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Tips from Personal Trainer Jeremy Inabnit on Training for the Gobi March

Jeremy is currently training several competitors for the Gobi March 2025. Here are a few tips from Jeremy on how to have a successful race. Jeremy completed the Atacama Crossing 2023 in second place.

1. When it comes to your nutrition and hydration strategy, the more detailed you can be, the better. One of the biggest reasons people don’t finish is due to stomach issues or dehydration. The longer you are on the course, the more important it’s going to be to get that equation right. You need to get enough carbohydrates, sodium, and fluid per hour to keep you moving.

2. Train for hills. Many people don’t have access to hills so they jump on the incline treadmill, which is great, but you need to train for the downhills as well. If you can get out of town and find some hills on several strategically timed weekends away, you may be able to get enough of a dose to get the adaptations you need to handle the load of the race week. There are some exercises you can do in the gym that can help also.

3. Include strength training and mobility work. It can be tricky when you have limited hours available to train but you absolutely can make it fit without working out twice per day or giving up a rest day. It’s just about getting the puzzle right so you can train and recover well. To put it simply, when you include strength and mobility work, everything just works better and for longer.

4. Don’t assume you have to earn blisters. I went for years thinking that was just part of running until I found the winning shoe and sock combination. Now I never have blisters. Even during my race in Atacama I didn’t have any. The solution for you is probably not my exact sock-shoe combination but I encourage you to keep looking into this. I can’t make any specific shoe recommendations here, but I think I can safely recommend trying toe socks.

5. There’s a lot of great ultramarathon training advice out there, but when you are doing research on how to train, keep in mind the unique demands of your race, your current fitness, training history, strengths, weaknesses, history of injuries, current schedule, life stressors, and more. It’s a common mistake for a very ambitious person to take on a training load they are not ready for physically. This can lead to injury, illness, or burnout.

6. My personal take on gear is that if it doesn’t aid in performance or recovery, I don’t bring it. An ultralight sleeping pad aids in recovery so I take it. An extra shirt doesn’t help so I stick with one.

7. Don’t assume something will work the exact way you think it will. Test everything. Examples: Sleep in your sleeping bag while wearing your sleep clothes. Eat all of the meals you’re going to take. Do things around the house at night for a few minutes using only your headlamp for light. (And definitely run with your headlamp at night if you plan to do so in the Long March.)

8. This is just a thought to leave you with, especially if you still have a lot of self-doubt… There’s a part of you that thinks you are capable of doing this and that’s why you’re here. Lean into that and stomp out any negativity, self-doubt, or excuses. If you put together a good plan for the next 6 months, work hard and execute the plan, you’ll be amazed at what you can do. You’ll be changed forever. You’ll be so glad you did this and found out who you are.

You can see more information about Jeremy here.