Our 3-Day Mountain Ultra Training Camp at Khao Chalak
We just returned from an awesome 3-day ultra training camp at Khao Chalak (April 13-15, 2025). The trip’s primary goal was to prepare my wife for the Mozart Ultra race in Salzburg, Austria. It’s hard to believe, but we’re less than two months away from the race—a demanding 92 km (57.1 mi) mountain trail with 4,700 meters (15,419 feet) of climbing and descending.
Living here in Bangkok, Thailand, which is as flat as a pancake, means we don’t have epic trails right outside our door. So, these multi-day training camps on mountainous terrain are an excellent way to get race-ready. Khao Chalak is perfect for this—just a two-hour drive from the city and it offers a great mix of gently rolling, runnable trails alongside those steep, technical climbs that force you to hike (and let’s be realistic—a considerable part of a trail race involves hiking uphill, so it’s an absolute must-train). In addition to those magnificent trails, an asphalt road winding to the top offers a variety of slopes, from gentle to steep, ideal for hill repeats and seasoning those downhill legs.
Accumulated Fatigue: The Key to Durability
For three consecutive days, we attempted to accumulate as much mileage and hill work as possible, maintaining a moderately challenging intensity that ranged from endurance pace to steady-state efforts, and the occasional threshold interval. It’s all about building that endurance and durability to keep a strong pace going on race day, no matter the terrain—flats, climbs, descents, you name it.
So, why three days straight? Well, we aim to give the body a real feel for the race, particularly in terms of total mileage and elevation change. Think of it as a wear and tear rehearsal for the real thing, but with built-in breaks. Those overnight recovery periods between daily efforts make a big difference. The athlete is less likely to get sidelined by injury and bounces back faster after the camp, meaning a quicker return to regular training. The total training load, accumulated fatigue, and muscle damage create a significant stimulus for the desired fitness boost, even when spread out over several days.
My wife, Sutinee Rasp, demonstrated her determination by running, walking, and hiking her way to around 90 km (56 mi) with a colossal 5,200 meters (17,060 feet) of elevation gain accumulated over the three days. She spent a total of 15 hours and 19 minutes moving on the trails, with the longest session on day two. She nailed it! Race simulation done! And unbelievable – she still had gas in the tank for a few more laps!—Let’s hold onto that energy for race day, dear!
What’s next?
What’s next? In about four weeks, we’re heading to another 3-day camp, followed by the final preparation, a 12-hour hill repeat competition, just 15 days before the big race. Those last two weeks leading up to race day are for tapering—time to recover and transform the hard work into peak race fitness.
Fueling and Recovering for Optimal Adaptation
Of course, all that time on the trails is only part of the story. When putting your body through this challenging, high-impact training, it’s crucial to fuel it right with lots of nutritious food (don’t shy away from protein shakes to meet the higher needs). Equally important is lots of rest and recovery, including those glorious naps. That downtime is when the magic happens, when the body actually builds that incredible strength and gets ready to crush the race.
Multi-Day Training Camps for All Race Distances
Multi-day training camps work for all distances. They are highly effective in building fitness and durability for any race distance. Whether preparing for a shorter event or something more epic and longer than the Mozart Ultra, going (close to) the distance, boosting fitness, and getting accustomed to climbing and descending are always beneficial. Depending on your fitness level, adjust the duration of the camp, along with the total volume and elevation gain/loss, using the specific demands of your target event as a guideline.—Need help designing a training camp? Contact us.
Finally, a quick heads-up: while these training camps are awesome for race preparation, you need a solid fitness foundation first. You can’t just roll off the couch and expect to crush multiple days of consecutive hard training. Gradually building your fitness and getting your legs and body used to hard work is key before tackling something as demanding as a multi-day camp. Having that base makes the camp way more beneficial (and way less painful!).
The Mozart Ultra is part of the Mozart 100 by UTMB® series, featuring six distances ranging from 9 km (5.5 mi) to 120 km (74.5 mi). The races take place in Salzburg, Austria, in early June each year.
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Cover photo by Sutinee Rasp