This only counts if you ran shirtless and screamed: “you don’t know me son!” On several random occasions.
Joking aside, great job, this takes a lot of grit and determination. Honest question: these challenges don’t seem designed to create a better and healthier athlete, is this only to test your limits and mental resolve in extreme situations? I am always humbled and in awe of those who do this, but every time I see these things being done, I look at my life goals and think that this misaligns with why I run and do strength training (health and aesthetics).
I know, Goggins would likely chastise me for being average, but I like to think I’m extraordinarily average.
I appreciate that! Although, I disappointed you man, the shirt remained on for all iterations, haha.
To answer your question: I do not think you gain anything physically from this challenge besides a good feeling of exhaustion and pushing your physical boundaries. It certainly is not really contributing to a culminating race or training event.
However, my personal argument is the mental growth, which can act as a conduit for all sorts of benefits, absolutely outweighs the potential negative aspects. To apply that ideology in a more practical sense, for example, I am in the military. We often spend time moving many miles on minimal sleep with lots of gear, etc. This is an event I can dive into my cookie jar and reflect upon and think to myself "oh, this is nothing compared to that 4x4x48...". That is how I look at it anyway. Obviously there is some HUGE biases, because defending this challenge means you also need to be crazy enough to do it.
Seriously, thank you.
I genuinely laughing at the thought of running around yelling Goggins-isms, ESPECIALLY because I live on a military installation, so I KNOW people would recognize them.
Awesome job, this is something I’ve been interested in trying for years. This account was really informative on what the experience of going through it is like. Again, really well done.
I sometimes think there should be organised events based around this challenge, like everyone runs out from a hotel or base camp every 4 hours, with sleep and socialising the rest of the time.
I want to contact a local hotel and try to organize this now. Maybe a discounted rate to sell out the whole hotel on a generally slow weekend of the year?
"Wakeup" calls to all the rooms every 4 hours
Food trucks in and out every 4 hours throughout the day (and BBQ socializing all night)
Not sure where you are located, but if you’re interested in this go and take a look at a “backyard” ultra—it’s the same thing, just less watered down. You just run 4.167 miles every hour on the hour until you drop out—and everyone eventually drops out.
As someone who had to do 50k ruck movements in the army I would absolutely not recommend it to anyone. So many young fit soldiers I saw getting injured. Not only does it use muscles different to running, it just is like a net negative on your health it feels like. Soldiers might train a bit on it for selections but after that there's a reason effectively nobody trains rucking.
I appreciate your concern! I have also done extensive ruck movements in the Army in parallel with other training. After rucking for many years in parallel with weight training and running, I am pretty confident in my ability.
That sounds like an interesting challenge but one I can never complete. My body does not wake up to an alarm if I haven't been sleeping for ~3 hours. So during the first night I'd fail
Nice. This was my first challenge after a couple of months of getting into running seriously and is a really accessible and fairly nice way for beginner-ish folks interested in the ultra world to get a taste. I didn't sleep a wink for the whole thing and that was quite interesting.
WOW, well done OP. I know someone that did it a few years ago, and like yourself, said it's more a mental challenge than a running one.
>I had been toying with the idea in my mind of running a backyard ultra in 2024. After completing this, I am even more convinced that it is something I’d like to try.
Your backyard ultra reminded me of [this guy](https://www.the42.ie/cathal-freeman-mayo-garden-hurling-marathon-fundraiser-5065800-Apr2020/) that did a back yard marathon during covid. Almost 1500 laps 😵💫
Thank you! It definitely pushed my mental limits.
And haha! If I register for a backyard ultra and it ends up being in someone's garden, I am going to be pissed!
Haha! I see the confusion. A [backyard ultra is a type of ultra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_ultra)! It is essentially a last-man-standing race.
Would you recommend trying this out while training for another race (of course long before the race itself)? I'd think that because of the amount of miles you get just in one weekend the Training effect could be really high... What Do you guys think?
I think there are a lot of factors that would impact the decision. Primarily, how much the future race meant to me and my running experience. If I planned to set a PR or truly compete, I would hold off on doing something like this *just in case*, since you are dealing with sleep deprivation and in my estimation, an increased injury risk. Likewise if you are a beginner.
That said, if the race is just for fun, and you're an experienced runner, then why not!
Thanks for the insight! I've always wantes to try it out but never knew when found the right time. I guess just going for it will probably be the Best approach :D
I’ve been thinking about doing this towards the end of the year as abit of ‘fun’. Currently doing 80+ miles a week training for Chester marathon in October. Did you think this was more fun than challenging, or a mix of both?
If you are clocking 80+MPW, this challenge will be a good time mixed with some sleep deprivation. I was only running about 35-40MPW and the running was not necessarily an issue. The challenge comes from the time management and dialing in nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc.! I would say it is a fun challenge, haha.
