How far could you walk without having to give up?
Discussion
Just for a bit of fun this, sensible answers only. 
There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop, other than to take a quick toilet break, or to nip into a corner shop for a minute to buy a can or a Mars bar, but not to sit on a wall for twenty minutes taking a breather.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop, other than to take a quick toilet break, or to nip into a corner shop for a minute to buy a can or a Mars bar, but not to sit on a wall for twenty minutes taking a breather.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
Edited by Wacky Racer on Wednesday 4th February 00:33
40 miles will take somewhere around 14 hours to walk, and I reckon that at some point on a 14hr journey you would need to stop for food/drink/piss/tighten shoelaces/stretch/whatever.
I know loads of people that do ultramarathons and even in a race they will have short stops for the above reasons.
I know loads of people that do ultramarathons and even in a race they will have short stops for the above reasons.
Ignoring my failing bladder I think beyond 6 / 7 hours some niggly joint pains would start to creep in unless your body was used to this type of sustained repeated movement and these would need you to stop for a rest.
So for me (59, regular Parkrunner) I would think I would struggle to hit 30 without stopping.
So for me (59, regular Parkrunner) I would think I would struggle to hit 30 without stopping.
I think I'd struggle to walk more than 30 miles in a day even with stops, let alone 40 without stopping at all! And I'm a pretty fit 45 year-old. Even if I could do 30, it would be a hell of an effort and I probably wouldn't be able to stand up the next day. I think a reasonable upper limit without making myself completely unable to function the next day would be about 20.
ETA: I'm sure with some targeted training I could raise that quite quickly but last week (which was pretty average) according to my phone I only did 50k steps (which with my stride length is about 24 miles) in the entire week. And I bet that, as pathetic as that is, is a fair bit more than most people do!
ETA: I'm sure with some targeted training I could raise that quite quickly but last week (which was pretty average) according to my phone I only did 50k steps (which with my stride length is about 24 miles) in the entire week. And I bet that, as pathetic as that is, is a fair bit more than most people do!
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 3rd February 09:52
I suspect you'd struggle to do 10.Wacky Racer said:
Just for a bit of fun this, sensible answers only.
There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop for any reason.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
I don't think you could because for one thing, if you're sensible you'll be drinking water as you go, so you'll need to stop for a pee at some point.There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop for any reason.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
Last year I did a fair bit of walking cross country and was doing around 8 or 9 miles (20,000 steps) at a reasonably brisk pace with hardly any stopping. If I wasn't allowed to stop I could probably still do it but would be a bit slower.
I have walked 36 miles on the south downs in one day and I've walked 25 miles for 4 days in a row. I did those in my 50s.
I think it's a genuine mistake to think you know how far you could walk. For me, it wasn't about how tired I got or how much I ached but it was my feet that dictated how far I could walk. A pair of shoes that feels really comfortable for 20 miles might be totally unsuitable 5 miles later. Once your feet start to swell or you get really bad blisters it really is hard to carry on.
I think it's a genuine mistake to think you know how far you could walk. For me, it wasn't about how tired I got or how much I ached but it was my feet that dictated how far I could walk. A pair of shoes that feels really comfortable for 20 miles might be totally unsuitable 5 miles later. Once your feet start to swell or you get really bad blisters it really is hard to carry on.
Crumpet said:
I accidentally walked 28km around London one day after setting out to just go for a coffee. I m early 40s and was in a pair of Converse but think I d be limited by footwear and blisters long before the legs gave up. I d go with 50km as my max range.
I was just thinking along the same lines. A few times when I've had a meeting in London I've ended up walking 13-15 miles in my smart shoes and utterly destroyed my feet. I've got very wide flat feet so I really struggle to footwear that works for me. Got a few pairs coming this week to try as I've got some long walks planned for this year and I really want to get an answer to the OP question.
My goal is a walk I've got planned across London which is 22 miles.
I walked 100km (~63miles) in 2013, in 24 hours for the Oxfam Trailtrekker.
The walking was OK, but the blisters were epic!
That's strictly cheating for this thread, as we did have a few food stops.
I'm probably fitter now, but even though I enjoyed it, I don't think I'd want to do it again.
The walking was OK, but the blisters were epic!
That's strictly cheating for this thread, as we did have a few food stops.
I'm probably fitter now, but even though I enjoyed it, I don't think I'd want to do it again.
Edited by GadgeS3C on Tuesday 3rd February 10:56
Hills or flat? Carrying weight or not? What are the consequences of stopping?
Bear in mind the Royal Marines endurance march is 30 miles in boots and kit in 8 hours (7 for officers). These are very fit, very conditioned guys in their late teens or early 20s. Anyone claiming they could smash out 40 miles+ in their flip-flops is frankly talking out of their arses, or have never done any walking.
I'm not saying it is impossible to do more, especially on nice flat easy ground without carrying any weight, but unless it is something you do regularly it will not be easy.
Personally, my knees are knackered so anything more than 20 will be a struggle. The longest I've actually done in recent years is only about 12 in the hills.
Bear in mind the Royal Marines endurance march is 30 miles in boots and kit in 8 hours (7 for officers). These are very fit, very conditioned guys in their late teens or early 20s. Anyone claiming they could smash out 40 miles+ in their flip-flops is frankly talking out of their arses, or have never done any walking.
I'm not saying it is impossible to do more, especially on nice flat easy ground without carrying any weight, but unless it is something you do regularly it will not be easy.
Personally, my knees are knackered so anything more than 20 will be a struggle. The longest I've actually done in recent years is only about 12 in the hills.
Wacky Racer said:
Just for a bit of fun this, sensible answers only.
There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop for any reason.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
Manchester to Chester? That's quite a hike. Personally, 10 miles, maybe 15.There's no time limit, you can take as long as you want, although you can't stop for any reason.
I reckon I could do 40 miles and I'm 72, don't go to the gym or do any cycling etc.
Depends totally on terrain and surface and weather 
I’ve done 25 miles a day for 4 days with backpacks, on good paths/tracks and some hills. On good tracks with good weather and no backpack I could do more quite easily. On crappy paths with lots of hills and s
tty weather all bets are off
I’ve done 25 miles a day for 4 days with backpacks, on good paths/tracks and some hills. On good tracks with good weather and no backpack I could do more quite easily. On crappy paths with lots of hills and s
tty weather all bets are off Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff