wow. This kind of stuff and ultra running seem so crazy to me, and I'm a decent Ironman finisher.

Good luck to him.

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

I think so too. I become conflicted with how I think about this stuff when it comes to the ultra distances. I love the one day IM distance. I’ve also really liked the idea of multi-day adventure races. I think I struggle with what is too much and health concerns. From the little I was able to find on him, he is also listed as working in the medical field. So my guess is that also is a huge contributor to being able to take something like this on. In one of the pics he is munching on a hamburger in the pool. When just thinking about how he would train for something like this... my mind blows. I definitely have the utmost respect for what he is doing.

You can 9n partly train for such an event. 90% is mental.

That's outstanding...but NOPE! That 10x1 sounds like death.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Hats off, that's crazy inspirational. I'm cheering for him from here.

But how many squats does he do each day?

Yes - those distances together are just unreal. I just can't imagine thinking okay I just finished this 1,120 mile bike leg and now all I have to do is run 242 miles. What?!

I found this link to list the current (few) registered athletes that are doing some form of the Deca. http://decamanusa.com/athletes/

And here I thought a split double deca was some kind of a big ass sandwich.
Seriously why would anyone want to do these crawlfests?

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What's your CdA?

...and is Ashley Horner his coach?

Awesome. And he is adhering to a great set of rules. Is there any tracking or Strava for this? I think he's through the toughest part - the 10x1. I think the 1 x 10 may not be as tough because there is not a minimum daily distance (right?).

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

The 1x10 requires you to do a full Ironman within 24 hours for 10 days straight. The 10x1 gives you 13 days to accomplish the whole distance. I have to imagine the bike leg absorbs a vast majority of those days. The Deca triathlets follow the IUTA rules.

Here are the basics:

• Swim: Indoor or outdoor, pool or open water allowed, wetsuit allowed, no fins or other accessories to aid in propulsion.
• Bike: Must be outdoor, no drafting, no trainers, and no ellipticals.
• Run: Indoor or outdoor, no treadmills, no pacers and no aid in forward momentum by others.
• 24 hour clock for the One-a-Day and 13 days for the Classic.

I have been looking around but I haven't found anything on his progress. He did not overly advertise himself except setting up his two charity donation pages. I found out through triathlete friends in San Diego who know him. It's possible he wasn't going to do a lot of fundraising until after he finished. I also think the organization is following/verifying his accomplishments and may be protecting it from the public.

Wow...Indoor tracks would get boring.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

That's what I meant by 10x1... And he's already done that portion. Does the single triathlon 10 times the length of an Ironman have a time limit?

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Ah yes - I updated what I said as you replied. Yes he has a full 13 days to get the 24 mile swim, 1120 mile bike and 262 mile run finished.

Navy Seals seems #soft

I bet Ashley Horner could do 50 Classic Deca 10x1 if she only wanted to, she can do it everything.

If someone can conceive of it, someone will do it.

Thanks for all the well wishes. For what it is worth, I was able to complete the goal. Boring details below.

Typically the races include either 1 X a day format, or the Continuous (also called the Classic). Rules follow IUTA which is a similar organization to USAT but much smaller. Hours vary from 17-24 depending on RD for the 1X, and typically 12-14 days for the Classic.

Idea came about while completing, not to be confused with competing, in the DECA Mexico race in 2017. Inevitably the discussion always comes up as to which format is harder. I was asking fellow racers and of course everyone has a slightly different take as to which is harder and why. There was some discussion about the upcoming DECAMANUSA race for 2018 and a Double Deca in Mexico for 2019. I knew the Double had been done in both formats and a triple had been finished in the 1X. After finishing the Classic that year I thought, "I wonder if anyone has ever done both formats, but in a row." I called the RD's I knew and no one had.

The Past: Really nothing special. Started small triathlons and worked my way up to Iron. Fastest time 10:59. Discovered I like seeing how far I could go instead of how fast I could go. Moved on to Ultra runs and Ultra Tri. Completed the Double, Quintuple and DECA over approx. 6yrs. Goal for years was to complete a DECA in the USA.

