Sports Massage for Trail Runners: Before & After Ultras

Quads destroyed by downhills, heavy calves, stiffness, muscle fatigue: during a trail race or ultra-trail, the body endures thousands of impacts and several hours of repeated contractions.

Recovery then becomes an integral component of performance.

Among the available tools, sports massage holds an interesting place before a race, during the longest formats, and after crossing the finish line. Its primary benefit focuses on releasing tension, improving mobility, enhancing muscle sensations, reducing soreness, and promoting a feeling of recovery.

To delve deeper into the subject, Trail Running Lab relies on the expertise of Julie, a certified sports massage therapist in Annecy and massage therapist for Team Athlète TRL. A former nurse, a runner herself, and trained in sports massage as well as Deep Tissue, Julie supports athletes in their preparation and recovery.

👉 Discover the sports massage in Annecy offered by Althéa Massage.

Sports Massage: What exactly does it do for a trail runner?

Sports massage is based on techniques adapted to physical activity and the specific muscular demands of an athlete.

For trail runners, the legs bear the brunt of the work: quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, glutes, and muscles around the ankle progressively accumulate fatigue and tension.

Massage can then pursue several objectives:

• promote muscle relaxation;
• improve the sensation of mobility;
• reduce the perception of muscle soreness;
• provide a feeling of recovery;
• target specific areas that are particularly stressed;
• prepare muscles for an upcoming effort.

Available research adds an important nuance here. A meta-analysis of 29 studies and over 1,000 participants primarily found positive effects on flexibility and muscle soreness, while direct gains in endurance, strength, or performance remain very limited.

Sports massage is therefore primarily a tool for physical preparation, comfort, and recovery.

And its application evolves depending on when it's performed.

1. Massage Before a Trail Race: Preparing the Body for Effort

In the days leading up to a race, the objective gradually changes.

Further out from the event, a session can work more deeply on certain tensions accumulated during the training block. As the start approaches, a shorter, more dynamic approach promotes a feeling of tone and mobility.

Julie distinguishes two approaches in her work: the maintenance massage, performed away from intense sessions, and the pre-effort massage, which is more dynamic and stimulating.

A Few Days Before the Race

This period allows for comprehensive work.

The massage can target:

• the quadriceps after big elevation blocks;
• the calves and soleus;
• the hamstrings;
• the glutes;
• certain areas regularly stressed during preparation.

The goal is to arrive at the starting line with a feeling of mobility, relaxation, and freshness.

A maintenance session naturally finds its place during the tapering phase.

The Day Before or Day of the Race

The closer the start, the lighter and more dynamic the approach becomes.

Stroking, mobilizations, and stimulating techniques can contribute to physical preparation. Active warm-up then takes over with walking, progressive jogging, mobility, and muscle activation.

Scientific literature mainly suggests considering pre-race massage as a tool for preparation and improving sensations. Available studies attribute the primary role in immediate performance preparation to active warm-ups.

Key takeaway: Before a trail race, massage supports tapering and muscle preparation. Its intensity evolves with the proximity of the start.

2. Massage During an Ultra-Trail: Releasing Tension to Keep Going

For a 20 or 30 km race, the question rarely arises.

For a 100 km, 100-mile, or multi-day race, the logic changes completely.

After 10, 15, or 20 hours of effort, quadriceps become stiff, calves get heavy, and certain muscle groups develop significant tension.

A short session in the hands of a massage therapist can then become a genuine comfort tool.

What to Seek During the Race?

During an ultra, the primary objective is to:

• release diffuse muscle tension;
• regain a sense of mobility;
• temporarily reduce the sensation of heavy legs;
• provide a moment of relaxation;
• restart with better sensations.

The approach becomes very targeted.

A few minutes on a quad or calf can be more beneficial than a long, full-body session.

A pilot study conducted during the Tor des Géants, a 330 km ultra with approximately 24,000 m of elevation gain, specifically focused on massages performed on ultrarunners suffering from muscle pain. Participants reported a significant improvement in their sensations after the massage.

These results provide particularly interesting insight for ultras: during a very long race, massage primarily finds its value in managing sensations and muscular discomfort.

