Can I Get to 12% Body Fat While Training for 100 Miles?

Can I reach 12% body fat while training for a 100-mile ultramarathon? Over the next five months, I’m documenting my attempt to reduce body fat, maintain muscle and prepare for the Arc of Attrition—100 miles along the Cornish coast in the middle of winter. This isn’t a traditional weight-loss challenge. The goal isn’t to become as light as possible. It’s to discover whether I can get leaner without sacrificing my running performance, strength, recovery or health. Every two weeks, I’ll share an honest update covering: • Ultramarathon training and weekly mileage • Long runs, workouts and race-specific preparation • Strength training for runners • Calories, protein, carbohydrates and fuelling • Body fat percentage, muscle mass and weight • The successes, setbacks and changes along the way There’s also an added complication: three weeks in New Zealand over Christmas, away from my usual gym, food and routine. The experiment has one important rule: the Arc comes first. If pursuing 12% body fat begins to compromise my training, recovery or health, the plan will change. Ten videos. Five months. One hundred miles. One target. Welcome to Episode 1 of It’s Not About the Weight: The 12% Experiment. Subscribe to follow the full journey from September 2026 to the Arc of Attrition in January 2027—and let me know in the comments: can these two goals work together? #UltramarathonTraining #ArcOfAttrition #BodyFatJourney