Have you ever been so deep into a challenge that quitting seemed like the only logical choice? If you're someone facing a long-term struggle that feels impossible—whether it's caring for a loved one through illness, rebuilding after financial loss, or pushing through career uncertainty—this story will show you the mental strategy that changes everything.
At mile 25 of my first Spartan Ultra race, I learned the most important lesson about endurance—and it had nothing to do with my legs.
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham
When Everything Goes Wrong at Once
If I had to describe myself, I'd say I'm an action-taker. When I want to achieve something, I go after it. So in 2023, I signed up for a Spartan Ultra race—50K (thirty-one miles) over rough terrain with sixty obstacles.
I trained for six months and was ready for the challenge. What I wasn't ready for was everything going wrong simultaneously.
During the race: I tore all the calluses on my hands after losing my gloves, my nose started bleeding from the heat, I dropped a boulder on my toe, I was overpacked with three camelbacks for hydration and nutrition, got rope burn from climbing without gloves, had to run back half a mile when my tracker got caught on an obstacle, and had digestive problems from eating too many Cliff bars.
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. This race has about a 50% fail rate—625 people entered, only about 300 finished.
As I passed other ultra racers at mile 25, bleeding and exhausted, many people kept saying out loud: "This is too hard." "I'm tired." "I can't finish this race."
The Mental Game That Changes Everything
But I didn't listen to them, and not once did I say those things whether out loud or in my head. Instead, my mind kept repeating: "Keep going no matter what. I can and I will finish this race."
At mile 25, when I was bleeding, injured, and everything had gone wrong, that mantra became my lifeline.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
From Race Strategy to Life Strategy
When my wife was diagnosed with cancer and I lost my job a week later, I had to treat life like one of my endurance races—you don't finish an ultra by sprinting, you finish by taking one step at a time.
I leaned on small daily disciplines: gratitude lists when I felt hopeless, physical training to stay grounded, and faith to remind me we weren't alone. I couldn't control the outcome, but I could control showing up every day with grit, gratitude, and grace.
The Ultra Endurance Life System
Here's what 12 hours and 14 minutes of racing taught me about surviving life's longest, hardest seasons:
Step 1: Control Your Internal Dialogue
- The voices around you will say "This is too hard" and "I can't finish"
- Your internal voice determines your outcome more than your circumstances
- Choose your mantra before the crisis hits: "I can and I will get through this"
Step 2: Focus on the Next Mile, Not the Finish Line
- Don't ask "How will I survive 6 months of treatment?" Ask "How can I make today count?"
- Ultra distances are conquered one step at a time, not one giant leap
- Progress happens in small, consistent movements forward
Step 3: Expect Everything to Go Wrong
- Plan for obstacles, setbacks, and equipment failures
- When problems arise, they're part of the course, not evidence you should quit
- Resilience isn't avoiding problems—it's moving forward despite them
Step 4: Use Your Support System
- Ultra races have aid stations; life has people who care
- Accept help with hydration, nutrition, encouragement
- Isolation makes every mile harder than it needs to be
The Finish Line Lesson
I finished that 50K ultra in 12 hours and 14 minutes. Not because I was the strongest or fastest, but because I refused to let negative voices—external or internal—determine my outcome.
As someone who has completed 10 Spartan races and authored "Mindset Metamorphosis" during my wife's cancer treatment, I can tell you that the same mental muscles that help you finish physical challenges will help you finish any life challenge.
The hardest seasons of life aren't about speed—they're about staying power. They're about the daily choice to keep moving when everything in your body and mind is screaming to stop.
Your Life Ultra
Right now, you might be at your own mile 25. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. The voices around you are saying "This is too hard" and the voice in your head might be agreeing.
Here's what you need to know: you don't have to conquer the whole mountain today, just take the next step in front of you. Hard seasons feel impossible when you look at the big picture, but breakthroughs come one choice, one breath, one day at a time.
Don't quit on yourself. Lean into your support system, anchor yourself in practices that keep you steady, and remember: the finish line is always closer than it feels in the middle of the struggle.
What's your current "mile 25" challenge, and what's one small step you can take today to keep moving forward? Reply and tell me—sometimes we need someone else to remind us that we're stronger than we think.
When you're ready, here's how I can help you:
Purchase my book "Mindset Metamorphosis"—the complete guide to transforming your thinking and taking action for a better life, written during my wife's cancer treatment when I needed these strategies most.
Remember: Feed your mind. Fuel your actions. Find your fire.
DK Kang
Author | Wellness Advocate | Plant-Based Athlete | LMT
dk@dkkang.com
www.dkkang.com
