Answer

By Country Walking magazine

I asked Peter Sheard, Senior Lecturer in Sport, Exercise & Biomedical Science at the University of Bedfordshire (and Ironman athlete) for advice: “For an endurance hike you need three focussed training sessions per week. Two should be mid-week, 60-75 minutes each on non-consecutive days, one emphasising speed, the second emphasising hilly terrain and/or wearing a pack slightly heavier than the one you’ll wear on the day.
“The third weekly session is for distance; build up to one 4-hour session each week. When comfortable with that, keep one week at four hours, and in the alternating weeks build up by 60 mins up to 12 hours. After the 12-hour, there should be a 3-hour week, then the event.
“And fuel! Immediately after the mid-week session eat approx 65g of carb and 30g protein (tuna sandwich on brown bread), with limited fat. Any walk longer than 2 hours requires feeding while you’re out – aim for 40g carbs and 10g protein per hour – soild or fluid as you prefer. Keep hydrated and enjoy! “