How to prepare for a 100km walk Ultra Challenge

Are you getting ready to prepare for a 100km walk? In May 2022 I took on the challenge to walk a 100K Ultra with Action Challenge to raise money for the Air Ambulance. for the first time The Air Ambulance had saved my sister’s life in 2016 following an anaphylactic shock so it was important event and I ended up raising over £900. It was one of the toughest things I’ve done and thought it would be helpful to write an article about how I prepared for a 100km walk, what I packed for the walk and things I learnt on the way to help other people walk 100km.

In short walking a 100km is a really long way and is a lot of walking! I was very anxious and nervous about it and probably underestimated how hard it would be but it was also a brilliant event and I met so many inspirational people – I’d definitely do it again, the feeling crossing the finish line was amazing even if crossing the start line was hard!

Training Plans for 100km walk

Firstly, I didn’t do as much training as I should have done too prepare for a 100km walk at all! If you are doing an ultra walk with Action Challenge, they have a great training plan to follow which builds up over longer distances, depending on your fitness levels. The main elements that you need to focus on when preparing for a 100 km ultra challenge is to ensure that you’ve done a several longer walks before attempting the 100km so that you know where your hotspots for blisters are and so that you’ve tested all your kit that you’ll wear on the day to see if there are any potential problems. I did 4 walks of 28km, one walk of 35km and one walk of 50km before the 100km walk. Aside of that I tried to walk as much as I could to prepare for a 100km walk and also did plenty of leg strengthening exercises. I found the leg strengthening exercises much easier to fit in around work and the family than the long walks. I found these YouTube videos from Chase Mountains really helpful for exercise tips and pretty inspirational too. The plan was to complete the couch to 5k app too before but I only got to week 9 so finishing that is next on my list!

The best training advice I received was to get lots of practice in on walking steep hills, walking in the rain, night walks and pebble beach walks, basically walk everywhere in good time to get used to being on your feet all day. If you can, do a back to back walk of 30km training walks on consecutive days – this will help you prepare for the feeling of getting back up and walking when you don’t want to! Getting back up and out after each rest stop is hard!

Preparing for a Night Walk

The night walk is one of the most daunting parts of a 100km ultra. I recommend doing a night walk before your actual walk on the big day. Walking at night can be confusing, I even hallucinated that rocks were jumping frogs at one point! When coupled with being really tired, it’s really worth trying walking at night to see how this feels! I did a 28km night walk before my actual walk with a team member – I was meant to walk for longer but ended up hating it so much that I went home at 3am feeling sick and dizzy. I think it was just my body reacting to walking at night when it expected to be at home in bed! But I was pleased I’d tried it out so I knew how it felt! Remember to eat at regular intervals during the night too.

Kit list for long distance walking

Kit and Gear needed for 100km walk

• Pack a really good head torch is essential and a spare one is good too – the worst would be to be stuck without decent light during the overnight sections. Imagine having to navigate tree roots, rocks, branches – a bright light is essential. You will need a lumen rating between 300 upwards to ensure it’s bright enough. Look for a torch that has replaceable batteries so you can take some spare batteries to ensure you never run out!
• Walking poles are brilliant at keeping sausage fingers at bay, they also help ward off lower back pain and generally keeping you upright. Also help take some of the pressure off sore feet and knees. I mainly used my walking poles on the hills. You’ll need light poles, carbon ones are light so they don’t add weight to your bag when they’re not in use and practise using them on a regular basis.
• You’ll need a good supportive backpack but don’t take anything too large. I had a great support network of friends and family who came to join me for the walk and carried my bag for as bit – this was a lifesaver! I took a 24 litre bag but think I could have got away with something smaller. There were lots of people who walked with just a running vest. I got a Deuter backpack off eBay which was perfect as it had an airy back mesh – perfect for preventing your back from getting hot and sweaty!
• I also took a bumbag! My family laughed at me for this (particularly as it was a sparkly festival type one! But this was great for things like lipsalve, paracetamol, phone and things you didn’t want to be rooting around for in your bag). It also distributes the weight around a little.
• Foil Blanket – I didn’t end up using mine but was told to bring one in case you did find yourself injured you could end jump waiting for someone to pick you up and get cold. They take up no space and are light so worth having.
• Power charger for phone
• You won’t need to pack snacks (if you’re on an action challenge ultra) as there was lots provided at each station.
• A good fully waterproof and windproof jacket
• I did buy waterproof socks but didn’t end up needing them but if rain is on your weather forecast – you might find them useful.
• Electrolytes gels or tablets/salty snacks to replace salt lost in sweat although make sure you’ve practised having these on a long walk previously as they can make some people get an upset stomach. They do have these at the rest stops but obviously make sure you’ve tried the brand they have.
• You can feel a little sick as you get more tired, so crystallised ginger can help with the sickness.
• Toilet roll. Despite their being a toilet stop every 25km, I still ended up having to do a few wild wees!! So toilet paper was a necessity!

How to prevent blisters on a 100km walk

There is loads of different advice that you’ll receive about blisters – there were some really phenomenal blisters that I saw on the day! Luckily, I survived without a blister until the very end when I got one under my big toenail – later this toenail would fall off which apparently happens quite regularly on these challenges! It’s very much trial and error which is why long walks at your own pace are so important prior to your event. But here’s some top tips I’ve picked up along the way to help you have a blister free walk when walking 100km. The medical staff are excellent at these challenges so do check out any niggle with them.

About a month before my walk, I used This Gehwol 75ml Foot Cream, it strengthens skin to prevent blisters.

My top tip would be to tape your feet with Kinesiology tape. I liked this rock tape, it has a paper backing that you peel off before applying, which makes it easier to cut shapes in advance without it sticking to itself. Again you have to know where your rubbing spots will be so trial and error on a long walk beforehand is vital. These videos are excellent for teaching you how to tape your feet!