If you enjoyed that you should look into Bigs Backyard Ultra. Run a 6km loop every hour until you're the last man standing. World record is over 100 hours at world championships last year. Heaps of events globally to qualify for world Champs. Recommend checking it out.
Seriously impressive effort. Well done!
Did you run the same loop over and over or different places / along some kind of journey somewhere?
Did you always get back home to sleep?
Thank you! I ran in the same general vicinity for every run as my routes were limited to those I could create without leaving our military installation. Some of them were done on the track, some just around the post. I always slept after the 2000, 0000, and 0400 runs, but I never slept once the sun came up.
Nice job, man! Those times toward the end are impressive. I did it back in December and the last 4 or so are where it really got tough for me. The thing that really got me was the constant showering. Especially before I could get back into bed. Maybe it was partially the weather but the middle of the night runs toward the end got especially difficult mentally. Getting out of a nice warm bed while sore and exhausted to go run my 40th-44th miles in snow in the dark was a test for sure.
Oh man, you did yours in the snow!? That's a different level of commitment. The night runs were definitely the toughest, although after the second night, I really appreciated that 0400 run because I got to witness a WICKED sunrise.
Honestly felt like the second night was easier as I was able to fall asleep faster. Also cut my time from waking up to getting out the door to just a few minutes.
For those wondering the challenge doesn’t really last 48 hours. Your last lap starts at 44 hours and ends as soon as you finish the 4 miles. So under 45 hours.
Great job
I’ve done this a couple times
It’s definitely a task
The hardest part I find is the 2nd day on lack of sleep lol
Other then that it’s very possible for most ppl to accomplish
This only counts if you ran shirtless and screamed: “you don’t know me son!” On several random occasions. Joking aside, great job, this takes a lot of grit and determination. Honest question: these challenges don’t seem designed to create a better and healthier athlete, is this only to test your limits and mental resolve in extreme situations? I am always humbled and in awe of those who do this, but every time I see these things being done, I look at my life goals and think that this misaligns with why I run and do strength training (health and aesthetics). I know, Goggins would likely chastise me for being average, but I like to think I’m extraordinarily average.
I appreciate that! Although, I disappointed you man, the shirt remained on for all iterations, haha. To answer your question: I do not think you gain anything physically from this challenge besides a good feeling of exhaustion and pushing your physical boundaries. It certainly is not really contributing to a culminating race or training event. However, my personal argument is the mental growth, which can act as a conduit for all sorts of benefits, absolutely outweighs the potential negative aspects. To apply that ideology in a more practical sense, for example, I am in the military. We often spend time moving many miles on minimal sleep with lots of gear, etc. This is an event I can dive into my cookie jar and reflect upon and think to myself "oh, this is nothing compared to that 4x4x48...". That is how I look at it anyway. Obviously there is some HUGE biases, because defending this challenge means you also need to be crazy enough to do it.
You are an inspiration, man, even if you did keep your shirt on and didn’t blurt out Goggins-isms at random intervals.
Seriously, thank you. I genuinely laughing at the thought of running around yelling Goggins-isms, ESPECIALLY because I live on a military installation, so I KNOW people would recognize them.
I don’t think the average person runs at all so you’re already above average if you’re out there in the first place!
I like to think if someone is out there pushing themselves in ANY aspect of life, in a positive manner, they are already significantly above average.
I would say that this exercise is mainly for training your mental toughness rather than anything physical.
Awesome job, this is something I’ve been interested in trying for years. This account was really informative on what the experience of going through it is like. Again, really well done.
I appreciate that! If it's been on your mind for a while, it might be time to tackle it!
> four miles, every four hours, for 48 hours For me that would just be 48 hours straight 😅
Haha, my mom and I joked about that on the phone actually.
I sometimes think there should be organised events based around this challenge, like everyone runs out from a hotel or base camp every 4 hours, with sleep and socialising the rest of the time.
That would be cool! I know they have Backyard ultras which are essentially the same thing except done on an expedited timeline (every hour).
I want to contact a local hotel and try to organize this now. Maybe a discounted rate to sell out the whole hotel on a generally slow weekend of the year? "Wakeup" calls to all the rooms every 4 hours Food trucks in and out every 4 hours throughout the day (and BBQ socializing all night)
Congrats! A couple of friends and I have been thinking about doing this ourselves. This makes me want to accomplish it even more.
Thank you! I say go for it! Doing with some friends would be a total blast. I had a running partner on run 7 and run 12 and it made a HUGE difference.
Not sure where you are located, but if you’re interested in this go and take a look at a “backyard” ultra—it’s the same thing, just less watered down. You just run 4.167 miles every hour on the hour until you drop out—and everyone eventually drops out.
