Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Neil Thubron: Founder of XNRG • Endurance athlete
109 Plays2 days ago
In this episode, Michelle speaks with Neil Thubron, founder of XNRG and an athlete who has spent decades pushing the limits of endurance. From his early days in the British Army Reserves to multi-day ultras across deserts, mountains and frozen wilderness, Neil has built a life around resilience, purpose and helping others do the same.
Neil shares the story behind his most extreme challenge yet, the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a 300-mile race through –50°C temperatures. He explains how he trained by pulling tyres for hours before dawn, what it was like to run alone through the frozen Canadian wilderness, and the moment he realised he was being followed by wolves.
But the Yukon was about more than the finish line. Neil dedicated the race to raising £3,000 for Grace, a young girl in Uganda who needed complex ear surgery through Humanity Direct — and her video message afterwards remains one of the most emotional moments of his life.
Michelle and Neil also talk about:
- How the Army shaped his mindset and discipline
- Why purpose is the key to getting through the darkest moments
- XNRG’s multi-day events and their fundraising with Humanity Direct and local charities
- The annual Santa Virtual Ultra and how listeners can get involved
- His next big challenge — the Jungle Ultra in Peru
- Advice for anyone preparing for their first multi-day race
Links mentioned:
- XNRG events & Santa Virtual Ultra — xnrgevents.co.uk
- Humanity Direct — humanitydirect.org
- Neil’s book YUCAN — neilthubron.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
00:00:01
UKRunChat
Welcome to the UK Run Chat podcast. I'm Michelle and today I'm joined by someone who's built his life around pushing his own limits and helping people push
The Arctic Ultra Challenge and Mindset
00:00:12
UKRunChat
theirs. Neil Thubron is the founder of XNRG, the events company built on the belief that our ordinary people could achieve extraordinary things when they step out of their comfort zones.
00:00:24
UKRunChat
and His mindset led to a very big challenge that we'll be chatting about, which was the 300 mile Arctic Ultra for his 50th birthday. and What drove him was more than an endurance challenge. He'd recently begun working with Humanity Direct when he heard about Grace, a young girl who needed some ear surgery. So he was funding her operation and and helping to raise £3,000.
Endurance Journey and Military Influence
00:00:52
UKRunChat
Today, we'll dig into what pushes Neil to extremes, the origins of XNRG and his own approach to resilience and endurance running. Neil, welcome to the show. um Thanks for joining us.
00:01:04
Neil Thubron
Thank you, Michelle. That's a wonderful introduction. That sounds like a great person.
00:01:08
UKRunChat
Yeah, like thanks so much. I'm excited to talk about it, actually. So how did you get started with these extreme challenges? I can't imagine being in a position where I think to myself, I want to go and run 300 miles across the Arctic.
00:01:21
Neil Thubron
Yeah. And it's a bit like going to the final chapter in the book without reading the whole book.
00:01:25
UKRunChat
No.
00:01:26
Neil Thubron
So yeah. So you don't start there. That's for sure.
00:01:28
UKRunChat
no
00:01:30
Neil Thubron
Um, No, I guess I first got introduced to endurance chance, a long distance, long time on your feet when I was in the the British Army Reserves.
00:01:42
Neil Thubron
and And that was where I first got introduced. so I joined in 1988 and left in 99. And during that time, I got to do some pretty tough, long endurance events. So that's where I got introduced to it and realized, you know, i had I had the right mindset for taking on those kinds of challenges.
00:02:00
UKRunChat
Yeah, I mean, was with a particular experience is that shaped your approach to resilience? i I was chatting about this earlier with somebody. and We're not we're not born with resilience, are we we? We have to kind of we have to foster it in ourselves and put ourselves in those situations. is Are there any experiences there that kind of stand out?
00:02:17
Neil Thubron
Yeah, that's a great question, actually. um
00:02:22
Neil Thubron
So i guess my first experience of
00:02:30
Neil Thubron
building that mindset was an endurance run we went on on a Sunday morning actually when I was in the reserve so we did a seven eight mile very hilly run wearing full kit carrying rifles and it was the first time I'd ever done anything like that you know in full um ah uniform and boots and it was the first time done anything like that and I was at the back of the of the of the of the group and In those days, the way you motivated people was the PTI who was at the back had a pickaxe handle and he would run along and give you a whack up the backside. And I really struggled on that run. And I thought, actually, do you know what? I never want to be in that position again.
