Inside The Mind Of A Mile-Muncher

Transcontinental race winner James Hayden talks to fellow TCR rider Richard Abraham about what it takes to ride and win one of the toughest adventure races on earth

This August James Hayden won his second successive Transcontinental Race, a 4,000km self-supported ultra-endurance race from Geraardsbergen in Belgium to Meteora in Greece. He crossed four mountainous control points in Austria, Slovenia, Poland and Bosnia and made it to the finish in just eight days, 22 hours and 59 minutes, finishing more than a day ahead of second-placed Björn Lenhard.

Not long after Hayden had finished, journalist Richard Abraham’s first Transcontinental Race came to a premature end with injury in Hungary. When both were home and recovering, the two compared notes and reflected on their experiences.

Richard Abraham: What were the physical effects on you when you finished?

James Hayden: Not that bad. In the past I’ve had a partial tear in my hamstring and some big scars on my sit bones and a swollen ankle, that sort of thing. This year that all went within four days. It was quite surprising really, I think it’s just experience.

RA: This was your fourth start, so has your body just got used to it now?

JH: In the past I’ve just pushed a bit too far — not necessarily overall but on certain days — which has had long-term repercussions. I know where the limits are now, and how to work with them rather than over them. But you did it this year, right?

RA: Yeah, I made it to Hungary, between control points three and four. And then I kind of broke down, physically and then emotionally.

JH: It’s a domino kind of thing. The danger is that as soon as there’s one inkling of doubt, or lack of confidence creeps in, because of your mental state it just blows up and you can’t fight it. Would you come back next year?