Run 320 km through tunnel in the dark

The venue for The Tunnel is a 1.6 km long abandoned train tunnel in the city of Bath, southwest England. The regular race starts at 4 p.m. a Friday in March, and the 2023 race will take place from March 31 to April 2.

The runner will run back and forth in the flat tunnel until he has accumulated 320 km (200 miles) with a time limit of 55 hours. They are not allowed to use headphones, canes, without outside support. The COT milestone (cutting time) is 27h30 minutes, runners who do not complete 160 km in time will have to stop the competition.

The tunnel is virtually lightless and is open to both pedestrians and cyclists, so athletes are required to wear headlights and conspicuous or reflective devices. Entrants will also need to provide the results of a 160km run they have participated in.

"I can choose to sit on the sofa watching TV with my wife and children, or plunge into a wet, tired tunnel even though I have to go to work on Monday," said Guy Bettinson, champion of The Tunnel 2020, said. "And then I pushed myself into misery." This 45-year-old runner finished first with a time of 43 hours 6 minutes 17 seconds and holds the tournament record.

"It's pointless. You're just going back and forth between A and B, making it a huge mental challenge," said Andy Persson, 57, one of eight 2020 finishers. He completed 200 miles in 53 hours 54 minutes 22 seconds.

The Tunnel is run by Mark Cockbain, 50, a British long-distance runner who has completed a series of endurance challenges such as the Trans 333 km across the Sahara Desert, held for the first time in 2019. "I like things with an element of mystery. And as soon as the government allows the use of the tunnel, organizing a brutal race is out of the question," he said.

So how do runners overcome psychological, mental and emotional obstacles in the journey to conquer The Tunnel? "The only thing you need to think about is moving, eating, drinking, sleeping and going to the bathroom. Those are the things that matter," said Max Newton, 49, who finished 2020 in 50 hours 42 minutes and 6 seconds. . "Everything else around is meaningless."

Mike Raffan, 43, finished in 2021 in 52 hours 49 minutes, sharing his strategy simply "100% effort". This advice takes on even more weight as Raffan ran 182 miles (293 km) in 42 hours in his backyard just three months after an open heart surgery in 2020. At The Tunnel 2021, Raffan continued to run in conditions. The lack of light made his eyes seem frozen.

"I never thought about not finishing The Tunnel. Before the race, I told them 'don't let me stop, unless for medical reasons,'" Raffan said.

Christian Mauduit, the 47-year-old runner who finished in 2021 in 51 hours and 40 minutes, took the same approach. "I'm always asking myself 'Why am I doing this?', 'Should I go there?'... during training and before the race starts. But once I'm in, I just finish the laps, There are no other questions."

With Max Newton, 49, finishing in 2021 in 50 hours and 42 minutes, the hardest thing about running 100 laps is having 100 chances to stop. Mauduit agreed, stressing that the turning point at the beginning of the tunnel was the hardest to cross.

"When you get back to the starting line, you have two choices. One is to stop, the pain persists for hours and you have to face the fact that you gave up. Or get over yourself and write history. You only have a few seconds to decide. In The Tunnel, I didn't run 320 km, I only ran 3.2 km 100 times," Mauduit said.

Those who have completed the race all have one thing in common: keeping a positive mind, a factor some runners even consider decisive. "I thought to myself, 'I love this tunnel, and I can't believe I've had the chance to participate,'" Persson said.

Surrounded by no scenes, music or conversation, the race will certainly be boring. Mandy Foyster, 56, the only female runner to ever complete the race, advises runners to try doing the math in their heads and this will help them focus. Foyster finished in 2021 in 54 hours 55 minutes.

"It was a 'great battle' to stay awake," Foyster describes. "When I get to the end of the tunnel, I usually stand outside for 10-15 seconds. When I feel sleepy, I will spray water on my face."

Some runners can take advantage of sleeping outside to recharge and hope it doesn't rain. Others consider sleeping an inconvenience in a race that is already very tight in time, not even daring to sit down and rest.

"If you stop, you'll have to start all over again and vice versa. So I just kept moving," said Bettinson, a 17-year veteran of the military. "I did lie down a few times, but it was the second night and the pain kept me from falling asleep."

Most runners participating in The Tunnel experience this situation in the tunnel. "I saw a family of snowmen, a giant snail and once felt like I was at the edge of a cliff," said Karl Baxter, 51, who finished in 2021 in 54 hours and 7 minutes.

Foyster saw the orange monsters flying towards her again. With Mauduit, the illusion he encountered increased in intensity and was most affected on the last day. The illusion even followed Persson days after the race, even after he was home.

"There are no easy races, life is like that," Foyster said. "The Tunnel is the hardest race I've ever run. I've never needed so much help."

Manduit described The Tunnel as "a great tournament". Baxter feels "on top of the world" and when recounting the race to others, his face always has a smile on his face. And now, they will find new challenges for themselves.

"My holy grail is finishing a tournament where I know I'm going to have to throw everything - even if I don't finish. The track can be a mile or a thousand miles. I'm still chasing it," he said. Bettinson.

With Cockbain, his aim was quite simple.

"I want them to remember the tournament for the rest of their lives. After all, we are born and we die, it's how you want to fill the gap in between. The achievements will always last."