Mr Michael Conquers the World’s Longest Six-Day Race

What is the Issyk Kul Six-Day Challenge? 

Twelve brave runners embarked on a 460-kilometre adventure around the stunning Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. Every day brought a new challenge, with stages ranging from 45 km to 90 km. Each stage had a time limit: 12 hours for stages one through five and 7 hours for the final stage.  

Our motivational maths teacher! 

Mr Michael finished the six-day stage race in sixth place with a time of 53 hours and 17 minutes. His mental and physical strength was pushed to the limit as he contended with the blazing sun, tough road conditions and sore blisters. 

We caught up with Mr Michael after the race – here’s what he had to say! 

How did you perform? Where you happy with your approach to the race?  

I’m proud of how I performed, which is not something I often say after a race. My goal was to finish the race within the cut-offs and every decision I made during the week supported that goal. The first two days were very slow, with lots of walking and eating, but it was all part of the plan to preserve my energy and legs.

Did you get any injuries? How did you manage them? 

I had niggles but nothing serious, thankfully. My main concern late in the race was my swollen and blistered feet, and sunburn. From the second day, I would submerge my feet in cold water every evening to keep the swelling down and then sleep with my feet elevated.  

What was the most enjoyable thing about the race? 

The Kyrgyz people. All the runners were bombarded with support in the form of waves, car horns, and shouts of encouragement. I was even offered a lift in a farmer’s tractor during the first stage, thankfully I had the discipline to decline the kind offer. 

A personal highlight was meeting my wife, Ms. Joanna (Primary teacher), at the Seven Bulls viewpoint at the end of stage 5. It was a crucial day with a brutal climb to finish. I knew for certain at that point that I would finish the race. 

What was the hardest thing about the race? 

The dust from the road construction, the heat from the sun, and the constant traffic. In terms of the environment, it was a hostile place to run. Huge lorries would pass within 12 inches of me and create huge gusts of wind and dust. Initially it was terrifying, but I got used to it as the race progressed. 

Also, the sheer distance of the race was intimidating. There are not many footraces longer than this, and other runners - who have completed some of the world’s toughest multi-stage races - were not able to cope. 

Did you get to know any of the other runners?   

Yes, and this was a big part of my experience! I ran about 200km of the race with Ben Hoseus, an American now living in Cape Town. We worked hard together - taking it turns to pace each other for 5km at a time. Ben is an incredible athlete - a 2:35 marathon runner and a silver medal winner at the Comrades Marathon. It will be amazing to see what he goes on to achieve in the future. 

Sascha Gramm also made a big impression on me. He is German, and a veteran of multi-stage ultras across the world. Unfortunately, Sascha didn’t manage to start stage 6 due to injury. However, watching him battle up the hill, with a seriously injured knee, to finish stage 5 was totally inspiring. 

The calibre of athletes was incredible. The Russian runners were fantastic. They ran hard during the race – as if they didn’t have to run the next day. It was amazing to see, and something to aspire to. 

Motivation, motivation, motivation! Watch our Q&A with Mr Michael!  

Before the race, we joined Mr Michael on one of his training runs to learn more about his preparation and what keeps him going. Watch our Q&A video here!