My UTMB 2023 Race Recap (& plans for the future)

Chatting through everything that happened at UTMB this year and plans going forward.

Follow along on Social Media...
Second Channel - @benparkestheextramile

[sdegelaen]

Words like embarrassing and sorry are not necessary, Ben. Take the time you need to find your strength(s) again, and remember you're still a legend and a huge inspiration, both in good and less good times, to other people (runners and non-runners)! 💪🏻

[NitrousMiike]

Ben, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Those of us who were following your progress during UTMB were wishing you nothing but the best, but were also knowing how difficult of a task it is for anyone to cross the finish line. You have inspired many of us, and you will continue doing so.

[robdevine]

99% of the people here just want to support you regardless of finishing position. You do so many amazing things at such a high level. The struggles just show you re human. Being switched on for a marathon or ultra can be a finicky thing. The professional runners often struggle with these distances. Sort yourself out however you feel is best and I’m certain your supporters will be here for you. Can’t wait to see you smash whatever comes next!

[taraonatrail]

There are zillions of people making running videos. We come here because you and Sarah are delightful people - funny, honest, vulnerable, supportive, and creative. None of that is directly tied to race outcomes or changes when you DNF or even DNS. Keep doing what makes you happy, and by sharing it, makes others happy too.

[eddy.beezgames]

Ben, you don't know me from Adam, but you are an inspiration. Don't apologise for the delay in this video and certainly don't apologise for either your mental health or the 'failure' of UTMB. The fact you had that disappointment yet were still there for Sarah at the end of her epic race shows the type of person you are. Using your training plans and bought 2-3 hats (I keep losing them 😆) you've made me realise anyone can really be a runner. Keep getting it done, all the best and let us know how it all goes!

[brennycodmusic]

Oh Ben - very late in catching up on this but on your suspected autism/adhd, all I can say is chase that diagnosis. Your suspicions are a very, very good indicator for this. I did the same 18 months ago, same diagnosis. BEST. THING. EVER. Completely changed my mental health. I no longer fought to be who I thought I should be to others, but embraced all that these gave me in spades. No wonder I’d been burnt out, anxious, depressed. I hope you can find yourself in it too, it will change your life in so many amazing ways that you can’t imagine, and makes it exponentially easier to deal with the aspects that are hard. From one proud neurodivergent to a possible/probable other.🙏🏻

[MrsHuntontheTrails]

We were just talking about why we continue to watch you week after week and the word ‘integrity’ springs to mind. You’re not afraid to share your struggles as well as your successes and are all the more inspiring as a result.

[melaniebailey]

That’s a very brave video Ben, and anyone who has been following you for a while will fully appreciate how hard it probably was to film. I think we can also all appreciate how much pressure you must feel when this is not just your hobby but also your job. I also just wanted to mention that, IMO, you don’t need to do well competitively to make great videos. And in fact, showing the human side of running, including the downs as well as the ups, is of far greater value to viewers (who may also be struggling) than those who only choose to show their successes. Let’s face it, there’s enough of that in social media in general - and it’s not healthy or helpful! I really hope you’ll feel able to share some of your next steps. I for one will certainly continue to follow and like (love) your channel. ❤ 🤗

[graemeroberts]

Yeah, you nailed it at about 4:40 - not specialising and not enough volume of training. That will always come out. No place to hide. Good luck next year! If you were wanting to do a mountain ultra of high intensity and distance like UTMB, you would need to focus now and only on it for the whole year building up and up. (Also, it must be tricky filming and trying to run your best - maybe leave that alone as well...)

[desmondchan]

Ben, mental health is more important than anything else. As someone who loves to run ultra's, I lost someone that was a trail running mentor to me due to mental health and till this day I cannot run on the trails w/o breaking down. Time heals all wounds but you need to give yourself that time to figure it out and when you have the trails will still be there for you.

Take your time, run roads to gain clarity & confidence back. We will encourage you from all over the world!

