Surviving Kullamannen | Running UTMB's Swedish 100 Miler

[@markuslindsjo1188]

Amazing film! You and me had a chat on the first lap of Kullaberg towards the light house. But obviously you had more power and finished exactly four hours before me! Congrats to your achievement and thanks for a great and really true film!

[@RunonTrails]

Congratulations! Great performance! For me it was the first 100 miler at Kullamannen this year and it was unforgettable.

[@thanxforliving]

It’s amazing you still have the energy for making content during this gruelling race. Well done

[@ryannguk]

Cracking vid, James. I particularly enjoyed @25:55 “100 miles is a ridiculous distance to run. It’s so long!” Well done for an amazing achievement, fending off the adversity of the weather and the eye and the feet to get to the finish. In my experience, the ones where you have to dig deepest mean the most. So just embrace the emotion!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Ryan! I'm fully expecting you to run this race at some point. They're planning on adding a third loop around Kullaberg to make it harder which I know you would appreciate. Need to catch up with you and others from the club soon. Maybe I'll book in a local race to come down for. Give me a shout if you're planning any races up London way.

[@ryannguk]

@ not sure about that; what with the cold and the wind and the dark and the eyesight loss you haven’t exactly sold it in this video! I think if I do another big one in Scandinavia it’ll be the NUTS Yllas Pallas 100 in Finland, featuring 24-hour daylight so no need for a head torch. Shameless plug but here’s my vid from the 83-mile version in 2018 kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHSUfmOmo72Bg5osi=MNHUQZE5G3Mf-3Px Yep I’ll drop you a message, maybe see if we can do a race together down the line 👊

[@patrikandersson2284]

Got teared up at the end! What an amazing race, congrats! Incredible you made in 22h, you are a beast! Made it this year after two years of DNF at Råbocka, finished this year in 30h so I got two hard nights... Cant wait to get in shape for a 25h 100 mile race some day. Seeing you inspires me! Great video and awesome effort.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Patrik! Amazing work to come back after two DNFs! To finish the race in a second night is also seriously impressive! Good luck going for a 25h 100!

[@persjogren9267]

Congratulation to your first ring and a really good story to share about the race. Im glad you got that newborn feeling when you passed the finish line.. Next year we will do our very best to add a 3rd loop at Kullaberg so most of tha racers will experience Kullaberg in daylight and maybe a bonus of a second night...:) Well done/Per Sjogren now a retired RD:)

[@philipking3010]

Retired RD or third loop, not sure what I'm more shocked about. Thanks for creating the race Per!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Per! Really appreciated your comments and updates on the Facebook group in the build up! You created a beast of a race so thanks so much for giving us the event! A third loop on Kullaberg sounds intense but doing it in daylight sounds like fun! I bet the terrain and views out there is beautiful!

[@jacobdeleur]

It sure was brutal! I DNF:d this time (at Råbocka, 88km) but am already signed up for next year. You did an awesome job here, James! It was indeed a beast of a race but you finished it and with a crazy good time! It was very therapeutic to see the night footage. Kullaberg was no joke and I could completely relate to your experience. It was very good to see how flat and runnable it really is after Kullaberg, gives me hope ;)

[@jamesday1]

Sorry to hear about your DNF Jacob! It's super flat and apart from some rocky beaches, the second half is pretty runnable. I think pacing those Kullaberg loops is key to having a good Kullamannen. Glad you found the night footage therapeutic - I found editing that footage a bit traumatic 😂 having to relive it all over again! Good luck getting to the finish next year! The thought of signing up to another Kullamannen right after running it is a tough prospect!

[@ingagade951]

Well done JAMES, it was awesome to watch you run this race so hard and challenging too. I think you did it the right way, and completing is nearly not to understand, congrates from me. Inga dk.

[@iterato1]

Congrats!! Also, red carpet finish -- fancy! 😄

[@simonc3847]

Many congrats to you James. I was running this as my first full 100K trail last month, so there was an element of living it again with you on seeing areas of the 100M course that overlapped with mine. Likewise, feeling your emotion approaching the finish - I'd had to postpone the previous year needing sudden knee surgery, so I felt the same relief at finishing as I came up to the red carpet and that last corner. It was a very cold night indeed! Best to you for future runs.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Simon! Congrats on doing that as your first 100k. That is a beast for your first 100k. My first 100k was far easier in contrast. Super impressive to come back after a knee surgery as well!

[@andrewonmyway8184]

Incredible race James. You sure captured it well. Thanks so much for sharing the amazing achievement you did . Big respect to you James🎉🎉

[@trlundqvist]

Thanks for sharing! Please never stop.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! I definitely plan to keep making videos. This year has just been a bit hectic but life is settling down a bit now! Hopefully more videos coming soon.

[@dannygrays]

Massive, massive congratulations, James. An amazing achievement. So happy for you. Simply inspirational. And today I was just watching your 1st 100k at the Serpentine Trail. What an amazing journey so far. 👏

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Danny! I loved the ST100k. Such an amazing memory. How is your training going? Any big races planned?