00:03:17
Neil Thubron
And so i then my mindset was I'm just going to get out, put the miles in with the kit on. And then it just kind of went from there. I was never at the back again.
00:03:28
Neil Thubron
I always wanted to be pushing other people, helping other people. And then, you know, that though the the mindset builds over time because the more you do as Dave Goggins talks about in a lot of his videos, you build the calluses on the mind. You build that in that that strong mind by just putting yourself through more and more.
00:03:49
UKRunChat
Yeah, and it it strikes me that i've because I've spoken to quite a lot of ultra runners who have that military kind of background, and they are kind of, you know, you as a group, you you do seem to push yourself beyond what most of us think we're capable of. Why why is that, do you think?
00:04:08
Neil Thubron
i think you may not have it when you go into the military, but you you you don't want to let people down. So you want to make sure that you're not the weakest link in the in the team or in the troop platoon. um i also think there's ah there's a ah mindset around discipline and how you prepare for something and how you look after yourself during it.
00:04:34
Neil Thubron
And I've certainly noticed that in some of the big events I've done in the desert and in the mountains, in the Arctic, is that discipline around how you look after yourself, your admin, is a key element to getting through the events. And that's certainly that mindset and that skill set comes from the military.
00:04:52
UKRunChat
Yeah, that's a really good point, actually. Yeah, you do need to to take care of yourself a
Motivations and Milestones in Endurance Sports
00:04:56
UKRunChat
lot, don't you?
00:04:56
Neil Thubron
Mm-hmm.
00:04:57
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah. Now, you your endurance CV is is pretty impressive. You know, you've you've got Ironman on there. You've got and Marathon du Sable. What is it about those long, well, extremely long events that that appeals to you, do you think?
00:05:13
Neil Thubron
Um, knowing what I'm capable of.
00:05:16
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:05:17
Neil Thubron
So, you know, each one of those, it was kind of progression from the military, then the London marathon, then Ironman, then multi-day events, which was the marathon saga was the first one. So it's each one is a progression, you know, pushing yourself a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. Um, so that was, um,
00:05:40
Neil Thubron
the big drive, I think, is just you you do one, you get that amazing feeling when you've pushed yourself, you've trained really hard, you cross the finish line, you've got this, you know, the tears in the eyes because of all the hard stuff you've gone through in training.
00:05:52
Neil Thubron
And then to get that next high, you've got to go for the next big thing. The challenge is, and this is what I learned when I did the Arctic, is at some point you've got to go, okay um I've kind of gone far enough now because in that event we had people losing fingers, toes, you know, getting seriously hurt because of frostbite. And yeah um in any extreme event, there's that there's risks. but So at some point you've got, okay, pause.
00:06:21
Neil Thubron
i've I've achieved that. Because if I keep going, it's something serious is going to happen.
Preparation and Experience in the Arctic Ultra
00:06:28
Neil Thubron
So that it was a progression basically of pushing yourself, pushing yourself, pushing, I think I've done enough of that now.
00:06:28
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:06:34
UKRunChat
Yeah. So let let's talk about the Arctic then. So why did you choose that event in particular for you?
00:06:38
Neil Thubron
Yeah.
00:06:41
UKRunChat
It was your 50th birthday, wasn't it?
00:06:43
Neil Thubron
and Well, it was my 50th year.
00:06:45
UKRunChat
Yeah, OK.
00:06:45
Neil Thubron
And um what happened actually was I'm a big one for vision boards. So I had a vision board. And on my vision board that was on there for years was a picture of a walker stroke runner in the Arctic pulling a sled.
00:07:00
Neil Thubron
And so I always wanted to do an event that in was in that kind of environment. ah One of our x energy events the druid challenge in november there was some guys there pulling tires who i knew quite well i said what are you training for and they said we're training for the yukon arctic ultra and i came back from that weekend uh and on the sunday night i sat down with my wife and she said i know what you're gonna ask me um so i said yeah so can i enter it and and she said yeah go for it and she always does mean she's my biggest fan which is wonderful um and it was only three months until the event or two and a half months so i had very little time to actually train specifically for it um but yeah that's how i ended up in the yukon arctic ultra was it was a vision board thing and then i bumped into people who were training for i thought okay i've got to go
00:07:54
UKRunChat
Yeah. so I mean, you obviously have experience of of extreme endurance events, though, don't you see? we Were you kind of already trained physically for it? Yeah.
