Endurance athlete Michael Miraglia does fitness a bit differently. In November of 2020, he deadlifted 500 pounds and ran a mile all under five minutes. Looking to push his own limits and one-up himself, the 29-year-old San Diego, CA native created his own marathon event that featured strongman movements. This strength-endurance hybrid event saw him breaking up mile-long runs with a weighted vest with feats of strength (also done for a mile). It took him over nine hours to complete.
It’s where heavy weight meets running.
The event took place on Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in freezing temperatures as part of activewear label Ten Thousand’s “Feats of Strength” series. Before we break down the challenge Miraglia set for each mile, check out the three-minute-long edit of Miraglia’s strongman marathon below courtesy of Ten Thousand’s YouTube channel:
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Miraglia admits that part of his motivation for conceiving this intense marathon challenge was that it’s never been done.
“This Strongman Marathon is something that no one has ever achieved or even thought of doing,” Miraglia says. “I just wanted to try something that was so out-of-the-box outrageous that as soon as someone hears about it, they’re sure it can’t be done.”
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Strongman Marathon
Here is the breakdown of each mile and their corresponding strongman movement that Miraglia completed in nine hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds:
- Mile One — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile Two — Burpee broad jump
- Mile Three — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile Four — Dummy fireman carry (120 pounds)
- Mile Five — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile Six — Handstand walk
- Mile Seven — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile Eight — Sled push (200 pounds)
- Mile Nine — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 10 — Sled pull (200 pounds)
- Mile 11 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 12 — Dummy fireman carry (150 pounds)
- Mile 13 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 14 — Sandbag carry (200 pounds)
- Mile 15 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 16 — Tire flip (250 pounds)
- Mile 17 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 18 — Yoke walk (300 pounds)
- Mile 19 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 20 — Dumbbell farmer’s walk (35-pounds in each hand)
- Mile 21 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 22 — Kettlebell toss (recreating a keg toss)
- Mile 23 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 24 — Lunges
- Mile 25 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
- Mile 26 — Dummy fireman carry (200 pounds)
- Mile 26.2 — Weighted vest run (20 pounds)
In total, Miraglia ran 13.2 miles with a 20-pound weighted vest, carried dummies of escalating weight on his shoulders for three miles, and melded functional fitness movements and strongman movements into a whole new endurance challenge.
[Related: 5 Strongman Events That Should Make a Comeback]
Creative Inspiration
Ultimately, performing such a unique feat of strength that combines endurance running with strongman movements is part of Miraglia’s creative expression.
This is my creative outlet. This is how I express myself.
Miraglia hopes that by successfully creating and completing a novel marathon — one that combines two different modalities of fitness — that others might be inclined to do the same: “I hope I inspire people, even if they just want to try one mile. If it inspires anyone to do anything at all, that’s a win for me.”
We’ll see who the next athlete will be to try their hand at a strongman marathon, but one thing is for sure: Miraglia has seemingly changed the endurance game.
Featured image courtesy of Ten Thousand.
