to look for when you buy trail running poles online.
Before you start comparing Leki to Black Diamond to Salomon, or reading about the virtues of carbon fibre, ask yourself, "do I need poles to start with?".
Trail running often means making traverses across uneven terrain, going up steep hills, and undertaking long climbs. Trail poles are great for helping you tackle these elements. Trail running poles allow you to use your arms as well as your legs to stabilise yourself and drive yourself forwards, or uphill, more easily than with your legs alone. They also help with stability on technical descents with a couple of extra points of contact with the ground for balance.
Trail running poles are useful for training and racing on very steep trails, or if you want to sustain efforts on big climbs, or over long, hilly races like The Guzzler Ultra or Ultra-Trail Australia, mountain runs like the GSER, or further-afield UTMB – trail running poles can help.
If you're planning to undertake a trail race or ultra with lots of vertical gain, trail running poles can be a great addition to your gear to help you get through a big day on the trails.
To find out what size trail running poles you need, we suggest you take a measurement from the palm of your hand to the floor, with your elbow bent at 90° from your waist. This is best done while wearing your favourite trail shoes, and not in bare feet. That way you'll get an accurate measurement of what you'll need while you're running.
You can use this measurement to assess and set up an adjustable pole to the correct length, or if you're in-between two sizes of a fixed length pole, go to the one that's nearest your measurement. (Up in size is probably better than down if you're in the middle.)
Poles that are the right length will allow you to add forward drive to your running, without adversely affecting your posture or causing your to stoop.
Buying the right size trail running pole is the number one thing to get right, we suggest it's not worth buying second hand or cheap poles that are too long or too short for you in the long run (pun intended).
Carbon fibre poles are one of our most popular types due to being strong and light, so they add very little weight to a pack full of mandatory gear for an ultra.
Ultimately, we suggest that the best poles for an ultramarathon are ones that are the right fit for you. If you're using any sort of gear for hours at a time, it needs to feel right and not affect your running. Make sure you buy poles that are the right length for you and pack away and fit in a way you can get to them and use them easily over a very long day on the trails.
Top tip: it pays to practise using your running poles in your training and on your longer runs before your ultra-marathon event. As a runner, your upper body may not be used to a multi-hour workout without training.
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