00:08:03
Neil Thubron
Yeah, my base level was pretty good at that point, yeah.
00:08:07
UKRunChat
Yeah. So what a what events had you kind of done before that leading up to it?
00:08:11
Neil Thubron
I mean, i was i was i've done I've done the Marathon Desire with the UTMB, in fact, two UTMBs and then two other of the races that happen in Chamonix at the same time.
00:08:22
Neil Thubron
So that was... probably a year before so I was I was out doing 100 milers 70 milers in the ah mountains at that point I'd also done a race in the Kalahari around that time as well which is a multi-day endurance event and so yeah I've done a number of things I've done a number of things
00:08:45
UKRunChat
Yeah, so what what did the kind of actual preparation look like for the Arctic then? What were you focusing on?
00:08:52
Neil Thubron
Yes, and that's a really, really good question as well, bishop Michelle. so um basically, I went and found some tires at a tire shop, attached them to a rope, attached them to my rucksack. And from that Sunday night when I entered, I went out every morning pretty much with my wife, with the dogs, about five, did two hours of pulling tires around the woods where we lived.
00:09:16
Neil Thubron
And we went out to the Alps in the in the winter to test the kit and see, you know, can you can we do this in the snow? and And I found out things like, you know, the cooker they recommend, the stove they recommend was great, wonderful stove, but you couldn't do it when you had thick gloves on.
00:09:35
Neil Thubron
So, you know, that was i but that kind of went in the bin and and I found a simpler stove. So there were lots of things I learned doing specific preparation for it. And then the big thing I did was between Christmas and New Year, that period, I went, I left early one Saturday morning.
00:09:55
Neil Thubron
So it was Saturday morning between Christmas and New Year, tyre, rucksack, and I headed up the Grand Union Canal for 40 miles. through the night, got through Milton Keynes, the other side of Milton Keynes and turned around and came back.
00:10:09
Neil Thubron
And so I did 80 miles of tire pulling just to, just to, again, it's about getting those calluses on the mind.
00:10:18
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:10:18
Neil Thubron
And I got to tell you, going through Milton Keynes on a Saturday night between Christmas and new year when the pubs are empty and out and you're on the canal pulling a tire, it's a, it's a weird, it's a weird place.
00:10:27
UKRunChat
Yeah. You a few funny looks.
00:10:28
Neil Thubron
Yeah.
00:10:31
UKRunChat
Yeah. but No, that's, that is dedication. That that's total commitment to the cause, isn't it? So did, did that training prepare you for it?
00:10:44
Neil Thubron
So you can't train for the cold because it is so, so cold.
00:10:47
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:10:47
Neil Thubron
that I mean, the Alps you get might get down to minus 20 if you're lucky.
00:10:51
UKRunChat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:51
Neil Thubron
yeah the The start line of the Yukon was minus 35 degrees centigrade and it got down to minus 55 degrees centigrade. So yeah but look But I did get out there a few days early and I did head out with my park and all my kit on. and um So I had a feeling of what it was like. But to be honest, until you go over the start line and you're into the first night, it's very difficult to be certain that you are ready.
00:11:17
UKRunChat
Yeah, so paint us a picture of what what it's like out there. what What was the event like? How did it go? As somebody who's never been to that part of the world before.
00:11:25
Neil Thubron
Yeah. So it's a, it's, mean, it's, it's a beautiful part of the lake. Everything's white and everything's, but everything's frozen.
00:11:31
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:11:33
Neil Thubron
Every lake has got two meters of ice. um The roads have covered in snow. It's so cold and you don't realize how cold temperatures are when I get down to minus 35. So I went out the first night to go down the pub with a couple of people in my, check my down jacket and jeans.
00:11:54
Neil Thubron
jeans are not good in cold conditions. It actually burnt my legs. It hurt so much that you know I had to basically go back and change. So you you realize that temperatures are, it is really brutal.
00:12:06
Neil Thubron
But once you get out there, I mean, you're on your own for six days. most you know You see people on the route, but mainly you're on your own. It's silent. It's so quiet. It's so peaceful.
00:12:19
Neil Thubron
um you know, the sunrise and the sunsets are just amazing at that time year, although there isn't much daylight.
