How I’m Training For A Sub-100 Day PCT Thru Hike

For the past 15 years, I’ve balanced a family and a college professor job, both of which demand significant time and attention to be done well. Time available to access and flow through wild places has been limited in this time frame, but I have scratched the itch with mini-adventures. Some notable examples have been completing a double traverse of the Grand Canyon in one day, competing in the Arrowhead 135 winter ultramarathon, and thru-running the Superior Hiking Trail (and setting the FKT in the process).

Last year, my family gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever received: their blessing to thru-hike the PCT in 2025 and have a mega-adventure in the process.  That said, I still need to minimize the time away from my family and wedge this effort into my summer break between college semesters.  Due to time constraints, plus the fact that I simply enjoy moving quickly, and that I’m cheap (and shorter hikes are thriftier), I must complete my PCT thru-hike this summer in 100 days or less.  Is this a bad idea?  Definitely!  The best ideas are!

So how am I approaching this lofty/stupid (pick your adjective) goal? Do you have similarly lofty/stupid ambitions?  If not, I don’t blame you – HYOH! For answers to these questions, read on! 

Me in 2023, about to attempt the unsupported FKT on the Superior Hiking Trail

A Three-Ingredient Recipe For Getting Your Most Important Piece Of Gear (You) Trail-Ready

The biggest variable behind a speedy thru-hike is your personal preparation.  By this I mean how physically and mentally fit you are for this specific challenge.  Of course there are other factors, most importantly having a low base weight and avoiding getting sucked into trail towns.  However, your body is the engine that will power you down the trail and your mind is at the steering wheel.  All other factors are unimportant if your engine is too small, if you’re broken down due to injury, or if you’ve simply lost the zest to continue.  

Ingredient 1: Have Base Level Fitness

The most important predictor of success in an endurance event, say 6 months in the future, is how fit you are before training even begins.  This base level fitness comes from months, years, or even decades of consistency.  A high base level means your body is durable, your aerobic system is capable of enduring longer and harder bouts of effort, and your mind is calloused by the work you’ve already put in.  These are all fantastic traits that translate to success on a thru-hike. 

So if you’ve been consistently building your aerobic endurance and muscle strength over a long time, then you’ve got a great head start.  If you haven’t, all is not lost!  Everyone will benefit from adding the next two ingredients.

Ingredient 2: Building Your Engine

To average close to 30 miles per day for a sub-100 day PCT thru-hike, your body needs a big engine (i.e. endurance).  The best way to grow your engine is by subjecting yourself to progressively increasing training stresses and allowing your body to recover.  The modality with which you increase your endurance is important here, as certain modes (e.g., biking or swimming) are not going to prepare your body for the impact forces and time on feet required on a thru-hike.  

Training to hike by hiking makes more sense.  Hiking is the most specific way to get your body ready for the challenges you will face on your thru hike, namely long bouts of walking and associated mental preparation.  

My training will entail some hiking, but will involve a much higher proportion of running, for a couple reasons.  First, running is easier to fit into a busy lifestyle.  You can cover the same distance in less time while running. Second, running is more intense. It generates higher ground impact forces and elevates your heart rate, which strengthens the musculoskeletal system while building endurance and aerobic capacity.  

Ingredient 3: Getting Swole

Walking all day every day for 100 days while carrying a backpack requires strength, especially in the legs and core.  These systems will develop naturally, to some degree, as you build your engine, especially if your running or hiking entails hill training.  The forces required to move forward while climbing are greater than on flats, which will build strength.  For extra credit, wear a loaded pack and/or add trekking poles to the mix.  Downhills will prime your bones to absorb higher impact forces and will prepare your muscles for the damaging eccentric contractions involved in descending mountain passes on your thru hike.

To go into your hike feeling like an indestructible rig, add a strength routine a couple times per week that will build power in your legs, involving exercises like squats, lunges, and step-ups.  In the same routine, work your core with exercises like planks, Russian twists, and mountain climbers.

A Three Month Speedy Thru-Hike Training Plan

Once you know your start date, you’ll want to think about the specific challenges your body will face and expose your body to comparable stresses.  The trick is to start slow, progressively increase the training load, and ensure you get ample rest in between exercise bouts so your body can recover.  You’ll know if the training is having the desired effect if, after a month or so, you are hiking or running faster at the same effort (or heart rate) level.  If this isn’t happening, decrease the training load and increase your recovery. 

Assuming you have a moderate- to high-level of base level fitness, the following three-month training program should get you to the start of your trail ready to crush miles.  Start training earlier if your base level fitness is lower, ramping slowly from your current base to running or hiking 3 days per week.

Putting in the training will get you to the start line ready to rip!

Weeks 1-4

*Ramp up from about 3 (week 1) to 5 (week 4) easy runs per week of 1-1.25 hours duration, with some on trails.  If you can’t have a conversation with your training partner without gasping for breath, slow down.

*Do a longer (~1.5-2.5 hour) trail run on the weekend (or whenever you can fit it in), ideally with trekking poles and a light pack.  If it feels fun, go a bit harder when climbing and descending.

*Strength train 2 days per week.  Many excellent routines specifically for thru-hikers are out there.  Find one that works for you, doesn’t take more than an hour to complete, and doesn’t leave you sore for more than 2 days.

Weeks 5-9

*Run 4 times easy, 1.25 hours per run, during the week.  Do a faster paced run on the fifth weekday, in which you warm up for 15 minutes, spend about 30 minutes total at a comfortably hard (i.e. “tempo”) pace, and cool down for 15 minutes.

*Do a longer (~2-3 hour) trail run on Saturday and push it on the hills, again with trekking poles and a light pack.

*On Sunday, hike 15-20 miles with your specific backpack packed with most, if not all, of your gear.

*Strength train 2 days per week.

Week 10

*During the week, run 4 times easy, with a tempo run midweek.

*Strength train either once or skip it this week.

*On the weekend, do a 2-3 day backpacking trip, averaging 25-30 miles (or 10-14 hours) per day and using the gear you plan to start with on the thru-hike.

Weeks 11-12

*Do three easy hour long runs, with a tempo run midweek.

*If starting in May in Southern California, try to add a 15-30 minute sauna after each workout, especially if you are from a colder climate.  This will jumpstart your ability to manage the heat.

*Find a ~30 minute routine focusing on lower body mobility and complete it 1-2 times per week.

*Do a relatively short (~1.5-2 hour) long run on trails with trekking poles on the weekend.  Take the other day of the weekend off.

Closing Thoughts

A sub-100-day PCT thru-hike requires endurance, core and leg strength, and mental toughness. Being in tune with your body by balancing high mileage and ample recovery, both in training and on the trail, is essential. By progressively increasing your training volume, practicing long runs and/or hikes with a loaded pack and poles, and doing regular strength sessions, you’ll be well-prepared for a speedy thru-hike.