Richard's 4x4x48 Challenge

March 30, 2021

We recently had the honour of creating a personalised print for Richard to commemorate his fantastic achievement in completing his recent 4x4x48 challenge.

The concept is the brainchild of former Navy Seal and globally-recognised ultra-runner David Goggins, which involves running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. This works out at 12 legs of running and 48 miles in total. While the challenge itself sounds simple, participants’ physical and mental limits are tested over an ultra-marathon distance spread out over some challenging hours of the day while balancing rest and nutrition.

Richard took on the challenge spontaneously after spotting and contemplating it while relaxing in front of the TV on a cold February night - and within half an hour of the idea, a spark had been ignited, he’d fully committed, and was out the door with his headtorch undertaking the first leg at 10pm (much to his coach's surprise the next day)!

Richard’s prior experience in the Royal Navy aided with the required discipline and getting his head down for rest, which are vital for completing such a challenge. He decided early on to focus on running the same route for each of the 12 legs, which included a few ups and downs so he wasn’t using the same muscle groups for the entire challenge. He worked out he had 3 night runs, 3 day runs, 3 night runs and 3 days runs to help break the challenge down in to more manageable parts.

Day one of the challenge went consistently well, and Richard felt that after getting his tough second ‘night shift’ legs ticked off, the chances are he would be home and dry and the goal would be within reach. He pressed on through the cold February weather (though did enjoy the odd bit of sunshine) and received great support from his friends and family who helped push him on to successfully complete the challenge alongside all other day-to-day tasks and commitments - with each run executed consistently and the final leg completed in the quickest time with the pull of his wife Sarah and daughter Molly waiting at the finish.

Richard’s print features the Black Sheep t-shirt that he proudly wore during the challenge - a club which aims to reach as many people as possible to help them become the best version of themselves. It’s not about being the fittest, the fastest or the strongest, but about setting your own bar.