Lessons from the Arctic and Fundraising Efforts
00:12:25
Neil Thubron
um The, when you're going along with your head torch on, you've got all these shiny eyes shining out from the the woods because of the Wolverines and the deer and the, the wolves that are out as well. um You've got, um because you're following the, the Yukon quest, which is a dog sled race.
00:12:46
Neil Thubron
So we follow the dog sled race and the dog,
00:12:47
UKRunChat
OK, was going to ask how navigation is in just a kind of ah a big expanse.
00:12:50
Neil Thubron
It's a marked route. Yeah, it's a marked route.
00:12:52
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:12:54
Neil Thubron
And, you know, you you you can see all these footprints, which are big wolf footprints, all following the Yukon quest. They keep themselves away from humans, but you know they're there, which is an interesting.
00:13:06
Neil Thubron
So, no, it's a beautiful environment. um Just very brutal. Very, very, if you're if you're not, if you don't look after yourself, it is, yeah, seriously dangerous place to be.
00:13:16
UKRunChat
Yeah, so i mean, what what were the hardest parts out there where you were thinking to yourself, this is tough?
00:13:22
Neil Thubron
So the the the first night was was really, really tough. that was There were about 45 people started and after the first night, only six people were still going. and And it was because it got so cold, it made it really hard to to move with any pace.
00:13:38
Neil Thubron
um I had to decide to stop and put a tent up, which I hadn't planned to do. so that was a big decision to make in those temperatures because as soon as you stop, you get really cold. So you've got to get in your sleeping bag really quickly.
00:13:52
Neil Thubron
So that was tough that first night. There was a morning when when I was on a real low as well, probably the fourth or fifth morning. And, you know, I just, it was just, but you know, just a constant moving and not having slept enough sleep, that kind of thing. So that was a bit of a low. And on the last night, I was, because I stopped every two hours to have a drink, a hot drink and a something to eat, sit down on my pulk.
00:14:20
Neil Thubron
And on the last night, fell asleep when I was reasonably close to the finish. And I just sat in my pulpit and fell asleep. and And when I woke up, my drink and my snack wrapper were on the floor and there were wolf footprints all around the the sled.
00:14:33
Neil Thubron
So it was one of those moments where you go, I'm going to finish this pretty quick now.
00:14:34
UKRunChat
Oh, wow.
00:14:38
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:14:39
Neil Thubron
and So there were there were highs and you know there there are lows. There always are. It's sine curve, isn't it? It's a...
00:14:44
UKRunChat
Yeah, it is. It is. That sounds incredible. And are you completely on your own for most of this? Can you see all the competitors around you?
00:14:52
Neil Thubron
A huge part of it. I mean, imagine there are only six people going after the first night.
00:14:55
UKRunChat
Yeah, yeah.
00:14:55
Neil Thubron
so a huge part of it, you are on your own, in your own mind, which to be honest, it's great. It's, it's, that's great. It's fabulous. And that's where I spent time thinking about how I could help other people with the the book that I wrote.
00:15:09
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:15:09
Neil Thubron
So, you know, that, um, there were, there was one person I joined for maybe half a day, who was mad as a bag of frogs. He was he was great fun to spend a little bit time with. Didn't speak much English, so we we really communicated through pointing and stuff like that. um I had one amazing experience. ah It was early in the morning. I'd set off in the dark, climbed up this big hill. Sun was just rising. I sat down to have a hot chocolate and this trapper suddenly appeared out the woods in all his furs and stuff. And we shared a hot chocolate, had a drink and off he went into the woods again.
00:15:44
UKRunChat
Wow, amazing.
00:15:44
Neil Thubron
um That was amazing, yeah.
00:15:47
UKRunChat
Yeah, it's moments like that that really must stick in your mind and, yeah, that there must be great memories.
00:15:51
Neil Thubron
Yeah, very special, yeah.
00:15:54
UKRunChat
So you did you did pretty well in that race, didn't you, Neil?
00:15:57
Neil Thubron
So, ah yeah, I was the first person to finish. That was mainly attrition.
00:16:00
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:16:00
Neil Thubron
There was only three actually finished the whole thing. And so, yeah, I was the first person to go. So man I did ah officially win it.
00:16:06
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:16:08
Neil Thubron
they they don't They don't call it like that.
