Runners who take on “The Tunnel”—a 200-mile race through a pitch-black railway tunnel in Bath—are truly “built different.” This year’s infamous race through the U.K.’s longest foot tunnel took place on March 31 through April 2.
Described as a “mind bending test of extreme endurance and sensory deprivation,” The Tunnel promises two days and two nights of utter darkness and “low level lighting in effect at other times.” “You will have 55 hours to run approximately 100 ‘out-n-backs,’ or 200 times through the tunnel, which is possibly the greatest mileage ultramarathon ever run 99 percent underground,” according to the website.
Participants pay £250, or about $312, for the privilege of suffering through this grueling challenge, and no refunds, transfers, or deferrals are permitted.
This year’s participants and finishers are still reeling from the challenge. Due to sleep deprivation and utter darkness, it’s common to experience hallucinations as the miles wear on, and one runner even claimed he went blind for part of the race. As Karl Baxter, who completed The Tunnel in 2021, told BBC, “You’ve got to be a sandwich short of a picnic to give it a go.”
This year’s winner, David Harvey, completed the race in 48 hours and 50 minutes. “For most of that last hour, I didn’t really know what I was doing or where I was,” said Harvey. “It was alright for the first night, and then the mind games started on the second—and I just wasn’t able to look at anything without faces appearing out of the side of the walls….”
Agnieszka Kaminska took second place with a time of 50 hours and 5 minutes, earning her the women’s record time for the race. Richard Hinson (53:23), Chris Sayles (54:11), and Paul Sutherns (54:24) also finished within the time limit.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
