Women's Health October 1, 2026 0 Comments

How Emily Schmitz Bounced Back from Running 108 Miles—Her Surprising Recovery Secrets Revealed

Ever wonder what it takes to run non-stop for over 22 hours through some of the most breathtaking—and brutally demanding—mountain terrain in the world? Well, Emily Schmitz just showed us all how it’s done at the Hoka Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), blazing through a 108-mile alpine loop across France, Switzerland, and Italy. Covering more than 31,000 feet of elevation gain, she didn’t just finish—she snagged third place in her very first attempt, proving that with the right mindset and training, the impossible suddenly seems possible. Now, here’s the kicker: after such an epic feat, most would expect to be utterly spent for weeks, but Emily’s recovery was surprisingly smooth—hinting at some serious secrets in how she prepared and bounced back. Curious about how she balanced grueling physical miles with mental grit, all while staying chill enough to recover like a pro? Let’s dive into the training, mindset, and recovery tactics that took Emily from hopeful to podium finisher. LEARN MORE

5 min read

Just last month, Emily Schmitz crossed the finish line at the renowned Hoka Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) after 22 hours, 17 minutes, and 28 seconds of running. The iconic course takes athletes through a 108-mile loop through the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps—which also means they cover more than 31,824 feet of elevation.

It’s an incredibly impressive feat, and though it was Schmitz’s first time competing, she managed to get third place, coming in less than two minutes behind second-place finisher Rachel Entrekin. “I definitely didn’t think I would place as high as I did,” she told Women’s Health. “I went in feeling strong and feeling like my training had gone really well. There were really very few hiccups and I was feeling energized during my training, which is generally a good sign for me.” With races at this distance, anything is possible, she says—including significantly surpassing her goal of top 10.

You’d think after a major effort like UTMB, you’d be down for the count for days (or weeks!), but Schmitz wasn’t. “I was surprised at how good I felt afterwards,” she says. That’s because recovery starts way before you get to the start line. You’ve got to slowly but surely build up your mileage over time and learn to run on tired legs. That way, come race day, your body knows what to do. Here’s how Schmitz trained and recovered from UTMB.

Training for UTMB was both physical and mental.

Schmitz has lived in Chamonix, the scenic French town where UTMB starts and ends, for four years—meaning she’s been able to train on the course itself for quite some time. In her peak week of training, Schmitz covered 110 miles total. Training for a trail race isn’t just about the number of miles completed, though. Runners also need to think about the amount of time they spend out there. “When you’re training on trails, one mile could take eight minutes or 20, so I do a combination of both,” Schmitz says. “I make sure I’m doing some runs that are faster and some that [are slower and] have more climbing, and then I look at the total hours per week so I’m not doing way too many hours.”

One key to feeling recovered throughout a hard training block is making sure your easy runs are just that, Schmitz says. “It’s easy to go too hard on the easy days, so I really pay attention to that,” she says. Sometimes that means doing a solo run instead of training with a group if you know you’ll be able to hold yourself to a slower effort better.

Despite being a coach herself, Schmitz also worked with a coach for this race—it’s just too hard to take an unbiased look at your own training, she says. And, it takes the mental work of formulating her workouts off her plate.

Schmitz also homed in on some mental tricks for staying strong and focused during UTMB. “My mantra for this race was to think about how I wanted to feel at the finish line and the story I wanted to tell about my race after the fact,” she says. “I decided before the race that what I wanted to feel and what I wanted to tell myself was that I just never gave up.”

Recovery for an effort like this is surprisingly simple.

Come race day, Schmitz wasn’t as beaten up as she expected after crossing the finish line. After completing her last 100-miler, Western States, she said she felt “terrible,” but this time, she felt sore—but still okay.

Trail runners are a notoriously chill group, and Schmitz’s recovery efforts throughout her training block and after are proof of that. She doesn’t have any fancy, high-tech gadgets she relies on (though she does like to put on her Hoka slides after a run) or follow strict rules about fueling or sleeping.

“I try to keep it really basic,” Schmitz says. After a big run—UTMB included—she’ll eat and sleep more to support recovery, but you won’t find her tallying up macros or checking her sleep score. Everything is about feel, and following her intuition. She’s also not a regular at the local massage or physical therapy place, either.

For recovery after UTMB specifically, she did what she always does: Ate a little more and got some sleep. Her first meal? Bread and cheese. (It’s France, after all!) “Generally, after a big effort, I find it really hard to sleep, and that was definitely the case with this for the first two to three nights, but then it catches up with you and you’re just sleeping so soundly,” she says. “I was really happy with the way my body responded and how good I felt afterwards.”

Then, Schmitz took a full two weeks off from running.

She spent the time with friends and doing things not related to running. “I think that is really important because if you have a structured plan and you’ve been following it for so long, taking the mental break from all of that is essential,” she says.

Taking an intentional break is key for recovering both physically and mentally. “I think listening to your body and also respecting the thing that you did is important,” she says. “Especially when you’ve been in the sport for a while, these big things become normalized, but even running a 10K or a half marathon or doing a structured training plan where you’re running five days a week for many months, it’s still a lot that you’re asking of your body.”

After running for 22 hours, Schmitz’s first run back was just 30 minutes. She felt like she could go longer—but decided not to. For Schmitz, taking things easy and slowly returning back to the sport are key for avoiding burnout and truly recovering.

She has her eyes on 2027, but doesn’t have any races set in stone—yet.

Schmitz says she’s trying to be intentional about what she does next and give herself time to decide instead of rushing into things. At 45, the Hoka athlete is reaching podiums she never imagined, so it’s just a matter of what she wants to take on next. With her third-place finish at one of the biggest trail races in the world, there’s a lot to look forward to. “There’s so many sports where your peak is in your 20s, and in this sport, our peak is much later,” she says.

In the meantime, she is back to running regularly—and being a fan of the sport, especially as the women’s competition reaches new heights. “I think it’s a really exciting time, especially with the women’s race,” she says. “They’re all getting faster and faster, and sometimes you see faster times and it feels intimidating, but I think we’re all pulling each other up. That’s a really exciting time and space to be in because we don’t know what the limits are.”

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Olivia Luppino is an associate editor at Women’s Health and a RRCA-certified run coach. She spends most of her time interviewing expert sources about the latest fitness trends, nutrition tips, and practical advice for living a healthier life. Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine’s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. She ran the New York City Marathon in 2025 and is training to run it again in 2026.