00:16:09
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:16:10
Neil Thubron
But, yeah, I was the first person across the finish line.
00:16:12
UKRunChat
Yeah, that's amazing. I mean, even to get to the finish line there is is incredible. how are you How are you feeling when you heard you were first over?
00:16:21
Neil Thubron
Well, I knew for a long time because i you know I could see where people were.
00:16:22
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:16:24
Neil Thubron
But the the I had to bang on the door of the Finnish because everyone was asleep. um And I got there about five in the morning. I was sitting there having a drink. And this big, um burly Canadian who'd been driving the skidoos came up and he patted me on the shoulder. He said, he said, how are doing?
00:16:45
Neil Thubron
And I went, it was really, really hard. Because, you know, you hold all that emotion in. and And you just let it out once you feel it. and And he could not work out what was going on. and he walked away.
00:17:00
Neil Thubron
did.
00:17:01
UKRunChat
I bet you must have slept for a week after that though. What's what's recovery look like after that?
00:17:04
Neil Thubron
I did.
00:17:06
UKRunChat
Because it's 16 hours a day pulling, you know, a lot of weight behind you That must be really tough.
00:17:10
Neil Thubron
No, it's 20, 20, 22 hours a day.
00:17:14
UKRunChat
Wow.
00:17:14
Neil Thubron
of of
00:17:14
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:17:16
Neil Thubron
So, yeah, I mean, I spent a day in a hotel with some wine and steak and TV in bed, you know, kind of just keeping my feet up. um Yeah, the body wasn't too bad. I she had a bit of tennis elbow from all the polling and a few, you know, kind of that repetitive strain injuries.
00:17:34
Neil Thubron
and But yeah, I wasn't rushing to, And I lost quite a lot of weight as well. So, you know, i wasn't rushing to get out running again anytime soon.
00:17:39
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:17:41
UKRunChat
No. No. Wow. Yeah, that that's amazing. So tell us a little bit about your fundraising, because that's kind of where it all started for you with the fundraising for humanity directors and
00:17:50
Neil Thubron
Yeah. So um i first came across humanity direct and and Nick, the founder and Mark probably 2013 when they came along and and spoke about humanity director, one of our events and,
00:18:05
Neil Thubron
What what i love about Humanity Direct is that you can fundraise for a specific child that you're gonna help. And you see, you can go on the website, you can look at the the children that they are raising money for operations for, and you go, I'm gonna raise money for this person.
00:18:22
Neil Thubron
And all the money that you raise goes to them. There's no admin charges for running the charity, and you know k Nick and Mark absorb all of that themselves. And so that makes it really special. And so for the Yukon, I wanted to raise money for an individual. And there was a little girl called Grace who was born without ears and she needed operations to be able to hear so she can have a normal life. She was about six, five or six, something like that.
00:18:52
Neil Thubron
And You know, that was a big driver for me when I was actually out there and I was going through some hard times. know, there were many hard times where i where I, know, did feel like giving up.
00:19:03
Neil Thubron
But i thought i can't I can't let grace down. You know, all these people have sponsored me, have given me money and they're still sponsoring me as they follow the tracker. And so she she got me through it. And one of the reasons that that I got through it was because of grace.
00:19:18
Neil Thubron
And she had the operations on her ears and two or three months after I got back, I got a video from Uganda, from Grace, to say thank you Neil for my ears.
00:19:33
Neil Thubron
And honestly, it was just the most, one of the most emotional and wonderful things that had happened. so Yeah, that um so that so Humanity Direct, that was where I really got introduced to them.
00:19:47
Neil Thubron
And then since then, we've been organizing ultras for for them, so that the raise money. So we have one-day ultras, the Amish and the children, the Tring.
00:19:55
UKRunChat
Thank you.
00:19:58
Neil Thubron
um And all the money from those, the entry fees, any sponsorship raise goes to helping the children in Uganda with spectacles programs or specific children. And we've got this virtual ultra going at the moment, the Santa virtual ultra, um which we've done for probably five years now, where people enter, they can but they pay an entry fee, they donate money, they can raise money for specific children, and anyone can take part.