I DNF'd the DECA 1X format in Switzerland, only finishing 7, and I completed the Classic in Mexico in 12 days. My nutrition was a disaster in Switz. and my feet and legs got destroyed in Mexico. I spent most of 2018 focusing on changing my run to a 4 min. jog, 1 min. walk. and moving my diet to all real foods while training (no gels, no powdered mixes, no salt, etc.).

I wanted to race with my friends in New Orleans for DecaMan 2018 so I decided the rules would have to be the exact same for both formats as the official race except I would be starting 10 days prior to everyone else. Official race began on Nov. 6, and I started my 1X on Oct.. 27. I ended up with about 3 hours of sleep from finishing day 10 and showing up to the Pool for the start of the official 24 mile swim. I finished the Classic in under the allotted 13 days thus "working out for 23 days straight."

A few answers to questions:

I am 50 and live in San Diego. I probably have crossed paths with you at sometime if yo live near by.
Have a wife and family and work in construction full time. Plus 2 dogs.
I am not in the medical field. I have visted the ER a lot though.
My training is very unstructured and actually minimal compared to others. That is why I am slow!
My info. is all public-facebook, Strava, Garmin, etc. Wahoo converts to Strava but not always.
I am hoping to send all the details to Derek at marathon investigation for confirmation.
I raised money for two charities and had no sponsors except Perky Jerky who sent a box of Beef Jerky and am a member of the DeSoto Ambassador program.
Next big event will be 2020-"TransAm Tri."

I am happy to share any other details although I am not a frequent Slowtwitch visitor. I appreciate all the comments.
Thanks, Mark

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"The only easy day was yesterday"

Well done, Mark! A very impressive accomplishment.

 "I spent most of 2018 focusing on changing my run to a 4 min. jog, 1 min. walk. and moving my diet to all real foods while training (no gels, no powdered mixes, no salt, etc.)."

Mark - That is a pretty incredible accomplishment, huge congrats!!! One question: did you really do away with all extra salt??? You never felt the need to salt your food??? I'm just very curious about that. I guess I've never thought of salt as "food" per se since it has no calories. I've always just thought of salt as a necessary electrolyte.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Amazing stuff. I can’t ebem fathom the focus and effort this takes

What must be said is that Mark is a very nice, humble person.
All along the Decaman, his father( his crew !) and Mark kept a smile on their face despite the general fatigue.
It was great to meet them.

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4 x Deca-ironman

Mark, this is a pretty incredible accomplishment.. all I can say is wow and way to keep after it. Honestly, I never even heard of this type of racing until I came across a small summary of your story. Congratulations - I'm definitely in awe and I really enjoy hearing about incredible feats that humans accomplish that no one would ever think is possible. I equally enjoy hearing about the struggles and setbacks before one finally gets to their destination. I am also fascinated by the nutrition changes. So interesting that the normal multi-Ironman triathlete usually progresses from solids to liquids for the hopes of avoid stomach issues... yet the ultra athletes usually fall back to solids. Perplexing. Thank you for sharing your story and feel free to share more.

Very impressive indeed.

Congratulations for the accomplishment.

The "real food" approach is really very interesting, as well as the run/walk approach. Thanks for sharing.

Not boring at all. WOW. Thank you for giving us a peek into your effort. Amazing job.

-Eric

Love how this is the sentiment when a man undertakes something an event pushing the limits. When a woman does it...well we know how that goes.

squid- Not a slight against you at all. Just getting a chuckle about the overall response to this versus Horner’s attempt.

0/10

Are you being deliberately obtuse or do you really not get it?

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Awesome accomplishment, congratulations!

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

We have a guy in my masters group who does decas. One thing about him that is unique is cast iron stomach. He can eat a couple of slices of pizza and then run ten miles no problem. Think about your last ironman. Most of us are in big calorie debt and then it takes a few hours before we can start eating normally.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Yup, you nailed it. Either I'm an asshat stirring the pot or an idiot. It's completely unfathomable to you that a third possibility exists. Maybe I have a legitimate, reasonable opinion on the matter that differs from yours. Hell, there is even a chance that my opinion is correct and the Horner thread was based in sexism and male self esteem issues that a woman could accomplish something epic. But never mind that. Let's just go back to me being an idiot.