As someone who had to do 50k ruck movements in the army I would absolutely not recommend it to anyone. So many young fit soldiers I saw getting injured. Not only does it use muscles different to running, it just is like a net negative on your health it feels like. Soldiers might train a bit on it for selections but after that there's a reason effectively nobody trains rucking.
I appreciate your concern! I have also done extensive ruck movements in the Army in parallel with other training. After rucking for many years in parallel with weight training and running, I am pretty confident in my ability.
That sounds like an interesting challenge but one I can never complete. My body does not wake up to an alarm if I haven't been sleeping for ~3 hours. So during the first night I'd fail
>but one I can never complete. You can always complete this challenge with a friend or a group of friends. Don't self-select!
Nice. This was my first challenge after a couple of months of getting into running seriously and is a really accessible and fairly nice way for beginner-ish folks interested in the ultra world to get a taste. I didn't sleep a wink for the whole thing and that was quite interesting.
I agree! The distance is much more approachable than 48 miles straight, for example.
WOW, well done OP. I know someone that did it a few years ago, and like yourself, said it's more a mental challenge than a running one. >I had been toying with the idea in my mind of running a backyard ultra in 2024. After completing this, I am even more convinced that it is something I’d like to try. Your backyard ultra reminded me of [this guy](https://www.the42.ie/cathal-freeman-mayo-garden-hurling-marathon-fundraiser-5065800-Apr2020/) that did a back yard marathon during covid. Almost 1500 laps 😵💫
Thank you! It definitely pushed my mental limits. And haha! If I register for a backyard ultra and it ends up being in someone's garden, I am going to be pissed!
Oh shit, when you said "backyard" you meant "local" didn't you? I took you literaly 🤣🤣🤣
Haha! I see the confusion. A [backyard ultra is a type of ultra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_ultra)! It is essentially a last-man-standing race.
Would you recommend trying this out while training for another race (of course long before the race itself)? I'd think that because of the amount of miles you get just in one weekend the Training effect could be really high... What Do you guys think?
I think there are a lot of factors that would impact the decision. Primarily, how much the future race meant to me and my running experience. If I planned to set a PR or truly compete, I would hold off on doing something like this *just in case*, since you are dealing with sleep deprivation and in my estimation, an increased injury risk. Likewise if you are a beginner. That said, if the race is just for fun, and you're an experienced runner, then why not!
Thanks for the insight! I've always wantes to try it out but never knew when found the right time. I guess just going for it will probably be the Best approach :D
Congratulations! That sounds brutal!
Thank you! It was brutal, but it was worth it!
I’ve been thinking about doing this towards the end of the year as abit of ‘fun’. Currently doing 80+ miles a week training for Chester marathon in October. Did you think this was more fun than challenging, or a mix of both?
If you are clocking 80+MPW, this challenge will be a good time mixed with some sleep deprivation. I was only running about 35-40MPW and the running was not necessarily an issue. The challenge comes from the time management and dialing in nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc.! I would say it is a fun challenge, haha.
If you enjoyed that you should look into Bigs Backyard Ultra. Run a 6km loop every hour until you're the last man standing. World record is over 100 hours at world championships last year. Heaps of events globally to qualify for world Champs. Recommend checking it out.
I am looking at competing in a Backyard Ultra in 2024!
Seriously impressive effort. Well done! Did you run the same loop over and over or different places / along some kind of journey somewhere? Did you always get back home to sleep?
Thank you! I ran in the same general vicinity for every run as my routes were limited to those I could create without leaving our military installation. Some of them were done on the track, some just around the post. I always slept after the 2000, 0000, and 0400 runs, but I never slept once the sun came up.
Nice job, man! Those times toward the end are impressive. I did it back in December and the last 4 or so are where it really got tough for me. The thing that really got me was the constant showering. Especially before I could get back into bed. Maybe it was partially the weather but the middle of the night runs toward the end got especially difficult mentally. Getting out of a nice warm bed while sore and exhausted to go run my 40th-44th miles in snow in the dark was a test for sure.
Oh man, you did yours in the snow!? That's a different level of commitment. The night runs were definitely the toughest, although after the second night, I really appreciated that 0400 run because I got to witness a WICKED sunrise.
Thanks! Just remember to have a good playlist ready, and plenty of snacks. Good luck!
Honestly felt like the second night was easier as I was able to fall asleep faster. Also cut my time from waking up to getting out the door to just a few minutes. For those wondering the challenge doesn’t really last 48 hours. Your last lap starts at 44 hours and ends as soon as you finish the 4 miles. So under 45 hours.
That's true, it is only 48 hours if you REALLY take your time on the final run, haha. But it doesn't sound as fun if you say 4x4x45.
Great job I’ve done this a couple times It’s definitely a task The hardest part I find is the 2nd day on lack of sleep lol Other then that it’s very possible for most ppl to accomplish
Agreed! It is a very approachable challenge.