The 4x4x48 is an easily accessible entry into ultra-marathon running challenge that was first pioneered by David Goggins in March 2020. The former Navy SEAL has mobilised thousands of people around the world to test their physical and mental strength by running four miles every four hours over a 48-hour period.
From that day on, Goggins had the 40% 60% rule. This means that whenever you feel you are at your maximum, your brain is playing tricks on you, you are at 60% and you can go much, much further, there is 40% more to go.
Goggins initially attempted to enter Badwater 135 without any ultra experience, but given it is an invite-only event, he was told he would need to run a 100-mile race first. Having never even run a marathon before, he completed the 2005 San Diego One Day, running 100 miles in 18:56:00.
He once ran 205 miles in 39 hours without stopping, and he's completed more than 60 ultra-endurance events in his career. He started all this after telling himself that he was the weakest man alive. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Come race day, David was ready, but it's 240 miles! You can only know how prepared you are when you start running. Sadly, David went off course and ran an extra 15 miles in the wrong way. This caused him to bonk hard and then he experienced Altitude sickness.
Fast is a relative term in ultrarunning. The winner of a race could finish in 18 hours, but the back of the pack might take 34 hours to complete the same race. Generally, most 100-milers take 20-30 hours. It is technically possible to do it “in a day” if that day includes running all night long without sleep.
The David Goggins Challenge, known as the 4x4x48 program, is a tough yet rewarding test of physical and mental strength. Participants run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours straight. This challenge, created by David Goggins, pushes individuals to their limits and helps build resilience.
How did David Goggins lose so much weight so quickly? Goggins followed a strict, protein-heavy, low-calorie diet, often eating around 800 calories a day. His workout routine included running, swimming, cycling, and weight training, which helped burn fat and build endurance.
Basically, I bed down about 12 hours, then I got back in the race. I was still part of the official race. “So now, I get to about 207 miles and I'm sick as hell, can't breathe, pulmonary edema, totally jacked up.
In 2013, David Goggins broke the Guinness World Records title for most pull-ups in a 24 hour period. 4030 pull-ups in 17 hours, 16 minutes.
When you think that you are done, you're only 40% in to what your body's capable of doing. That's just the limits that we put on ourselves.
An accomplished endurance athlete, Goggins has completed over 60 ultra-marathons, triathlons, and ultra-triathlons, setting new course records and regularly placing in the top five. He once held the Guinness World Record for pull-ups completing 4,030 in 17 hours, and he's a sought after public speaker.
Athlete, speaker and soldier David Goggins is known as the toughest man on the planet. Everybody thinks he's Superman but his internal battle was tearing him apart. In this video, he opens up about a secret he hid from the world and why he feels the need to speak his truth.
Goggins' 1,032-pound squat at a body weight of 240 stood for seven years as the all-time mark in any division.
By the end of his 3-month journey, David Goggins had lost 106 pounds—a number that most would consider impossible. But Goggins did it. And he didn't just stop there. His newfound health led him to new goals—goals that included not only becoming a Navy SEAL but also inspiring others with his story of resilience.
A 6-foot-2-inch Navy SEAL who weighs 290 pounds and can bench press 435, Goggins decided one day that he would like to find the toughest race in the world and raise money for SOWF, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which helps support the families of Navy SEALs who have lost their lives.
In 2005, David Goggins decided to take on an ultramarathon challenge which involved running over 3100 miles (5000 km) across the United States from San Francisco to New York City without taking any days off – a feat that no one had ever achieved before.
This is what separates SEALs from all other US Special Operations Forces. By the end of Second Phase, candidates must complete timed 2-mile swim with fins in 80 minutes, the 4-mile run with boots in 31 minutes, a 3.5-mile and 5.5-mile swim.
David Goggins, a retired US Navy seal, ran 100 miles with ZERO formal training.
On Tuesday, October 15, Brockmann finally completed his multi-lap quest in 12 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds, averaging 79 miles of running per day. The broken man broke into tears when he finished, unable to dam up his emotions.
Most 100-mile races have generous cutoff times, often between 30 and 36 hours, allowing runners the flexibility to incorporate sleep if needed. In these longer races, many runners choose to take short naps or brief sleep breaks at aid stations or designated rest areas to manage fatigue and maintain mental clarity.
The average person with a basic general fitness level can run 10 miles between 1 hour 30 minutes (9 minutes per mile pace) and 1 hour 45 minutes (10 minutes 30 seconds per mile pace).