Training for the Bob Graham

The training schedule below is aimed at runners. If you are a walker and fancy your chances then also have a look at this page.

Many if not most of those who attempt the Bob Graham Round come from a running background and really only need to modify their training towards the demands of the round itself. For those people, six months is probably enough to increase the intensity and duration of training, but for those who are generally fit but aren't regular runners then something like a full year is more realistic to get yourself into shape.

Aiming for a longer training period (say two years) is probably slightly counter-productive in that the goal of actually setting out on the round is too far away and maintaining focus for that length of time is not something most people can do. Those who can do so are usually trained athletes anyway who wouldn’t need such a long training period in the first place.

Training Overview

Previously this page prescribed a rather punishing training schedule that several people, including myself(!), found a bit excessive. Thus there is now a more general overview of training with the intention of providing hints at what is needed for you to modify according to your personal situation, strengths and weaknesses.

The list below is generated according to the date of your intended attempt (use the calculator) or 0000hrs on the closest Saturday to midsummer’s day if you have not decided on a specific starting date and time. The training is based on three stages beginning six months prior to the date of :

If you are aiming for a full year of training then increase the time allocated to the first stage but precede this with a period of getting used to becoming a runner.