I Tried to Run 100-Miles Around a 400m Track

👉 Get my training plan for my last ultra for free here:
chris-branch.c...
(it's best to watch the video that explains it here first: • Writing my 100k mounta... )
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This epic ultramarathon was an extreme test for the mind. A one-hundred-mile race around a 400m track, the Track100 is an event created by Cockbain Events, was a true test of mind, body and spirit.
This is that story. Do you fancy giving this a go?

[@UppityRib]

Maybe I'm feeling extra-emo today but the little "candlelight of positivity" got me in the feels 🥲Wonderful video about commitment and pushing through imaginary mental barriers. I'm currently tapering ahead of the Seattle Marathon and I needed this. Thanks for making my day 👍

[@ChrisBranch]

This is such a wonderful comment, thank you ☺️🙏 and very best of luck in the Seattle Marathon! 👊

[@JBRH86]

Same… 😢 emosh. Just what I needed ❤ inspirational. Thank you. (So many buzz words.. yet, all true)

[@davidatkinson5396]

Well done Sir! Thank you for sharing. Your adventure was very encouraging. I’m recently retired and getting back into running, having completed eight marathons and one 50k in the past. It occurred to me during my 12 mile run yesterday that what draws me to doing ultras in the future is my need to feel the pain and hopefully overcome it. Life seems so artificial and blah most of the time…like we are living on autopilot. I need the pain and discomfort for me to feel alive and to step out of the matrix for a few hours.

[@ChrisBranch]

I'm exactly the same, I love the struggle, it feels so much more real than general day to day life ☺️🙏

[@SimonBoothPhotography]

Well done Chris and thanks yet again for another inspiring video. I would say do whatever gives you the greatest satisfaction. It sounds to me like it might just be the really tough ones. Did I hear someone say The Spine Race ;-)) I've been in the Cairngorms this week trail running and had a constant battle with my heart rate in keeping it low. More so than usual. Turns out I was coming down with COVID. In this instance, I probably should have listened to the negative chatter but still loved the trails regardless of the heavy legs every day.

[@ChrisBranch]

Ah bad luck, there's been a lot going around recently, I hope you recover well. And yes, I fear you're right, I think the big stuff is calling me ... but I'm not sure that's a good thing 🤦‍♂️😂

[@AlphawolfWill]

Got me out of my "I can't be bothered for a 30 min gym session" funk... Fair play!

[@ChrisBranch]

Haha I'm so pleased it got you out for a run! ☺️👊

[@markg99]

Great way to document this immense challenge, Chris. I do like the idea of the mental challenge of this type of race. I fear that the physical side would be too much for me at this point. I'm going to slowly increase the length of races I attempt. Next up is a 35 mile Shires and Spires in May.

[@ChrisBranch]

You're absolutely going about it the right way, gradual progression is best. And 35 miles is a solid day out! Best of luck with your training ☺️🙏

[@bev9708]

Hey Mark, I absolutely kicked arse at the Cognac Marathon last weekend … I got a 24min PB!!!! BEST birthday present EVER!!!!💪🏻💪🏻🏃🏻‍♀️💪🏻💪🏻🏅🎂 I’m over the moon!!!!🌙 And first place in my category!! And yes indeed , LOTS of cognac for participating, for finishing, for winning AND at the aid stations too!!😂😂 The 5 and 6-hour finishers had all well taken advantage!!😂😂😂

[@markg99]

@@bev9708 Bev, you absolute star! Congratulations 😁🥳 I'm so pleased for you. Sounds like you had a wonderful time, as well as smashing your PB. I'll have what you're having! 😂👍🏻 Enjoy your recovery and can't wait to see what you take on next.