00:20:26
Neil Thubron
And whatever... Distance you do you get a medal for doing the distance. So if you cover 50 kilometers in the 24 days because it's the 24 days of Christmas that we run it for and If you cover 50 kilometers, you get 50 kilometer metal if you've hundred kilometers 100 kilometers, but 150 I think we got to 300 kilometers so and this year we're raising money for a specific child called Abdul Who's got a growth on his face.
00:20:45
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:20:53
Neil Thubron
So he can't eat properly And they need some equipment and some for him to have the operation. And so we're trying to raise, I think it's £5,000 for that child. um And everybody who enters and everybody who takes part will help him have a more normal life.
00:21:15
UKRunChat
Yeah. So that this podcast is going out second week in December.
00:21:18
Neil Thubron
Okay.
00:21:19
UKRunChat
um Can people still join? Yeah.
00:21:21
Neil Thubron
Yeah, you can join and you can backdate everything you've done up to that point because it's a it's all recorded on Strava or you can enter it manually. So if yeah if you join second week in December, just sign up, backdate your distance you've done.
00:21:38
Neil Thubron
We're not asking for evidence or proof. We just trust people or just link your Strava and it will backdate it for you. And yeah, and then we'll just, just join the fun. And, you know, we're looking for people to send pictures in running in elf outfits, Santa outfits, uh, running with their families or walking. you don't have to run walk. Whatever you're doing is gonna be part, you be part of that family, help you raise money for Abdul.
00:22:03
UKRunChat
Yeah, fantastic. what What a great kind of cause and what a great way to do it kind of that you you kind of know the individuals you're raising money for that. That must be really, you know, what does that impact mean to you?
00:22:12
Neil Thubron
Yeah.
00:22:15
UKRunChat
You must have funded hundreds of operations during your partnership then with them.
00:22:19
Neil Thubron
So, yeah, mean, we've very privileged to be part of that journey and be able to use our passion for ultra running to help Nick, Mark and the team raise money for charity. And yes, we, ah can't remember the number, Nick and Mark talk about it at the beginning of the races when they they they they do a little speech before it everybody sets off.
00:22:44
Neil Thubron
And it's hundreds of children that have had spectacle operaer spectacles now and hundreds of children that have had operations. Because some of the operations cost like 50, 60 quid. To us, that's not much.
00:22:56
Neil Thubron
to To them, it's massive. And um so, yeah, it doesn't take a lot to make a huge difference. And, yeah, it must be hundreds. And but so we've been very lucky being part of that.
00:23:07
UKRunChat
Yeah, that's lovely. um So tell us a little bit about the other events that you organise then at XNLG.
00:23:13
Neil Thubron
So the we kind of have ah the multi-day events, which are ones that we have the Druid Challenge in November and the Pilgrim Challenge in February.
00:23:26
Neil Thubron
Those have been in the diary now for 17 years. We've been doing those and thousands of people have been through him over the years.
00:23:29
UKRunChat
wow yeah
00:23:33
Neil Thubron
They are used quite a lot by people training for multi-day events like the Marathon Disabler. So that's where they're known from. um And they are, you know tough winter races. But the the great thing about multi-days is you get to spend time in the evening with your fellow walkers or runners. You know, the fast people haven't gone home when the slow people finish. You know, everybody's there. Everybody's talking about their adventures on the trails.
00:24:01
Neil Thubron
um it's a wonderful atmosphere it's a bit like a refugee camp in the evening but it is a wonderful atmosphere long-term friends are made in fact we've had people meet their wives and husbands at some of the at the events um Anna and I have been to at least one X Energy wedding so yeah it's it's a wonderful environment to be part of over a couple of days where you just get to spend time with your people who love doing what you do rather than You know, you're going to work on Monday morning and you say to people, you know, i ran 100 miles or 150 miles over the weekend.
00:24:19
UKRunChat
Oh, wow.
00:24:38
Neil Thubron
And they just look at you with a blank stare because they cannot comprehend it. You know, in in the multi-days, you're there with people who who love doing what you love doing. And the other events we organize, so we have a number of events in the calendar, walking events and running events, which we organize for charities.
00:24:58
Neil Thubron
So we organise a walk-in event every October for Royal Surrey Hospital, which has raised, well it raised £80,000 the year, so it's probably raised two hundred and fifty thousand maybe three hundred thousand pound over the last three or four years Um, and that goes towards the cancer ward at Royal Surrey hospital, which is, which is fab because they are just, you just see the, the, be the, bet the value that's happening as a result of that. And they're a wonderful charity to work with.
