Can you handle this record-breaking ultrarunner’s brutal workout?

Colorado-based ultrarunner and coach David Roche is putting himself through some of the most intense training out there as he prepares to chase the podium at Western States 100 (WSER) this summer. Think you can handle the hill workout that left him unable to run for five days?

This is going to hurt (on purpose)

“If I want to reach places I haven’t been before, I need to do things I haven’t been willing to do.” That’s how Roche described what may be his hardest workout ever: a hill session so intense he couldn’t run normally for five days.

Featured in episode four of Road to Western States, Roche’s new YouTube series, the workout is as brutal as it is effective.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 5 x 4-minute hills
• 6 x 1-minute hills
• Finish with a steep-grade push to failure

The goal? Build power, speed and toughness—the kind you need when chasing a win at the most competitive 100-miler in the world. “It ended up being a trip into the depths of the pain cave,” Roche said. “My brain was screaming STOP STOP STOP and I tried to respond, ‘This is fine. I will accept this forever if needed.’”

Racing smarter—and way faster

Roche isn’t relying on mileage alone to prepare for WSER. After breaking the Leadville 100 course record in a jaw-dropping performance that earned Trail Performance of the Year, he’s taking a new approach: train like a 5K runner. As a longtime coach known for blending science with joy-driven training, Roche is applying the same principles to his own running—emphasizing quality, speed and recovery over sheer volume.

“I’m going to get fast. Really fast,” he says. He plans to bring track-level speed to the trails, using short, intense efforts like this hill workout to sharpen fitness and build race-day resilience.

Why this workout works

What makes this hill session so tough—and so effective—is how it combines different kinds of stress on the body. The long four-minute hill reps build aerobic power while simulating the grind of sustained climbs. The one-minute hill sprints focus on explosiveness and leg turnover, sharpening your ability to surge and respond mid-race. And finally, pushing to failure on steep grades forces you to tap into deep reserves of mental grit, helping build the kind of fatigue resistance that ultrarunners need when everything starts to hurt. And because it’s time-based, you can adapt it to your terrain—whether you’re on snow, dirt or a treadmill.

Go deep—then go deeper

Roche admits this isn’t the kind of session to slot into your weekly training plan—it’s a deep-dig effort designed for breakthrough moments, not everyday mileage. But if you’re chasing peak performance or just curious to see what you’re made of, this workout delivers. Just be sure to go in prepared: warm up thoroughly, cool down after and give yourself at least one full rest day to recover.