Aid Stations Become Strategic Points

For very long formats, a massage can take advantage of an already planned stop:

aid station → nutrition → hydration → a few minutes of targeted relaxation → progressive restart.

The idea remains simple: use massage as one tool among the overall race strategy.

Nutrition, hydration, pacing, sleep on extreme formats, and effort management also remain critical.

👉 Also find our TRL guide on nutrition and hydration during a trail or ultra.

Muscle Pain or Injury: Learning to Read the Signal

Diffuse muscle tension related to hours of effort is an appropriate context for a recovery approach.

Acute pain, a swollen joint, trauma, unusual loss of strength, or very localized pain should primarily lead to an evaluation by the medical team present at the event.

Sports massage thus integrates into a holistic approach to the runner and their sensations.

3. Massage After a Trail Race: Promoting Recovery

Once the finish line is crossed, a new cycle begins: recovery.

After several hours of trail running, especially after an ultra, muscles experience significant fatigue. Repeated eccentric contractions during descents contribute greatly to muscle damage and the soreness felt in the hours and days that follow.

It is probably at this point that sports massage has its best-documented benefit.

A randomized study conducted on finishers of the Western States Endurance Run, 161 km, compared massage, pneumatic compression, and rest. A 20-minute massage session after the finish was associated with an immediate decrease in pain, muscle soreness, and perceived muscle fatigue.

A more recent meta-analysis also finds a favorable effect of massage on muscle soreness during the early phase of recovery.

Immediately After the Finish

In the first few hours, the approach prioritizes comfort and relaxation.

The body has just absorbed a considerable load. Adapted and progressive techniques help support this transition to recovery.

Massage ideally integrates with:

• adequate rehydration;
• energy intake;
• sleep;
• a gradual return to movement;
• recovery adapted to the duration and intensity of the event.

In the Following Days

The days that follow allow for more individualized work depending on the muscular state.

This is where communication with the practitioner becomes crucial.

At Althéa Massage, Julie begins each session with a discussion about the client's athletic practice, goals, and sensitive areas, then adapts the areas worked, pressure, and techniques used.

This personalization makes perfect sense after an ultra: two runners who finished the exact same race can present very different muscular states.

Before, During, After: Which Massage to Choose?

The ideal timing evolves with the runner's experience, race format, training load, and individual reaction to massage.

Can Sports Massage Improve Trail Running Performance?

The scientific answer largely lies in a distinction: direct performance vs. sustainable performance.

Studies attribute modest effects of massage on immediate physical performance. A large systematic review primarily finds improvements in flexibility, muscle soreness, and perceived recovery.

For a trail runner, the benefit lies elsewhere.

Being able to better manage tension, regain comfort after big training blocks, and integrate recovery into preparation contributes to building a more sustainable practice.

At TRL, we consider recovery an integral component of the personalized training plan, just like quality sessions, volume, elevation, or tapering.

You progress during training. You assimilate that progress during recovery.

Julie and Althéa Massage's Expertise for the Team Athlète TRL

This approach also explains why Julie now supports our Trail Running Lab Athlete Team.

Her background combines several dimensions that are particularly consistent with the world of trail running: seven years in hospital settings as a nurse, personal running practice, and professional training in sports massage, Swedish massage, and Deep Tissue.

Her approach is based on three pillars: listening, adaptation, and professionalism. Each session evolves according to the athlete, their practice, their fatigue level, and the areas stressed.

For runners based around Annecy, Julie offers home sessions dedicated to preparation, muscle maintenance, and recovery.

👉 To go further, also consult our Recovery and Injury Prevention FAQ, which answers common questions from trail runners.

What We Remember

Sports massage finds its place at three key moments in trail running practice:

Before, it supports muscle preparation and tapering.

During an ultra, it becomes a temporary tool for comfort and relief.

After, it aids recovery and helps, in particular, to reduce the perception of muscle soreness and fatigue.

Like training, recovery gains efficiency when it becomes individualized and integrated into the athlete's overall preparation.

And to go further around Annecy, find Julie, sports massage therapist for Team Athlète TRL, and her dedicated support for athletes at Althéa Massage.

👉 Discover sports massage with Althéa Massage