[@bev9708]

@@markg99 😂😂THANKS so much Mark!!! 🥰🏅🏃🏻‍♀️💪🌙 Soooo happy!!!!😁😁😁

[@conradburdekin722]

Really enjoyed this. I just completed my first ultra earlier this month. 55km (34 miles). Slow, but hot it done. A track challenge really appeals to me. But 100 miles is much too far yet for this runner - I only started running April 2022 aged 45. But it’s exciting!

[@trailrunningphil]

“What doesn’t challenge us, doesn’t change us”. - A sign I saw at the multi day ultra event I took part in at the weekend. Well done for getting this done Chris. No mention of transcending though? I guess the rain must of washed all that spirituality away?! 😊

[@ChrisBranch]

Ah, you're right! I didn't follow up on the transcending comment! 🤦‍♂️. Well, I certainly reflect back on this race as being a test more for the mind than the body. It was very hard on the body, but it was overcoming the mental barriers that give me more satisfaction when looking back. And yes, this feels like it has helped my spirit. It wasn't a psychedelic experience or anything, but it has helped my outlook on life 😊🙏 I love that quote too, it's so true 😊

[@trailrunningphil]

@@ChrisBranch keep doing what your doing mate. Your content is a breath of fresh air

[@ChrisBranch]

@@trailrunningphil thanks so much, I really appreciate that. I'm trying to keep the momentum going, and comments like this really do help 🙏

[@bev9708]

@@trailrunningphilAGREE!!!! Awesome content Chris!! So glad to have found you!!! 👍🏻💪🏻🏃🏻‍♀️💪🏻👍🏻

[@bev9708]

Eagerly awaiting your own video Phil!!!! 👍🏻💪🏻👍🏻

[@JamesAlberts]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks James, I appreciate it ☺️🙏

[@compdesphil]

great effort and a great video. thanks!

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much ☺️🙏

[@bev9708]

LOVE LOVE LOVE that “a candle light of positivity”… my little voice I call it!! THAT is the thing isn’t it, absolute commitment is absolutely magical!!! I’ve got tears!!! Massive huge mega 🎉🎉💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS!!!!!🎉🎉💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much, I appreciate that ☺️🙏

[@peterconrad2159]

That’s absolutely insane! I really admire the mental strength. Great 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much ☺️🙏

[@ilkatrailrunner467]

So good - so helpful to hear. My first half marathon trail run was the baby race partnered with a 50k and 100k on the Lake Superior Hiking trail. It’s challenging terrain for this flatlander. Anyway, I will never forget just after starting off, all of us halfers with our heads down suffering up one of the early hills in the course- and as we passed some of the ultra runners who’d been running all night they were cheerily encouraging us, joking, smiling, seemingly as fresh as daisies. I thought they were superheroes. Then again last year i crewed for my son doing a 24 hour 3km trail loop as he aimed for 100k. It poured rain for 30 hours, it was cold and the trail was a muddy disaster yet the runners were so positive. Now I want to be that resilient.

[@ChrisBranch]

In my experience, your mental resilience is trained at the same speed as your physical fitness. There is no way I could have done this mentally or physically two years ago, but the two elements have progressed together. The key is consistency. Best of luck with your training 😊🙏

[@JeDindk]

It was interesting to see what you eat during a race. I guess I'll have to train my stomach, as you suggested elsewhere ... 🙂 How horrible do you think I feel after watching this video ... as I gave up only halfway through a marathon last weekend. 😖 But next time I find myself in a similar situation, I will think about you and your video, and how you managed to finish 100 miles. And I know that will help me. I am never going to run something like that. What you have achieved is just awesome and incredible. I am so impressed by anyone who can do anything like that. 👍😀

[@ChrisBranch]

Don't feel bad! I DNF'd my first hundred-mile attempt (also shown on my channel), and it was miserable at the time but I learnt so much from it. Keep on training and you'll get there 😊🙏

[@owen-trombone]

Wow! I love this story much. What an awesome emotional journey. I am so impressed and inspired that you were able to keep on going through that wall of negativity and make it to the finish line. We are all capable of much more than we imagine. Well done and thank you for documenting the process and sharing it with so much honesty and authenticity. You are fast becoming one of my favorite running KZbinrs.