00:25:26
Neil Thubron
Uh, we do one for C to C railways, which raises money for charity in Essex. So that's helped with, um, whichever charity they nominate as a 50 mile and a 30 mile run along the Essex Riviera.
00:25:40
Neil Thubron
Um, What else do we do? Yeah, we do we do a couple of other charity walking events and and running events as well. but So that's yeah that's kind of our calendar for the year.
00:25:50
UKRunChat
Yeah. Why is it, you think, I mean, you see a lot of runners fundraising for charities. what what Why do you think they respond so strongly to kind of combining endurance running in with ah with a cause like that? What is it about running, you think?
00:26:05
Neil Thubron
So I think there's two answers to that question. The first one is, and i I talk about this in my book, the first P in the 7P formula is purpose.
00:26:18
Neil Thubron
You have an internal purpose as to why we do things and an external purpose. The internal purpose is why you're doing it for you. The external purpose is who else will benefit from you doing this. and Your internal purpose will get you to the start line.
00:26:31
Neil Thubron
Your external purpose will get you through all the hard times to the finish line, like I talked about with Grace.
00:26:37
UKRunChat
yeah.
00:26:37
Neil Thubron
so So one of the things about raising money for the London Marathon, the raising money for tragedy, doing something that's big and challenging like that or doing a long walk is that it will motivate you and keep you going.
00:26:52
Neil Thubron
The second reason is, When people see you out doing these big challenges, and I had this experience this summer, I had my 60th birthday in July this year, and I went i wanted to do a so a big challenge, so i went out and did a 60 hour um nonstop walk stroke run, mainly walking actually, because it was a very hot weekend. and And the response from people to sponsor me for that, to help raise money for Humanity Direct, Royal Surrey Hospital, and the NHS Scan Appeal in Amersham here, um was just unbelievable. The amount of money that people were prepared to sponsor me to go through that 60 hours. Because when people see you doing something extreme and when you're really pushing yourself, I think they they just feel...
00:27:44
Neil Thubron
compelled or not obliged, but just feel like I want to support this. This person's putting himself through all this or herself through all this, you know, so i can help a little bit by, you know, like helping their donation dial go up a bit.
00:27:57
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:28:01
UKRunChat
Yeah, of course, we've just seen a great example with Sarah Cox, haven't we? She's raised 10 million pounds.
00:28:05
Neil Thubron
Yes, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:06
UKRunChat
It's just incredible. Yeah, it is. It's it's amazing. And it's it's a great medium to enable us to just raise money for for a cause.
Future Challenges and Event Organization
00:28:15
Neil Thubron
Absolutely. Yeah. i one
00:28:16
UKRunChat
Yeah, it's fantastic. So what's up next for you then, Neil? You you said you kind of you can't really go further. What's next?
00:28:22
Neil Thubron
Well, there's one.
00:28:23
UKRunChat
what's next
00:28:24
Neil Thubron
So on the, on the endurance sport front, there's one environment I've not been in and, and that's the jungle. So two weeks ago, I entered the jungle ultra for 20, 27, and,
00:28:37
UKRunChat
Right.
00:28:38
Neil Thubron
Um, that'll be my next endurance challenge in that hostile environment. That is the jungle of Peru. Um, at the moment I'm focusing a little bit more on gym sync type events like high rocks and and that sort of thing. So I've got a high rocks coming up in 2026.
00:28:58
Neil Thubron
six I'll probably do a couple of those cause I've really enjoyed CrossFit and the high rocks. so Um, but the, the next big endurance belt, the jungle ultra.
00:29:08
UKRunChat
Yeah. what's What's been your favourite environment so far?
00:29:13
Neil Thubron
oh so if you said my favorite race, I'd give you probably give you a different answer. So, okay, so my favorite environment, I love the mountains.
00:29:18
UKRunChat
Well, I'll ask you that next, but yeah, go on.
00:29:22
UKRunChat
Yeah.
00:29:23
Neil Thubron
you know, it's, it's a tough, tough environment, but I do love the Alps. And I love being in the Alps. So I think I'd have to say that's my favorite environment. Yeah.
00:29:32
UKRunChat
Yeah. So what about your favourite race then?
00:29:35
Neil Thubron
So my favorite race simply because of the scenery and the atmosphere was the Grand to Grand Ultra in Arizona and Utah desert.
