Mental Skills for the Last 25 Miles: What Actually Works When the Wheels Start to Come Off

The final quarter of a 100-miler isn’t a physical contest… It's a psychological one. Your breathing is fine, your heart rate is steady enough, and you’re still moving, but the cumulative fatigue, darkness, monotony, and emotional wobble of ultra-distance running start to close in.

The last 25 miles put you face-to-face with yourself more honestly than any other part of the race.

You’re not trying to feel good at this point; you’re trying to stay functional. And the runners who stay functional aren’t the bravest, they’re the ones with the best mental tools.

Here’s what actually works when everything starts to feel fragile.

1. Shrink the race down to something manageable

Thinking “25 miles to go” is overwhelming. Thinking “to the next tree,” “to the next bend,” or “to the next aid station” is achievable. The brain handles tiny, solvable tasks far better than giant distances. Breaking the race into small chunks prevents the psychological avalanche that often hits late in ultras. It also keeps your attention anchored in the present, not in the imaginary future where everything hurts infinitely more.

2. Name the discomfort, don’t dramatise it

Pain and fatigue escalate when they feel mysterious. Saying to yourself, “My quads are tight,” or “I’m low on energy,” is grounding. Saying “I’m falling apart,” or “I can’t do this,” is catastrophic. Labelling sensations factually gives you a sense of control. It turns a threat into a manageable problem rather than a spiralling story.

“When things get tough in a race it's important to remember that this is kind of what you're there for,” adds coach Sophie Grant.

“You want to face a challenge and work through it. You are in charge of how you deal with the low moments so practicing positive self talk, distraction techniques and good consistent fueling in your training runs will help you navigate these moments until they pass. And they will pass”.

3. Switch from emotion to instruction

Emotional thinking late in a race is unhelpful. You need practical, actionable cues like the ones below. This shifts your brain from panic mode to problem-solving mode. The prefrontal cortex takes over from the emotional centres, and you regain agency over your movement”

• “Short steps.”
• “Relax shoulders.”
• “Eat now.”
• “Run to that post.”
• “Hike strong.”

4. Use your “prepared self” to help your “current self”

Write a short message before the race, something like:

“You knew this part would feel like this. Keep moving. It will pass.”

“This is what you signed up for. Now just eat something, stand up straight, and keep shuffling forward.”

Your exhausted brain will believe pre-race you more than anything it invents at mile 80. Use drop-bag notes, reminders on your bottle, or a mantra saved on your phone.

Late race you is not always reliable; early-race you need to do some of the heavy lifting.

5. Don’t trust thoughts that arrive after midnight

When you're deep into the night or early morning hours of a 100 miler, your brain starts generating nonsense like this:

• “I’m not cut out for this.”
• “This is pointless.”
• “I’m definitely injured.”
• “I should have taken up cycling.”

Ignore all of it. Your cognitive performance drops dramatically with fatigue, cold, and sleep pressure. If you keep moving, these thoughts almost always fade. Otherwise go to the next tip on the list.

6. Keep fuelling, it drives mindset more than willpower

Low energy creates emotional vulnerability. When blood glucose drops, negative thoughts increase. A late race gel can do more for your resilience than a motivational speech.

If you're catastrophising, slow down and take in 30g of carbs. Half the "mental collapse" is biochemical. Jelly meerkats will make everything better.

In Summary

The final 25 miles demand psychological skills, not heroics: break the race down, label sensations, use simple cues, fuel consistently, and trust your pre-race self more than your exhausted late-race brain. Smile.

Coach Neil Bryant mirrors Sophie’s advice above: “Have an action plan for if/when you find yourself in a low point. Walk, take onboard fuel and hydration. Adjust clothes, pack or shoes if necessary and be patient. You will come out of it!"

Master these tools, and you can keep moving long after your legs think they’re finished.