Make sure you’ve walked a long way and done some longer hikes in the shoes you’re planning on wearing. I did the London to Brighton walk and wore HOKA trail trainers. With a 100km walk – it’s best to have the lightest shoes you can depending on the terrain you’re walking. Comfy trail trainers work well for London to Brighton as there is actually a lot of tarmac for the first 30km.

Change your socks every 25km to prevent friction blisters. Keep reading for our best sock recommendations. Use a medical talcum powder at each rest stop to dry out your feet as well on a long-distance trail.

Practising long walks will teach you where you are likely to get blister so then you can take preventative action. Adjusting your laces and trying different lacing patterns is also worth a shot, particularly if you’re suffering from blisters on your heels.

Some people swear by stride out oil – although I’ve not tried it. Other people use vaseline. I just used the talcum powder.

If you get blisters on your heels, you can protect them with these blister protection plasters. They go on the shoes, not your feet!

What to wear to walk 1ookm

There are so many different types of socks that are good for walking, it’s a bit of trial and error as to what works for you. It’s good to try out many different combinations. Lots of people swear by 1000 mile socks or Bridgedales. The best sock combination that worked for me to wear for a 100km was Ininji sock liners (they might look odd, like gloves for feet but they stopped the blisters) and Ininji runner coolmax on top. I’d recommend going to an outdoor shop and trying every pair they have in your size and budget!

You will need thin extra layers for the night it’s cold when you stop but you warm up pretty quickly when moving so its good having something you can slip off and on easily like a zip up fleece.

It’s worth investing in some chafe free underwear – runderwear is a great brand! A good anti-chaffing cream or gel is also worth having in case your clothes start to rub. My T-shirt arms always started to rub at the half way point.

I walked in compression leggings as it wasn’t particularly hot during our 100km event.

What to Pack for a 100km walk

• A lightweight, fold up sunhat for the day to prevent heat stroke and woolly hat for the night (this can go in your half way bag.)
• Sunglasses
• Vaseline – your lips will get dry and sore as you get more and more dehydrated.
• Wear a camelbak, keep drinking from it. I found this easier than having to take your bag to get your water bottle out. As I became more tired, I became more lazy so a camelbak was really useful.
• Insect repellent and insect bite cream – an itchy bite is annoying when you have 100km walk
• Painkillers – you will need these towards the end when everything starts to hurt!
• Suncream
• Gloves are good for the night stretch and if you use walking poles as they can start to rub

Motivation to walk 100km

You’ll definitely need to pack some motivation to walk 100km! I had originally signed up to do my walk with a friend who later pulled out. I found meeting people along the way was easy and definitely talking to people took our minds off all the walking! Here’s my top tips to keep you motivated.

• Make sure you make a playlist of your favourite songs as you walk around. You’ll need a pick up now and again and music is great for that!
• Create yourself a Pinterest board of inspirational quotes to help you not give up! I said to myself I would read all my quotes before I was allowed to give up. Thankfully I didn’t get to this point!
• Lots of people told me that anything after 50km was all a mental game anyway – I believe this! Much of walking 100km is in your head. I had serious doubts that I could finish it and did have to switch to the 2 day challenge to have a few hours sleep in the middle. But if I can finish it – so can anyone!
• Make sure you have friends and family as your support team who’ll come to walk stretches of the walk with you on the day! This kept me going – I’d really look forward to the next person I’d be meeting on the way!

Top Tips for Walking 100km

• Getting to the start is the hardest part. I was a bundle of nerves and cried at the start! But if you have the wobbles just before – don’t give up! Just start and one foot in front of the other……
• Sausage fingers! It’s the strangest thing but when you walk a really long way like a 100 km distance you get sausage fingers – your fingers swell up and feel weird. I’m not sure of the science behind why! Firstly, make sure you take off any rings you have before you start walking and secondly keep your hands raised slightly. You can do this by either using walking poles, or putting your fingers in the loops of your rucksack (you can create loops with hairbands or elastic bands.) Some people even use stress balls or a hand squeezer to use some of the way round the walk.
• If you’re on an action challenges event – pack an overnight bag and pay to send it to the half way point. Pack in there toothbrush and face wipes and a full change of clothes to change at half term- it will make you feel like a new person!
• Just remember – your mind gives up long before your body ever will.
• And, you are stronger than you think – it helped me to remember it’s just walking – you do it every day, try to forget it’s a big event.
• Keep putting one foot in front of the other at a steady pace. If you continue to take baby steps in the right direction, you’ll get there eventually.
• Sorbothene shock absorbing insoles are really good and take the pressure off your knees
• Take a sip of drink at every KM as a minimum it helps with hydration, as well as a water bladder you might want to take a small 50 ml bottle with juice or soft drink in to boost your glycogen stores
• I know it’s a cliche but it’s a marathon not a sprint. I did a practise walk with some people who walked very fast and found I had stop sooner than I would if I had walked slower – so know your pace.
• An important thing to know is that comparing yourself to others is the singularly most self-destructive thing you can do. It’s your own race
• The scarier, and/or the tougher something seems, the more worthwhile it is.

How to recover from a 100km walk?

Next day I didn’t actually feel as bad as I thought I would. I was obviously very achy but the main issue was that I couldn’t wear normal shoes for about 3 days afterwards, I had to live in flip flops. I did lose two toenails but not until a few months afterwards!

You can use compression socks post-walk to aid recovery. They certainly help ease the aches in my lower legs and can make the recovery process that much quicker.

If you did get blisters – some people I met on the challenge sweared by this blister cream for healing blisters.

Good luck if you’re completing a 100km walk – you will have such an adventure and just keep your eyes on how amazing it will feel afterwards!