David Goggins, for those who don’t know him, is an American ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker, and former Navy SEAL. He called for participation in his challenge once again on March 5th, 2021—the so-called 4x4x48 Hour Challenge. Since I plan to run a 100 km ultramarathon this year, it was the perfect preparation for me and my comrades. But what exactly is the David Goggins Challenge?
In this challenge, you have to run 4 miles (6.44 km) every 4 hours for 48 hours. Sounds easy, right? The total distance run over 48 hours amounts to 77.24 km. The twist: the faster you run, the more rest you get. This becomes especially valuable at night, when you have to wake up every 4 hours and every minute of sleep counts. So if you need only an hour for the 6.44 km, you get the remaining 3 hours to rest until the next round.
Preparation is everything in this challenge. Over the two days, I burned about 5,760 active calories—on top of my 2,100 daily caloric needs. That’s why good, energy-rich food is essential. Plus, a small snack between runs can do wonders for morale. We overlooked the fact that we had to go grocery shopping on Saturday between runs. Since I do my shopping on foot, I didn’t really get a break—which was doable but not ideal.
So: plan and prepare your meals in advance!
I also recommend doing the challenge with a partner. A partner can help you stay motivated—especially when you have to get out of bed at 4 a.m. You definitely don’t want to be the first one to give up. You can also cook more elaborate meals together, which you wouldn’t bother making alone. And running the routes is simply more fun that way.
So: find a partner or two!
Another big tip: plan your routes ahead of time! We tried to improvise one route, which didn’t go well—we ended up running almost 8 km instead of 6.44 km. That 1.5 km difference doesn’t sound like much, but it hits hard after 36 hours. We had the advantage of planning and navigating using a smartwatch. If you don’t have one, I strongly recommend mapping out a route with the exact distance and sticking to it.
So: plan your routes!
If you’re looking for food inspiration for your march, here’s what we ate:
Friday
Evening: Tomato soup
Challenge start: 8:00 PM
Saturday
Morning: Salmon with egg on whole grain bread
Lunch: Burrito bowl
Evening: Tuna wraps
Sunday
Morning: Fruit muesli (raspberries / bananas / apples) and bread
Lunch: Pasta with tomato sauce
Evening: Lemon chicken with rice
We—Engel, Patrick, and I—teamed up to take on the David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge. The first four runs were very doable, and morale was high. The first real struggle came at 8:00 AM, when we had to run 26 km after only 6 hours of sleep. If you can fall asleep quickly between runs, that’s a huge advantage. I personally had no issues, but Patrick and Engel barely slept. Fortunately, spirits lifted again after breakfast and lunch. The routes along the Danube and over the Wilhelmsburg were beautiful during the day. Even the weather gifted us with some sunshine.
By evening, though, it got cold fast. After the second midnight run, one of us had to drop out due to knee pain. The remaining two of us really struggled at 4:00 AM. The cold, the sleep deprivation, and the mounting muscle and joint pain were getting to us. We even had to deal with a few blisters. Good footwear is absolutely essential here. After sunrise, our motivation picked up again as the finish line and a good meal were finally in sight. Food really worked wonders during the breaks. Although exhausted, we set out on our final run at 8:00 PM on Sunday, knowing we were close to the finish line.
All in all, the challenge is definitely doable. The long recovery times between runs allow for decent regeneration. That’s why this isn’t an insurmountable physical challenge. The physical exertion is just enough to push your willpower while still staying within reach. Getting up in the middle of the night is hard at first, but after just a few minutes into your run, you’re rewarded with an incredible sense of triumph over your weaker self. It’s a rare feeling. I highly recommend this challenge to anyone looking for a mental and physical test.
This was an excellent preparation for the 100 km ultramarathon. However, the physical strain of the Goggins Challenge is quite different from running 100 km in one go. During our last 50 km test march, muscles, joints, and tendons were pushed to their absolute limit. That wasn’t really the case with the Goggins challenge.
For the 100 km Mammutmarsch, we’ll definitely take the following with us:
Short Breaks: Taking small, repeated breaks (no more than 20 minutes) can greatly boost performance and morale. But keep them short—longer breaks tend to make you tired and kill motivation.
Snacks & Food: For future practice marches, we’ll make sure to eat regular snacks like nuts and fruits, which have almost immediate effects. For larger meals, we’ve had great success with potato salad, tuna wraps, pasta with tomato sauce, bread, and chicken with rice. Quark with fruits also feels almost magical on a long march. Acidic dishes like pasta salad are best avoided due to possible stomach upset.
Do you have more meal ideas for long marches?
Or do you know of other interesting challenges?
Feel free to share them!
I’m also happy to answer any questions you might have.
Until then, march on!
Your Vale