Power Hiking vs Running on Trails: When Hiking Is Faster

On steep trails, the fastest athletes often look slow: they are power hiking. The ego wants to keep running; the physics of uphill locomotion say otherwise. Past a certain gradient, a strong hike costs less energy and produces a higher ground speed than a laboured jog.

The gradient tipping point

Laboratory and field work on the energy cost of locomotion (including the Minetti cost curve behind grade-adjusted pace) shows that running becomes inefficient as grade rises. Exact thresholds vary by fitness, surface, and footwear, but for many trail runners:

• Below roughly 10-12%, running usually still wins if you are fresh.
• Between 12-18%, the decision is personal - strong climbers may run; most ultra runners hike.
• Above ~18-20%, deliberate power hiking is typically faster and cheaper than shuffling.

Translate any climb into grade with the incline calculator: metres of gain over kilometres of distance becomes a percentage you can rehearse in training.

GAP tells you the effort, not the gait

Grade-adjusted pace answers “how hard is this?” - not “should my feet leave the ground?” Two athletes can hold the same GAP on a 20% pitch: one running inefficiently, one hiking with short, powerful steps. The hiker usually arrives less blown up.

Use GAP to set effort caps on climbs, then choose gait by gradient and footing. Technical rock, mud, or altitude pushes the hike threshold lower.

On steep ground, the fastest choice often looks like the slowest gait.

How to power hike well

Stride and posture

1. Short steps, high cadence - drive from the glutes and calves; avoid overstriding.
2. Hands on thighs on the steepest pitches when poles are packed or banned.

Poles and transitions

1. Poles when allowed - plant slightly behind the body and push; do not plant far ahead and pull.
2. Practice the transition - run the approach, hike the steep middle, run again when grade eases. Hesitation costs more time than the hike itself.

Train the hike, do not only train the run

If your mountain race has sustained 15%+ climbs (CCC’s opener, Templiers gorge walls, alpine 50Ks), dedicate sessions to hiking at race effort:

• Find a local climb with a known grade.
• Hike repeats at the GAP you plan to race.
• Descend easy so the session taxes climbing musculature, not eccentric damage.

Power hiking is not giving up. On real mountains it is the skill that separates a controlled race from a death march that started when someone tried to “run” a 22% pitch at kilometre eight.