[@dannygrays]

@jamesday1 yes, it's a great film of yours. Just maintaining fitness at the mo. I've done UTS 55k and GB Ultras 50 Miler both in Snowdonia since I saw you at the start of the year! Both brutal. I'm hoping to do my first 100k so deciding on SST100k or The Wall!!! Congrats again!

[@jamesday1]

Sounds like you've had a great year since NDR50k! Some serious racing up around Snowdonia! Great to hear you're smashing it! ST100k is a lovely race. Would definitely recommend. A very different race to your Snowdonia adventures!

[@ariungalindev7426]

Huge congratulations James!! You did it!!!

[@danhoare2557]

Fantastic effort James, amazing. You still look pretty broken in the video, I hope your recovery has gone well. To contend with that much darkness and so gutsy to carry on with a pretty dramatic eye condition - massive respect.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Dan! Yeah, it was a wild race. My immune system took a beating. Only really started to feel like myself 3 weeks later. I need to get myself down to Winchester for a catch up with the club soon! Hope your training is going well!

[@josefhemmingsson]

Well done, you are such a fighter! Thank you for sharing! Cheers 🎉

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Josef! It was definitely a bit of a battle out there!

[@chrisshaw2810]

Congratulations, and another great video. Really interesting to see and hear your live experience of running events.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Chris! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KingOliver90]

Well done James! So inspiring and I really respect how you maintained the stoic outlook to the end. I'm working my way up towards my first 100 mile race so it's really helpful to see somebody local(ish) to me documenting these amazing events, as the majority I see are US runners, which I can't relate to on the same level. May I ask which are your favourite locations for long training runs in the build up to the lengthier races? I live in London and have a couple of good spots but most of the best places with elevation are quite a journey.

[@paulcromie5785]

Loved the video. Looked absolutely crazy and a legend for finishing 👏

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Paul! It definitely was a crazy race!

[@klowne26]

Wow, what an insane achievement! Congratulations - I'm getting emotional just watching you finish the race, so I can only imagine what it felt like crossing that line. Would so love to hear a proper debrief of the race and what happened regarding your eye. I'm assuming Google was right? Great video

[@krilin84]

Well done James! Super inspiring! Loved to tag along!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Kristoffer! Hope the training is going well and everything is well in your life!

[@ApocalypseGuy1]

Am I a sadist for enjoying this video? Seriously, awesome job. Incredible persevearance.

[@1985SteveB]

Inspirational. I wish you could do more races because your ultra videos are absolutely superb.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Steve! I'd love to run more but definitely need to let the body recover from these big races!

[@peterfradk]

Hi James...GREAT video..👍👍 I ran the race as well and barely managed to finish the race in 31 hours struggeling with just reaching the cut-off times...🙃 First +50K was very tuff due to weather condtions so really great that we did not have to struggle with strong wind durning second half of the race. Turning 60 next week it's a hard fact of live that you loose power each year once passing your prime but if the joy of running remains it's definately a race to consider..🥳 Regarding fuelling at the aid stations Kullamannen/UTMB Organizers must be able to improve. Simply not good enough that they state Näak products are available and when you turn up it's not the case. Because of similar experience @Kullamannen last year I brought plenty of extra gels this time around but talked to several other runners struggeling due to lack of fuelling. Should be obvious that it's equally important for 'cutt-off runners' to be able to obtain proper fuelling. Merry x-mas to all runners and hopefully we can look forward to some great running in 2025..😎

[@StuMacDonald]

Fantastic video, you captured the experience really well. Kullaberg also claimed one of my big toenails. Nice that you managed those final hills in the daytime, I did them as darkness kicked in and the first one was pretty hairy. I hope you'll be back again to see other parts of Sweden :)

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Stu! Well done on finishing! Must have been hard finishing in darkness after that long night! Yeah, I'll definitely be back to race in Sweden again. My partner is from Gothenburg so we're over in Sweden a few times a year.

[@pierretassart6901]

Well done James ! Very inspiring as always, I'll start my first ultra in a couple of days, wish me luck 💪

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Pierre! Good luck! I'm sure you'll love it!

[@MagnusOron]

What an incredible journey! I rarely watch full race videos shot on GoPro but I watched yours from start to finish. Well done taking us all with you. I was planning on doing Kullamannen at some point. Am a bit scared now, but I can see the beauty. Hope you recover fast. How is your eye now?

[@1987spen]

Amazing. Finding your videos inspiring as I venture into the world running.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Good luck with your running journey!

[@YounessAlvandi]

This was wonderful. Great job. Thanks for sharing.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anthonymoore3570]

The furthest I've run was 50km in a 6 hour track race and that screwed my IT band for months. I cannot comprehend the thought of being 13 hours in, having done 100km and STILL having 60km left to go! Great effort, and great video!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Anthony! It's amazing how the body and mind just manage these longer races.

[@mijzzzz]

that was an epic event. I hope your eye is ok and that you are recovering. I cannot comprehend the mental strength needed to complete that run.🌱

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Yeah my eye is fully recovered now. It was definitely a bit of a battle getting through this one!

[@PatrickDelorenzi]

Well done bro, the race looked brutal!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Patrick! I hope your training is going well!

