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Your spine and hips are the engine of your run. Every stride transfers force from the ground, through your legs, into your pelvis and spine. With the extreme elevation changes of the Blue Ridge Marathon, protecting these areas is essential, not optional.
Uphill and downhill running significantly increase stress on the lumbar spine and hips due to:
When these forces aren’t well controlled, runners often experience:
Core stability is about controlling motion, not holding a plank for five minutes.
Effective core training for runners focuses on:
This protects the spine while allowing the hips to generate power efficiently.
Restricted hip extension forces movement into the low back. But overstretching already unstable hips can make things worse.
The goal is:
Targeted mobility work keeps stress where it belongs.
One stiff hip or limited spinal segment can overload the opposite side, leading to:
Small asymmetries become big problems at marathon mileage.
At Highland, we help runners protect these critical areas through:
Our goal is to keep your body resilient — not just get you through one race, but keep you running for years.
If you’re training for the Blue Ridge Marathon and starting to notice back or hip tightness, now is the time to address it — not race week.
At Highland Spine & Sport in Roanoke, we help runners protect their spine, optimize hip function, and stay healthy through peak training so you can show up on race day confident and prepared.
Reach Greater Heights — one stride at a time. 🏃♂️⛰️