00:29:46
UKRunChat
oh wow
00:29:47
Neil Thubron
It's intimate, you start on the edge of the Grand Canyon, literally on the edge of the Grand Canyon, um and you finish on the Grand Staircase. And the scenery you run through throughout the whole of the event, you've got the the slot canyons, you've got the the the pink sand dunes.
00:30:05
Neil Thubron
It's just beautiful. It's hot, it's hard, very sandy, more sandy than Sahara. So it's tough running or yeah running. Actually, I did run that one.
00:30:16
Neil Thubron
um But it's it it's just beautiful.
00:30:19
UKRunChat
Yeah, that sounds incredible. and What advice would you give to somebody who's thinking of tackling maybe their first multi-day ultra next year?
00:30:30
Neil Thubron
Look at it as a weekend away or a week away. Just don't get too stressed about the running at speed. You know, if the if the event has cut off times and things like that, obviously take that into it into consideration.
00:30:45
Neil Thubron
um So look at it as a, and train specifically. So if you've got to run with 10 kilograms on your back with all your food and clothes and stuff in it, start training like that.
00:30:56
Neil Thubron
If you're going to be running in the mountains, go and train in the mountains. So, but spend time on your feet. Don't just do the two hours on a Sunday morning and you've got to plan into your, your calendar.
00:31:12
Neil Thubron
going out on a Saturday for four or five hours and then going out on a Sunday, do the same. And if you've got night phases in the the event, don't don't have your first night phase in the middle of the event itself. you get Get out in the dark and practice with a torch, carrying your kit.
00:31:29
Neil Thubron
um So yeah, that would be be my advice.
00:31:32
UKRunChat
Yeah, where do you think people most people go wrong during ultras?
00:31:38
Neil Thubron
During an ultra, um
00:31:44
Neil Thubron
I think where I see people give up, it's because they haven't got a really big reason why they're keeping them going.
00:31:59
Neil Thubron
And I've sat in aid station tents on the UTMB, in the marathons, no, marathon sabla less so. There's few dropouts on marathon sabla.
00:32:11
Neil Thubron
In the Yukon, definitely. And you get you see the glazed eyes, the long stare, and you know they're not going to leave that aid station because the mind's gone. they they're they're They're thinking of, what can I put on social media as to why I didn't carry on?
00:32:25
Neil Thubron
You know, are my knees hurting? My foot's gone. It's too wet. So whatever up there. And so you just got to have that mindset that when I cross that start line,
00:32:35
Neil Thubron
There is only one outcome here, which is I'm going to finish. Never, ever, ever give up.
00:32:43
UKRunChat
yeah great words thank you neil i thanks so much for joining us today it's been really interesting chatting to you so just remind us how people can get involved with the christmas challenge
00:32:52
Neil Thubron
Okay, so just go to Xenergy, which is xraynovemberromeogolf.co.uk and and you'll find the Santa Virtual Ultra on there. So please click on that. Join us. Have your kids join us. Have your grandparents join us. Have everyone join us to be part of and get their get their Santa medal. And there's a Santa buff for everyone as well.
00:33:14
UKRunChat
Oh, lovely. lay And you mentioned your book there when we were chatting as well. Tell us what that's called and where we can find that.
00:33:18
Neil Thubron
Okay, so yeah, the book's called You Can, which is you can achieve any big goal using the 7P formula for success. You can find out more about that on my website, which is neilthubron.com.
00:33:31
UKRunChat
Yeah. Oh, fantastic. oh well, thank you. Well, best of luck with the jungle next year. 2027.
00:33:36
Neil Thubron
that's really kind of, 2027, so the year after.
00:33:39
UKRunChat
Sorry. Yes.
00:33:40
Neil Thubron
Yeah, but and thank you for having me on today, Michelle. It's really good to meet you.
00:33:44
UKRunChat
Yeah, it's been really interesting chatting. Thank you, Neil. If you want to check out the XNIG events or find out more, then check out the show notes.
00:33:47
Neil Thubron
Pleasure.
00:33:50
UKRunChat
We'll put all the links in there. If you enjoyed this conversation, please do share it and tag us on social. It really helps the podcast be found by other runners. So thank you for listening to the UK Run Chat podcast.
00:34:02
UKRunChat
We'll see you next time.