The empty stares of the runners cling to the few beams of light crossing the Combe Down Tunnel in Bath (United Kingdom).
From 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., an inky black coats the 44 participants of the Ultra Tunnel: 320 km of asphalt to be covered in less than 55 hours in a tube housing an old railway line, deep in the countryside English.
A race without assistance and without sleeping (or almost) for two days.
With 95% dropouts so far, this “extreme endurance and sensory deprivation test” created in 2019, is considered by many trail enthusiasts to be the hardest race in the world.
“Deprived of daylight, you become completely weird,” summarizes Frenchman Christian Mauduit, the first runner to have achieved the feat of crossing the finish line twice.
“It’s awful, I had nightmares about it for years,” admits the British Claire Smith, unable to explain the reasons for her presence at the start of the 2024 edition. The “calm and mystical” aspect of the Tunnel Ultra but also the hallucinations linked to sleep deprivation seem to attract these athletes used to long distances.
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“It’s like being addicted to LSD,” says Karl Baxter.
Two years ago, I saw a family of snowmen hanging on the walls and a hunchback walking towards me with a cigarette in his mouth.”
This year, to spice up the race, the snow surprised the runners, covering their survival bags with an icy layer.
“I wonder why I left the Florida sun to come and freeze here,” laughs the American Joey Lichter a few meters before giving up.
In the end, seven runners, including the Russian Agnieszka Kaminska, reached the end of the event.
Christian Mauduit, second, finished in 46 hours, 49 minutes and 34 seconds, with bruised feet but a smile on his face.
“The big question is: do I come back a third time or not?
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The day after the race, its organizer, Marck Cockbain, opened registrations for the next edition which will take place from February 28 to March 2, 2025.