Hey, RandMart is trying to keep the 50/50 thread going. Let's take this over there, and let this thread be about Mark and not you and Ashley.

I'll help with the difference.

In one case there is prior experience, demonstrable ability and relevent training, and then it actually happens.

In another case there is none of that followed by a complete clusterfuck.

Gender is beside the point. You are zoning in on the only irrelevant difference.

There is an enormous difference here and I rather not talk about AH any longer. As a female I am all about equality in sports but her lack of experience, gawd awful planning, enormous ego and dismissal of athletes and doctors who actually wanted to help is what let to the uproar of pissed off triathletes. I can remember watching AH on the today show talking about her 50/50 as if she already completed it. It was gross.

The difference in this situation is Mark never posted anything. He didn’t speak about it on social media and he didn’t go on national tv stations pounding his chest before he started his first day. The reason I found out about him and started this thread is because a San Diego police officer friend of mine posted about him on FB. SD is where the seals train and friends know friends. There was literally nothing about him online otherwise. I had never heard about these races and it blew my mind. And I don’t care what armed forces you are from (or maybe you aren’t at all) but at times like these - everyone deserves respect unless they give you a reason to treat them otherwise.

So that’s my two cents and don’t troll and try to hijack my thread over last years joke. Karma swallows its own.

I can't say anything about your post. Only this. You hit the nail on the head about the subjects.

Good day to you.

I find it hard to understand anyone trying to defend AH.
This double decker sandwich was genuinely epic. I've done LC racing and this baffles me. I would love to see a woman (with experience) nail this or the 50x50. For example Jasmin Paris https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmin_Paris. She undoubtedly has the physical and mental capacity. The idea that the animosity towards AH was sexist is ridiculous.

All the reasons you mentioned for not wanting to talk about Horner happened AFTER (or, at best, during) her attempt. This doesn't account for the enormous criticism and sexism she endured on this forum before she even started. Yes, she used social media. As does pretty much everyone under 35 years old these days. And assuming she planned on completing her challenge what better way to raise money for a cause?

I fail to see the difference with this particular athlete. He's a seal. That in no way qualifies you to be an endurance athlete. Based on the muscle requirements of seal training it's hard to see how he is completing this. Which is the exact reason everyone ripped Horner. Post #19 of Horner's thread is where the first criticism of her muscle build appeared. That's the first page of comments. The same post started on whether, or how much, she was doping. Odd how we don't see any of those sentiments in this case.

And even if being a seal somehow legitimized this attempt it's a hilarious bar as, to my knowledge, no woman has ever become a seal. They only recently let women even try to become seals. And imagine how cocky a woman would have to be in attempting to become the first female to pass seal training?

Your post simply uses Horner's failure to justify the nastiness she endured. It was blatant sexism long before she failed. And the intended/unintended outcome was that the next woman to try something epic will no doubt hesitate for a second thinking of what happened here.

Im baffled how you are defending your point of view when you clearly have no idea of what youre talking about. If youre just trolling then i applaud you because youre doing a great job. Ive known Mark for years and have raced with him. He came from YEARs of ultra racing before attempting this, having completed the deca and other extremely long races before his attempt. AH hadnt even finished a single ironman when she attempted the 50/50. Let me tell you that AH is not the person you want to get behind, if you wish i can introduce you to some awesome female ultra athletes that have the ability and experience to give the 50/50 a legitimate shot. And i can guarntee if one of them gave it a shot they would have everyones support.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

I hate to feed the troll, but here goes: she endured significant amounts of sexism, yes, which some of us addressed directly in the thread, as I'm sure you observed. She faced significant amounts of criticism, which was totally justified. I don't know that I'll weigh in on the proportion of the one to the other, but it seemed that there was more criticism (justified) than sexism (unjustified).

