Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

This 20km mountain run with 780m elevation gain is essentially a trail half-marathon requiring 2-3+ hours of continuous effort. The extreme duration combined with significant climbing creates an endurance challenge far beyond typical CrossFit programming. While the movement is simple, the context—massive volume, sustained elevation gain, and multi-hour time domain—makes this brutally difficult for the average CrossFit athlete who rarely trains runs beyond 5K. Only athletes with substantial endurance running background would complete this without walking extensively.

Benchmark Times for Uphill Battle

• Elite: <112:30
• Advanced: 127:30-142:30
• Intermediate: 157:30-172:30
• Beginner: >255:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (10/10): A 20km run with significant elevation is a pure test of cardiovascular and aerobic endurance, likely taking 1.5-3+ hours of continuous effort.
• Stamina (8/10): The 780m of uphill climbing demands exceptional muscular endurance in the legs, particularly quads and calves, while the downhill tests eccentric stamina.
• Strength (3/10): While primarily bodyweight, the sustained uphill climbing with significant elevation gain requires moderate leg strength production beyond flat running.
• Speed (3/10): Pacing strategy is important for such a long effort, but this isn't about quick cycling or sprint work.
• Flexibility (2/10): Standard running mobility requirements for hips, ankles, and legs. No extreme range of motion demands.
• Power (1/10): Minimal explosive demand. This is a sustained aerobic effort with occasional push-off during uphills, but primarily a slow grind.

Movements

• Run

Scaling Options

Beginners: 10km out-and-back (5km up, 5km down) with 400m elevation. Intermediate: 15km with 600m elevation. Use road running with rolling hills if technical trail unavailable. Break into two 10km sessions on consecutive days if 20km exceeds current volume by more than 30%. Use treadmill at 5-8% incline for uphill portion if needed, though it won't replicate technical demands.

Scaling Explanation

Scale distance if longest recent run is under 15km or if no trail running experience. Scale elevation if you haven't trained on hills regularly. Priority is completing at aerobic pace (can maintain nose-breathing) without excessive walking. Target finishing uphill portion in 1.5-2 hours for intermediate athletes. Scale if recovery from previous long runs takes more than 48 hours, indicating volume is too high for current fitness.

Intended Stimulus

Long-duration aerobic endurance test lasting 1.5-3+ hours depending on fitness level. Primarily oxidative energy system with significant muscular endurance demand on uphills. Mental resilience is tested over extended effort. This workout develops mitochondrial density, aerobic capacity, and eccentric strength in the quads during descent.

Coach Insight

Pace conservatively on the uphill - target conversational pace or 70-75% max heart rate. Shorten stride length and increase cadence on climbs, lean slightly forward, drive with arms. On downhill, resist urge to bomb it early - control speed to preserve quads for final kilometers. Use quick, light steps rather than overstriding. Fuel every 45-60 minutes with 30-60g carbs. Walk steep sections strategically if needed to maintain overall sustainable pace. Break mentally into 5km segments rather than focusing on total distance.

Benchmark Notes

This is a significant mountain run with 7.8% average grade on the climb. Primary limiters are aerobic capacity, leg durability under load, and pacing discipline. L1 (~4.5 hours) assumes walking most of the uphill and slow jogging down. L5 (~3 hours) reflects a median CrossFitter maintaining 9-10 min/km uphill and 6-7 min/km downhill with minimal breaks. L10 (~1h45m) represents elite endurance athletes who can sustain 6-7 min/km uphill and 4-5 min/km downhill—comparable to competitive trail running performance.

Modality Profile

Run is a cyclical cardio movement classified as Monostructural (M). With only one movement in the workout and that movement being purely monostructural, the modality breakdown is 100% Monostructural.