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Be X 200mile - The Why

Be X 200mile - The Why

Jack Salmon
December 01, 2025

Become the best you

Welcome to this weeks newsletter - Be X 200mile - The Why

Be x 200 Mile: The Why

Next April, I am taking on the Wild Horse 200 Mile.

It’s a 200-mile ultra race in the south of Wales with over 30,000 ft of elevation gain.

It’s a fucking hell of a challenge, to say the least…

The 100-mile ultra I did this year feels like its little baby brother

I have no doubt this will be the most mentally, physically, and spiritually challenging thing I have ever done in my life. It’s going to test every aspect of my character and I’ve even had doubts about whether it’s possible for me.

So, the big question is why?

Why am I doing this?

Chester 100 Mile

As proud as I am of myself for completing the 100-mile ultra this year, a lot of that goal and my life before it, was tied to external validation.

I was always trying to prove myself to other people.

I did want to run the 100-mile to prove to myself I could do it, but subconsciously, I wanted to prove to others even more that I could do it.

Before the 100-miler, the last goal I felt was truly significant was running a 2:53 marathon and even that was rooted in showing other people what I could do.

It started to feel like I had nothing under my belt to prove that I was who I said I was.

I mean, I’m Jack Salmon:
“High performance coach”
“Someone who challenges himself”
“Someone who is mentally and physically strong”

It only felt right to me that I needed to accomplish something like the 100-miler to prove to people that I am who I say I am. That I wasn’t just a talker, but a doer.

To me, the 100-miler felt like the pinnacle of a high performer… so I knew what I needed to do.

But guess what?

It all came crashing down.

You Have Proved Enough

A few months after the 100-mile…

I felt burned out, lost, confused and not like myself anymore.

I thought I knew what was missing.

My next challenge.

So, guess what I did?

I committed to running a sub 2:50 marathon this coming December.

I booked the race, got my running tests done, signed up with my coach again and got going…

But I was struggling to get out to run, and when I did run, I’d get around the block and just stop.

Something was missing.

I didn’t have that purpose, that passion, that energy, that fire in my belly.

I just didn’t have that killer mindset I used to have.

I wasn’t sure what it was, until one morning when I was out on an early run, I heard this little whisper in my head:

“You have proved enough.”

And then something clicked inside of me…

Why am I doing this sub 2:50?
To prove myself again?

I’d spent so many years of my life trying to prove myself to myself and to others… and after hitting the 100-mile, I felt like I had proved enough.

Something inside of me had had enough.

The fire that once lit me up… was now put out.
And it was not going to fuel me any further.

But What Now?

For the first time in years, I was lost…

Over the next few months, I was struggling and questioning myself…

I couldn’t get out of bed most days.
I was overindulging in food.
I couldn’t be bothered to train.
My confidence took a hit.
I was disconnected from my purpose and each day felt like a battle.

And looking back now, I can’t believe these words came out of my mouth but I said to myself and my partner:

“I don’t know if I have what it takes to become who I want to be.”

Even she was shocked and told me she had never heard those words come out of my mouth before, but honestly… I felt so lost, confused and far from everything.

I lost all belief in myself.

Maybe this was it, I thought.
Maybe I’d hit my potential.
Maybe I wasn’t who I thought I was…

And I know this sounds dramatic, but the same fuel that was pushing me to succeed in these running challenges was the same fuel that was pushing me outside of them too.

A lot of what I was doing was to prove myself to others, to seek external validation, and to prove to myself that I was capable.

But this was no longer serving me.

So… what now?

So, what now?

I took a step back from everything over the next few months.

I didn’t set a goal.
I didn’t put too much pressure on myself.
I took some time off social media.
I lightened my workload.
And got relentless in understanding myself on a deeper level.

I questioned everything.

Why do I want to be this person in life?
Why do I want to achieve these things in my life? And do I still want them?
Is the vision I once had for others or is it for myself?
Who do I actually want to be?
What do I actually want to achieve?
And most importantly — why?

Not all the answers came at once, but slowly, as the weeks went on, I noticed a shift that I had never felt before.

For so long, everything had been around proving or punishing.

“I have to train every day because this means I am consistent.”
“I have to eat clean because it shows I am disciplined.”
“I have to achieve these goals because it shows I am a high performer.”

But instead of coming from a place of proving, I started coming from a place of fulfillment.

“I want to train because it makes me feel good and improves my mental wellbeing.”
“I want to eat clean because it brings me energy.”
“I want to achieve these goals because they make me feel proud and inspire people.”

I had always been driven by ego, fear, significance and proving myself. So coming from this lens felt weird to me.

I couldn’t comprehend not being hard on myself to remain disciplined… but everything started to come together.

I felt this sense of inner peace and fulfilment which I had never felt before.

It still blows my mind that achieving a 100-mile ultra, and not having the fire in my belly to achieve a sub 2:50, led me to this newfound inner freedom and peace.

But it did.

And as hard as those few months were, they helped forge me into the man I am today and that I am thankful for.

Which then brought me to the 200-mile…

Why?

After those months passed, I realised I did need something to get my teeth into…

So I thought about the 200-miler. I did my research to find out what would be involved.

And of course, I got negative thoughts:

“You can’t do that.”
“That’s out of your league.”
“That’s too hard.”

Usually, that’s my sign to take action but instead, I sat with it for a few weeks because I didn’t want to fall into the ego trap of trying to prove myself again.

After a few weeks of thinking about it… I asked myself why.

Why do I want to do this?

The answers were clear.

One, I want to inspire and show others what is possible.
When I finished the 100-miler, I got so many messages about how I achieved it, inspired others to set their own running targets, and how they believed it was possible because I had done it.

Two, I want to have an adventure with my family.
My family was my crew on the 100-miler, and it was one of the best things we ever did together. This 200-miler would be another incredible experience.

Three, I want to become someone great for me.
I want to make myself proud and reach my full potential, and I believe this is another stepping stone to help me get there.

These felt like enough reasons to commit.

But the nail in the coffin for me was when I asked myself this question:

“Would I do this if no one knew about it?”

100%… yes.

Yes, I will document it.
Yes, I will share it on social media but not because I want validation.

This is a journey for me, my family, and to show others what is possible when they commit their mind to something bigger.

This is for me to express myself.

But most importantly to become my best self.

Become the best you.