A trail race may have hills that are too steep to run up easily. Or, one may choose a strategy to hike all significant climbs early on in a long distance race.
When choosing to hike up a hill in a running race, is there a specific form or technique that is optimal? For example, what sort of posture should one have? Is there a specific stride length/cadence to aim for? Should you brace your hands on your knees to "push" uphill? etc.
Is there a simple rule to determine when it is better to hike rather than run up a given hill (in terms of energy conservation/recovery/not wasting time)? Or if there are multiple hiking techniques or speeds that apply to different situations, is there a strategy for knowing which to use in a given situation?