Is it possible to walk 50 miles in 12-hours?

Question

I have made one of those infamous 'bets' in my local pub on Saturday night that I can walk 50 miles in 12 hours.

The terrain is fairly flat, and it is planned for next Saturday at 6am.

Does anyone think I can do it?

No training, (apart from what I do this weekend), other than that I am a keen cyclist, and am fairly strong at it too.

What do we think people!??

I have now started a Blog for this!! seemed like a good idea at the time!

www.richardnoon.co.uk or http://50milewalk.blogspot.com

Answer 1

yes it can be done.I have walked 1 mile in 15 mins

Answer 2

Yes you can, if you can avoid some mistakes. First one is shoes; even if you have good ones, it still may be good idea to bring some blister bandages or something you can use in case of abrasions. Wearing two thin pairs of socks instead of one normal may also help.

The second thing is water. If you have to carry all your drinking water you may be in trouble with the extra weight, but if you just can arrange it so that you have some sort of refill spots along the way you should be ok. Just remember to drink. A lot. Other thing is food, you should bring something you can eat while walking. If possible, arrange it so that you can pick it up at refill spots. The less you have to carry, the better. Eat several times small portions... but as a cyclist I think you know what to eat while under physical stress.

And as a final thought... Yes, you can do it. It took me 8 hours to walk about 31 miles, and it was night (from 9pm to 5am), I had to carry my own water (I had 3 liters (dunno what units you use, but about 0.1 cubic feet), but I should have brought 4; this made it real pain to walk last 6 miles and slowed the pace down), and I really hadn't trained at all. In fact, I had my knee operated about 3 months before that, and I was in quite bad shape because I had been resting about a month because of that... And I was not trying to reach any specific time. So yes, you can do it, if nothing bad happens (you get sick, your shoes chafe, you run out of water...)

Answer 3

Heh. Consider doubling the bet and switching to 100 miles in 6 hours on the bicycle.

Stuck with walking? You'll have to work at it! I hope you're allowed to run or jog part of the way, because a fast walk is 4 mph and you'll have to keep it up all day. You seem to have the aerobic capacity - so injury prevention will be key.

Do train this week to be sure that your walking shoes and feet are well used to each other and can get along with each other for 50 miles on Saturday. Limber up with stretches designed for runners and hikers.

For race day, recruit some helpers to keep you supplied with water and food throughout the day. Change your socks every few miles to prevent blisters, wear a hat to protect yourself from sunburn, and prepare yourself with stretching, rest and nutrition as if for a long cycling trip.

"Race-walking" websites may have additional useful pointers.

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, and may you never again take a dare unless you're cold stone sober. :) Best of luck, let us know how it goes.

Answer 4

If you walk really fast non-stop, it may be possible. It is a little over 4 miles an hour which is a very fast walk. To walk this pace for 50 miles, you better be in really good shape. Good Luck

Answer 5

If you are in shape you can probably do it. But you will have to walk really fast or jog. One of the fastest times in the Boston Marathon was 2.5 hours and that's 26 miles. So you should be able to do 50 miles in 12 hours if your body is in shape.

Answer 6

I think you can do it!
It would be good if you could measure what distance you cover in one hour (it has to be about 4.2 mile per hour), then you could estimate whether you should speed up or maintain the current pace.
Remember to drink some water while walking - there's nothing worse than cramps and drinking water prevents them.
One more thing - very comfortable shoes, the old ones are much better than "shiny" new ones.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Oh yeah, you'll be able to do it. I don't walk on a regular basis, but I figure that when I do walk I walk about 5 to 6 miles and hour. So you can do it. Good Luck hope the bet is worth it.

Answer 8

Average human walks 3.5 mph so it would be a quick pace but easily accomplished.

This is not a bet about whether or not you can do it... it's gonna be about whether or not you're dumb enough to go through with it, lol! 12 hours is a long time to walk!

Answer 9

its doable, you just have to be walking a bit more than a mile every 15 minutes, most people can do a mile every 12 - 15, so you should be ok. Just bring lots of water.

Good luck

Answer 10

it is steep. not impossible. if u r above 40 dont try. make arrangement for water, salt and enery food like glucose. it is brisk throughout. if it becomes impossible midway-give up. good walking shoes. dont eat too much previous night. brisk walk is 8 kms an hour. also give up if u get cramps. your target is 6.67. if u rest for 2 hours - the average is 8 per hour.

Answer 11

You will need to average a mile every 14.min 24sec... Which is possible, but very unliklely... You will need to speed walk the entire time,, without any breaks...