[@thefink8940]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching that, what a great achievement 👏

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@conradburdekin722]

Always love watching your videos James ❤️

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Conrad! Hope the training is going well!

[@conradburdekin722]

@ thank you James. A bit disrupted right now with my first ever experience of plantar fasciitis 😔

[@jamesday1]

Sorry to hear that! Hopefully a good specialist can help sort that out for you!

[@conradburdekin722]

@ sadly had a heel injury for a few weeks so lost some fitness, but, although not completely better, it is healing and I’m back running 👍

[@trailfever]

Well done James! Impressive race! I have done the 100k last year, so I know what it's like going through the night! It's a hell of a fight in the dark. 💪

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Yeah, I watched your video in the build up. That 100k is wild. Doing a race where most of the event will be at night is seriously tough! At least I knew I had quite a bit of daylight running to look forward to!

[@lukewbarrett]

Great work man! Mucho respecto.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks mate! It was a bit of a beast. Makes me appreciate how tough UTMB must be!

[@sturgmanrunning8546]

Another epic video well done 👏

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheOnlyTrueYeti]

What a strong race and congratulations. I was there as well but my race went quite different as I got problems with my hip flexor on my left leg and had to walk it in from K95. It was mentally hard as 65K seems very long when you are in pain. But I had made good time on the first bit and crossed the finish line after 28:45. Are you coming back next year ?

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Congrats on your finish! Amazing work getting it finished and walking the last 65k! That must have been seriously tough mentally! I'm not planning on coming back next year but haven't really planned out my future ultras yet.

[@Alex-fl2yh]

Good job! Very nice!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks!

[@philipking3010]

Congrats for gutting that out and finishing in the light! Impressive running.

[@jamesday1]

Thanks Philip! It was cool to see you make an appearance in Marcus' video this week! Hope you're recovering well!

[@philipking3010]

​@@jamesday1all good thanks. Tis the season for base, strength, and planning adventures for next year. Plenty more Swedish races for you to try out.

[@jamesday1]

Yeah very nice. Do you have any big plans for next year yet? I'll definitely be back in Sweden for some races. We'll be over in Gothenburg a few times a year so maybe I can sneak in some races when we're over!

[@philipking3010]

​@@jamesday1definitely check out the Alpaca Race in Göteborg, utterly bonkers, you'd love it, highly recommended. Plus Sörmlands 100 for a late summer 100 with considerably less darkness 😂

[@iberiksoderblom]

Really, really well done!

[@jamesday1]

Thanks very much!

[@TRUc972]

Well done James, I hope your eye is ok. I use those precision gels, how many /how many grammes of carbs did you have an hour? I’m still trying to work out what works best for me

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Yeah, my eye recovered not long after the race - maybe 1-2 hours later. I was probably consuming 60-90 grams per hour in the first half of the race. After going through my finished packets, I realised I had far less than that in the last 6 hours of the race which is probably why my energy dropped. For my next ultra, I think I would take one of the 90g pouches every hour to simplify the plan and supplement with other sources of fuel. I think it's best to experiment and figure out what works for you as everyone is a bit different.

[@aramis.sasinka]

Thanks for sharing m8! Well done! I reached the finish line like 5 hours later and two days later I knew why... I did the race with a nasty virus inside my body. Not the best circumstance for a 100 mile race. You did a great race! Well filmed as well. Will you run the race again in 2025? I hear that they might add one loop to the equation and make it even tougher next year! I will hopefully run it in 2025 and get that lovely gold ring! :D

[@jamesday1]

Congrats on finishing whilst battling a virus! Super impressive! I won't be running next year. An extra loop on Kullaberg sounds brutal! Good luck getting your gold ring! Blows my mind that people run this year after year.

[@mfowlie1]

Well done!!. Really enjoyed that. How's the eye?

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! The eye recovered really well. Took about 2-3 hours after the race until it was completely normal again. Such a massive relief!

[@souslesbombes]

No food before 7 hours of running in a UTMB race, jeez.

[@jamesday1]

Yeah it's pretty extreme! To be fair, the race does advertise itself as more of a self sufficient event but it still surprised me and a few other runners I spoke to during the race.

[@axelkaijalainen]

136k in: "It's time to start pushing!" You are maaad 😅😅

[@jamesday1]

😂 To be fair, there were 3 of us running together and we really didn't want to finish at night. We started pushing but the pace wasn't very impressive!

[@ingagade951]

I will highly sugest that you wear glasses for your next race if you race in Sweden again its a very windy route, Inga dk.

[@heymrguitarman7637]

Great video well done. My absolute hate is poorly as stocked aid stations. These races are getting damn expensive to enter and its a bit cheeky to not have quality food on every one. Sweet and savoury options at every station should be the norm. Sadly its not

[@jamesday1]

Thanks! Yeah I do agree. I love the Centurion races where each aid station is fully stocked and they have ice on super hot events. To be fair to Kullamannen, they do advertise it as being a self sufficient event.

[@ingagade951]

Maybe really protecting your eyes and maybe ski glasses. inga dk