A former US Navy soldier pushed his body beyond its limits, covering more than 4 miles with walking lunges and breaking two world records.
Mike McCastle, 38, accomplished the feat in the surreal landscape of the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, as part of his personal “12 Labors Project”, a ten-year challenge consisting of twelve extreme physical tests.
During his latest feat, McCastle set the record for the most lunges in one hour — 3,262 in total — and for the longest distance lunged in the same time frame: 3.57 kilometers.
But he didn’t stop there. After breaking the two records, he continued as long as his body allowed him: 20 hours and 39 minutes of consecutive lunges, for a total of 4.06 miles (over 6.5 km) and 4,769 repetitions.
During the feat, he only had to stop for physiological needs, short moments of rest, meals — and even to avoid lightning striking nearby.
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Who is McCastle and what is his project?
An air traffic controller and mental coach in Las Vegas, McCastle claims that no one before him has ever exceeded 12 consecutive hours of walking lunges.
To prepare, he spent three and a half months training 12 to 16 hours a week, divided into 4 to 6 days, feeding himself beef patties, rice and carbohydrate and protein energy gels.
The undertaking is the ninth of the twelve challenges that make up his personal project. It all started after a series of knee operations that ended his military career in 2016 and left him in a deep personal crisis.
McCastle explains that his extreme trials are to raise funds and awareness for issues such as Parkinson’s research, veterans’ mental health and cancer — diseases that also affected his father, who passed away in 2016.
Behind every feat there is a message: to use extreme physical exertion as a means to shine a spotlight on causes that really matter.
He dedicated this latest challenge to his three-year-old son, Mikey, as a lesson in perseverance. During the 24 hours of lunges he was followed by a team who was responsible for documenting everything, managing nutrition and taking care of the baby.
It’s not the first time McCastle has put his body to the test in an extreme way:
Seven of his nine feats have already set or broken official world records.
The idea of the “12 Labors Project” was born from the myth of Hercules: just as the Greek hero faced twelve labors to find redemption and purpose, McCastle also sees in his challenges a path of growth and meaning.
He hasn’t yet decided what his final three efforts will be, but he plans to tackle them over the next few years, giving himself more time to train and balance his family life.
After all, as he himself says, as the years go by, less madness and more strategy are needed — but the determination remains the same.
