Mental toughness, fresh socks and Pot Noodles will be crucial in Michael Logue bid to break the record and run across the UAE in under five days
Michael Logue sips a sparkling water and puts his feet up. He’s having a rest day. Two days before meeting What’s On, the Englishman ran 50K in 4 hours and 10 minutes in preparation for the hardest challenge of his life. On February 21 Logue will attempt to run from Fujairah across the seven Emirates to the UAE/Saudi Arabia border in under five days, a distance of 630K. That’s the equivalent of running three marathons every day. For five days. “The current record is five days and 11 hours… but I want to do it in under five days, even if my time is four days, 23 hours and 59 minutes. If I don’t … I’ll be furious,” he smiles.
The 33-year-old plans to start each day at 3am. On completing a 10K block he’ll take a food break, which could be crisps, cans of Coca-Cola or Pot Noodles – a nutritionist’s nightmare. “I need food with a good amount of calories that’s easy to digest,” he explains. After his recent 50K – his first ever ultra marathon – Logue immediately went to McDonald’s and ordered a large Big Mac meal, two double cheeseburgers, a spicy chicken burger, and six chicken nuggets. “I demolished it,” he says with a grin.
On the road
Accompanying Logue on his challenge will be a support team including a sports therapist, three videographers, a driver, an admin assistant, and his girlfriend Marie. “She’s aware I might have tantrums here and there,” smiles Logue. Leading the team is Chris Taylor, a former colleague from the Royal Marines who’ll shadow Logue on a bicycle. Taylor has completed endurance challenges himself and has supported other athletes on theirs. Logue has always loved running and made the England youth athletics squad as a teenager before injuries curtailed his prospects. “When I was younger,” he says, “if I was in a bad mood, my mum would tell me to go for a run. When I run 1 go into a meditative state and I’m in my own bubble.”
Push it
Five years in the Royal Marines equipped Logue to handle mental and physical hardship better than most. He recalls one training exercise in which he had to spend five days on the run from teams of trackers and dogs, in deep English winter. At the end of the punishing week, Logue was subjected to a mock interrogation in which he had to remember a detailed backstory.
“In terms of fitness and mental toughness, I’d say I’m probably as good as anyone can be.” This grit has helped Logue win numerous international Hyrox events and endurance races, experiences which he channels into his work with clients at Athlete Fitness Dubai, the gym he owns in Al Quoz. As he enters the final few weeks of training, Logue says, “My biggest fear is failure. I won’t be embarrassed if I fail, but I’ve set myself up to finish this. I’m sure every day I’ll wake up and think what I’m doing is pretty stupid.”
What’s in the kit?
What do you pack to run 630K in five days?
1: Trainers: “I’ll bring 10 to 15 pairs of Saucony shoes. Some will be carbon plated and some will be easy running shoes.”
2: Clothing: “I’ll bring about 20 shorts, 20 tops, and 20 pairs of socks from a French brand called Cruel Pancake.”
3: Oakley sunglasses.
4: Hat and SPF: “I went for a run the other day and got sunstroke, which knocked me out for a full day, so a hat is important.”
5: Apple AirPods: “I’ll listen to audiobooks, podcasts, music and maybe some talks from [motivational speaker] David Goggins.”
6: Runner’s belt.
7: High vis jacket: “I’ll need this in the evenings. We’ve booked hotels that are either on the side of the road or a 10-minute drive away.”
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