[@ChrisBranch]

This is a wonderful comment, thank you so much. It was an incredible experience, and I'm so pleased I got through that 90-mile mark - it was quite a profound moment for me and I have taken many lessons from it 🙏

[@deanbaxter79]

Insane, I won’t even run on a track for my interval sessions they bore me that much 😂 Well done mate 👏🏼

[@ChrisBranch]

Haha thanks mate, it was pretty tough on the mind, but such a good challenge 😊🙏

[@ourwilliam2405]

Congratulation, well done. I read in a running book that when you do your long training runs you should do them without music. The idea is to get out your comfort zone and stress yourself before race day.

[@ChrisBranch]

I definitely find it more nourishing for the mind to have no music, and it means you're never thrown off if you forget your earphones or they run out of battery 😊

[@rheno03]

Congrats Mate! Huge achievement! And Thank You for making this type of videos! Such a great inspiration to me! Yesterday I registered my first race in my life... a Trail running race in my country. 22km 650m elevation in May. I tried to register an UTMB race in Snowdonia - because of your videos - , ERYRI 25K, but it was sold out. My sister lives in Abergele, Wales 😊, so would've been easy to go there. Next year I hope. But anyway, It's gonna be my first half marathon distance , so I'll try to prepare in 6 months for that mostly with Zone 2 traning. My longest distance is 15km till now. And again, Thanks for your commitment💪!

[@ChrisBranch]

Good luck with your training! And bad luck about UTS, they do sell out relatively quickly, so good luck next year 😊🙏

[@plowestv]

Oh Chris! What an experience. You have inspired me. I completed my first 50km Ultra a month ago (5km trail loops) and am now thinking of entering a 12 hr 400km track loop event for next June. I am familiar with these psychological challenges (and rewards) which you so wonderfully describe from my endurance cycling days of 600km rides. I am now 58 and thought that I had done with that, but maybe not? :-) Thank you

[@ChrisBranch]

By the sounds of it, you're definitely not done with it! 😂. Best of luck on the journey ☺️🙏

[@iancave6753]

Top Man Chris - Well done, a great insight thanks

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much, I appreciate that 😊🙏

[@argomiller7368]

What an achievement! I'm anxiously waiting for my first 100 mile race (unsupported, point to point) in May. I have been playing with the idea for years and I'm still not entirely sure if I'm able to finish. And I have finished three 100 km races. In addition, in the summer I'll take part in a track multi-race event: a marathon in the evening, followed by a 10 km run and then another marathon at nighttime. I'm curious if I get fed up with track or not. New experiences are coming! Good luck on your next adventures!

[@ChrisBranch]

Your unsupported race is what I call 'a true test of spirit'. It doesn't just test you physically and mentally, but it tests your mettle as a human. I wish you the best with it. And yes, you might get bored of the track by the end of it 😂

[@georgekirkman8325]

Lovely video! I’m entering my first 6hour track run in June! Excited to see what happens

[@ChrisBranch]

Best of luck with it! ☺️🙏

[@tanaspop1]

Excellent video, thank you. You are so right about everything you said, feeling miserable,pain and rain! Always rains on 24h. I done 6 of them, two on track, Tooting ( exactly 100ml)and Gloucester . Thanks again and of course you get new subscriber.