Can we get back to focusing on an amazing athlete with a long track record who did something awesome now?

-Eric

I understand you are baffled. Mostly because you have missed the entire point I am trying to illuminate. I am not disparaging Mark. He is an elite athlete and I am thankful for his service. I am also not backing Horner. My post has nothing to do with supporting her or insulting him. It does have to do with the sexist rants that many went on in trashing Horner before she even started. And how that bias continues. For example, when Mark tries this and everyone supports him versus starting to question every little detail about the attempt.

The very definition of trying something epic is not having done that before. Horner attempted and failed. Feel free to bash her for lack of preparation. But she is still an elite athlete in her own right and she gave it a shot. You may not respect that. But you still have to respect her. My posts here are just an attempt to show how easy we go on some people that try epic adventures. And how that seems to correlate with those people being male.

Go back and read the Iron Cowboy thread. Im sure youll find that people on here “bashing epic adventures” has more to do with how these adventures are approached/executed vs if they are undertaken by a man/woman.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

Great job, what a thing to do!

Questions if you are up to it:

I assume you did the 10x1 first because it was - well - harder (HA)! Do you stick with that assessment?

I am 99.9% sure you had a plan going in, how close did you end up being able to follow it? Do you build in makeup time or just sludge through it?

How much do you weigh, how much did you lose etc?

Lastly: anyone can answer this: do you have to do the 24 mile swim, 1120 bike, 262 run in order? Because if so, to me, that sounds WAY harder than do 10 x 1!

IMO, YOU are missing the point.

What makes AH ridiculous to me (and I'm probably not alone) is not the fact she is a woman.
Not the fact she is trying something.

It is the fact all her actions are clearly a caricature.
A caricature of a "social network diva".

Maybe she can be a real good athlete. Or she is. I don't know.

But the way she act on social networks is .... a farce. An internet marketing farce.

Clearly many other peoples are acting the same on internet, men or women. Apparently in the US you also have a red-haired guy making the fool of himself on internet (in Washington DC if I remember well) commenting local politic and international news.
A kind of political farce.
I' m laughing at him a lot also, nobody call me sexist.

We are commenting here because this AH 50/50 story was from the beginning an Ironman related internet/TV marketing farce.

You will notice that in Mark case, the "internet/TV", "marketing" and "farce" aspects were not there.
Fact he is a man is not the point.
Fact he succeeded is not the point.

Internet/TV marketing farce is the point.

Well done! I love following stories about seals, the mental toughness aspect is simply phenomenal (and after listening to Admiral McRaven, I make my bed every morning)! Have always used stories (David Goggins, Among Heroes, Trident, First Fast and Fearless, Leadership Lessons, Extreme Ownership, and Never Quit although it's about the PJs) for motivation. I couldn't meet the underwater swim requirement for PJ qualification when in the AF, still can't, but love hearing about those who went on to keep pushing the limits of human endurance. (not such a fan of some of the seals that went into politics). Keep posting about your upcoming adventures, would love to follow them.

Thanks for posting.

I am training for a DECA in the UK myself in July this year. I am in for the 10x1 but had a real hard decision versus the 1x10. I doubt I will get another chance in this lifetime - and would love you know your opinion. Which is the harder of the two? 1x10 or 10x1. I appreciate opinions will differ but you are the only person I have heard of that has done one after the other - so might have a good idea!

Congratulations on what I can only describe as an amazing achievement.

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

You can't be serious.

But on the off chance you are, do a little reading on the amount of running and swimming ability/endurance needed to complete SEAL training and if my memory serves a little about the history of ironman triathlon.

Unfortunately, it's anything but a caricature---which is essentially a parody. That's what makes that whole thing such a sad commentary.

I'd think that the difference in reception is not at all related to sex, but rather the difference between an ironman (and Seal) attempting an ultra endurance feat vs. a person with no ironman background attempting an ultra endurance feat.

I cannot imagine how to split up a 1x10. I feel like you'd have to be on the bike by noon on day 2 and on the run by day 7. And then you have a hell of a week of running ahead of you.