[styx]

I'm sorry to see that this is (and we are) causing you so much stress and anxiety. It's supposed to be fun! Definitely time for a recalibration of something here :) All the best to you, I hope your next run is a positive experience, no matter the result.

[stevenmcfarlane]

A dnf is never embarrassing - it’s a part of trail running. Everyone’s dnf’s at some point for myriad reasons.

Don’t pressure yourself, 2:25 is phenomenal and you’re in <xx% of the population to be able to do that.

Strong to be able to talk openly about mental health struggles, but really zero reason to be embarrassed or sorry.

Keep up the good work. Love the channel. Enjoy the states and hopefully come back refreshed

[ericvault]

If you never fail at anything, it means you're not challenging yourself enough. Well done for going for it. Don't live small. Keep going. 👍🏻

[lilee]

Hi Ben, I'm not usually one to comment on things like this. However, you played a role in inspiring me to start running when I was bored during the first lockdown so A) Let me thank you for that.

B) As a primary school teacher, I'm often telling my class there's no point them being here if they've got all the answers. The challenges, the struggles, the (quote-unquote) 'failures' are all part of the process. It's very difficult for me to follow my own worldly wisdom on occasion, but it is something I firmly believe in. When I'm out of inspiration, or I haven't run in months I return to some of yours and others' videos and it gives me that boost to get it done.

Well done for setting clear goals on how to use this as a learning experience.

I'm looking forward to completing a marathon before I turn 30 next year - there's going to be lots of learning experiences with that for sure. See you on the start line! 😅

[DannyWyattTV]

Some days it works, some days it doesn't. You need to stop beating yourself up, you haven't done anything wrong at all. You just had a 'no' day with some form of sickness causing it probably, that's all.

You don't need to apologise to anyone. And you have nothing to apologise for! My advice is you should do your best to try and stop the negative thinking. Positive minds lead positive lives. Speaking to a professional in this space is life changing. I've been crippled (almost literally, panic attacks etc) by anxiety myself and I've often thought that I suffer with ASD too. Best place to start is to ask for help so you're doing the right thing. Feel free to give me a shout anytime and I'd be only too happy to share my experience and how I've conquered it. It helped me to hear how others have overcome those mental challenges.

One thing I am certain of is, you'll come back and smash it next year. Keep up the good work!

[louieee]

Hi Ben I’m autistic and was only diagnosed last year (at age 28). Good luck with the whole process, and thank you for speaking openly about it 💛🙌

[selena]

Watched the video, went away, felt the need to comment and came back and post, which I never do....

It's important to remember that the impact of our actions can be achievements much bigger than the ones we were seeking. You make content that inspires a lot of people. You are genuine and real about the process on good days. You're incredibly honest about your struggles on the "less good" days. All of these have a massive impact on a lot of people and that is the opposite of embarrassing. It's pretty awesome. 🙂 

Best of luck finding the answers you are looking for and thank you for being who you are. And as a mum to 2 on the spectrum, thanks for being another voice willing to talk about these things. Breaking taboos is another pretty awesome contribution to your online "community" 😉

[ColeRunning]

No apology necessary. One of the hardest races in the world, certainly not humiliating. You know where I am if you need me mate 🤗

[petraalma]

Absolutely not embarrassing, you have my full admiration for speaking out about mental health and about ‘failure’. I met you at the Chamonix shake out run and I was really rooting for you knowing how much you wanted it after last year’s fall and injury. My guess is that alongside some other issues like training and nutrition you could well have had a virus or even COVID, there seemed to be plenty of it about with hindsight. One year your day will come and I wish you every success on the roads in the meantime. As an older female runner my experience is that success in trail ultras can come at any age and the correlation with raw speed is actually pretty weak (unless you really are at the sharp end).

[dogsville]

making this video is like going sub 3.30.
i know you'd gladly swap them but life's not like that.

i've been sidelined with injuries for 14 months, watching content creators setting foot on starting lines.
today i ran a trail, only 4km, without pain, for the first time since then.

the lucky few get to participate.
see you out there ben.