[@ChrisBranch]

Oh wow, you're a veteran of them! It was the one in Tooting that was in the book I mentioned, and it's the reason I did this. It was SO hard, but I'm so pleased I did it ☺️🙏

[@tanaspop1]

@@ChrisBranchI ran Tooting a year before the book, great race , well organised. Now they moved to Battersea park. Planning to move to multi days but…

[@KlaudijaGreen]

What an incredible achievement Chris! Mind over matter!! You proved that it works!! Well done you!! 👏👏👏👏

[@ChrisBranch]

Thank you so much, Klaudija 😊🙏

[@bev9708]

I literally laughed out loud at your Pavlovien clicker and turning around!!!! 👍🏻😂😂👍🏻 So that medal is now in your pride of place?? ❤️🏅❤️

[@ChrisBranch]

Honestly,I'm so proud of that medal! 😂

[@markcameron3]

I'm reading a book about the carcadian cycle, you're experience overnight reminds me a lot of this

[@ChrisBranch]

Totally! I'm sure it's trainable so I wouldn't have been hit so hard by it, but my god my body didn't like moving in the night 😂

[@jofodamofo]

Great video ! 😄

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much 🙏

[@RunningAlive]

Great insights, absolutely agree that you can’t have one without the other in emotions. Increasing the range of emotion is part of the appeal for me. I ran my first track 24 hour ultra early this year and I absolutely loved it (along with plenty of moments where I thought I didn’t) Well done

[@ChrisBranch]

Haha there were plenty of moments where I didn't love it too 😂 Well done for trying it; it's such a difficult format 😊

[@chris-hutchings]

Loved this Chris! You have a new sub. 😊

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much! 🙏☺️

[@scottwiggans6292]

Did one got 112 miles gonna go again and beat that first time was a big learning curve 😮

[@rubenrotterdam]

Great! Very awesome job! I have planned my first trail with running in the night and it helps knowing hpw the biological clock works and having breakfast and morning light helps giving fuel to continue ❤

[@ChrisBranch]

In hindsight, I would have done some night training. I didn't do any because I just like my sleep too much 😂. I'm sure you can train your gut to take on food in the night in the same way we practice with gels and powders etc. I just hadn't experienced it so it hit me. Even if you don't do that though, my best advice is to keep going until sunrise, and judge the situation then. You will feel a million times better when the sun comes up, so any negative chat through the night can be ignored ... but that's easier said than done 🤦‍♂️😂. Good luck!

[@owen-trombone]

Thanks!

[@ChrisBranch]

Wow, thank you so much! You are my very first Super Thanks, that's really made my day! And I'm glad you enjoyed the video 🙏

[@owen-trombone]

@@ChrisBranch you’re welcome! Glad I can support your channel a little bit. I love the authenticity and honesty, and that you’re not constantly trying to sell something. And that 100 mile run was super inspiring. Keep up the great work!

[@crazypolishvegan7369]

Well done Chris 👏🥳 I did that race in 2022 finishing 3rd with 16h57min - buuuuut, we didn't have any heavy rain compare to you 😀

[@ChrisBranch]

Incredible! That's so fast! I'm just pleased to have finished it. There was over a 50% DNF rate in the race, and I'm just so chuffed I crossed the finish line. I feel like I'm going to be called back to that race again one day, maybe in a few years 😊🙏

[@crazypolishvegan7369]

@@ChrisBranch yeah, when you see people dropping one by one in front of you, is not motivating or nice view 😀 So huge congratulations for getting to the "finish line" 👏💪 I think, now you can start big boys race 😏 called Backyard Ultra 🥳 I'm going to show of again, sorry 😀, last year in Highlander Last One Standing I managed 31 yards/loops, again 3rd place 🙌 I hugely recommend that kind of race, especially to someone who finished mental 400+ loops at the running track 😀👏💪

[@ChrisBranch]

@@crazypolishvegan7369 Love it! Amazing! A Backyard is definitely on my list. There is one near me in Suffolk; I might put that on the list this year 😊🙏

[@crazypolishvegan7369]

@@ChrisBranch yeah boy 🥳👏💪🥰

[@N3wt199]

awesome event, very inspiring vid. Has got me thinking Could I do somthing like this?

[@ChrisBranch]

Thanks so much, and do have a think about it - it was so tough, but I'm so pleased I did it ☺️🙏

[@desdill]

Hey! New to channel! It’s getting cold now, what is your recommendation for running when there’s snow and ice around.

[@ChrisBranch]

This sounds like a topic for a whole video, I get round to it soon! But my best piece of single advice is to do whatever you need to do to get out the door. When it's cold and icy, wrap up as much as you need to so you don't procrastinate, take a bag with you and take off layers as you warm up. There's no point being freezing and then choosing not to go. Beyond that, having the right gear really helps. I highlight what I use in another video 👍

[@RunningWithDanny]

Love this Chris. I’m attempting 30 miles on my local track this Sunday so this video is perfect…any advice ?

[@ChrisBranch]

Amazing! I hope you have a great time. My advice would be to be very clear on a heart rate / RPE that you know you can sustain for the 30-miles. The reason I say that is that running on a track feels so easy compared to the training you do on roads and trails that you can trick yourself into thinking you can run harder because it feels easier on the legs. I had an HR that I knew I could stick to all day, and I stuck to it even when it felt ridiculously easy at the beginning. If after 20 miles you feel good, pick it up, but many people will get it the wrong way around and go out fast then slow down. Best of luck!

[@RunningWithDanny]

@@ChrisBranch thanks Chris and yes I’ll be running it in the “home Zones” (1&2). I’m excited and dreading it 🙄😂

[@ChrisBranch]

@@RunningWithDanny 😂

[@RunningWithDanny]

@@ChrisBranch I Did it Chris. 30 miles at my local track on Sunday. Everything was ok but then mile 15 hit and the sun was getting warmer the HR was naturally heading upwards but it was the start of mile 28 when the mental warfare started. My god those last 3 miles were harder than the previous 27. In my mind there was no way I could run another 3 miles, but I could run for another 400m, then another 400m…then another. This literally got me to 30 miles. Embrace the lows as every time you do, you’ll add another coat of armour. Some call it the pain cave, Goggins calls it the “Cookie Jar” , whatever it is, if you can overcome it and fight every urge to stop then a new callous is formed which can take you further than next time. Thank you so much for the video

[@ChrisBranch]

@@RunningWithDanny Amazing! Well done for pushing through the tough bits, it's a great feeling to do that. I hope you're recovering well 😊

[@Williamottelucas]

Oh, in my races we had to turn around every 4 hours (or was it 6?) Foul weather stopped me at the 50 kilometre mark in my second race. In the third, I completed 100 kilometres in 13 hours, but then developed ilio-tibial band friction syndrome. My Maths ability failed me too in the first attempt and I ended only 1 kilometre short of the then world barefoot record of 144 kilometres.

[@ChrisBranch]

Oh no! So close to the record! My brain completely stopped working too 🤷‍♂️😂

[@toadstoolze]

It's Mark Cockbain not Cobain 😅 but i understand why you said it that way 😉 Thanks for the video and well done!!

[@ChrisBranch]

I was told it's pronounced 'Cobain' even though it's spelt 'Cockbain'? Sorry if I got it wrong!

[@toadstoolze]

@@ChrisBranch Ok maybe you're correct then I just know someone who run 'The Line' event and they pronounced it with the k but doesn't matter either way sorry if I come off dismissive 🙏... I like the look of his events I'll have to try one someday (not the tunnel though) 😂

[@ChrisBranch]

@@toadstoolze The Line really appeals to me, but I think I'd aim at 2025 so I can get some multi-day and bivvy-sleeping experience. It's an incredible challenge. How did your friend do?

[@toadstoolze]

@@ChrisBranch Yes I've been eyeing it up myself but just can't get a plan together and commit it's an event which possibly takes up your whole season with the training, the race it's self then recovering, my friend pulled out near halfway... He said if he attempts again definitely more cushioned shoes and invest in better/lighter gear to keep the pack weight down also a hand-held GPS for navigation as keeping watch and phone alive is extra effort and power banks are weighty.