I am an ironman triathlete, marathoner, endurance athlete. I run a 6 minute mile, a 20 minute 5k, and a 4 hour marathon.

For GP (General Purpose) I went out last Saturday to walk or run for 24 hours. I stopped at 48 miles because I developed an IT band problem in my right knee. It started a few days before but I went out anyway. I thought it would go away as I warmed up but after 15 hours of pain I decided that for just a training day it wasn't worth it, even though I was still sticking to my pace per mile.

Ultimately at 15 hours, I found a bench to sit down and the words, "This sucks" just came out. At that point it wasn't so much to keep going or not, but it just wasn't fun anymore.

A couple months ago, again for GP, I also took a 42 lb BOB and airborne shuffled 10 miles home with it, to see how I fast I could go, how it would feel, all that. So I walk the walk when it comes to putting preparedness into action.

Before I get into the nuts of this thread, I will say the two things I missed more than anything was an icy liquid and a decent place to sit. There were no benches or seats on my route.

Mental attitude and emotional intelligence is more important than anything else. Fitness is absolutely necessary but not the defining characteristic of survival. Knowledge or wisdom, decision making, is vital.

I'd challenge anyone who thinks they can simply walk as far as they want to do it. No time limit, no distance. No special clothes. Just grab a pack and and go. See how far you get before you start thinking about how much time you've spent walking and have to get back. How much water you consume and start thinking about finding a place to refill. How many calories your putting in for energy. How do your feet hold up with your footwear, your back or your knees. Now vow to double that time before you stop. Its hard.

I am not convicting anyone. I wish I was smarter and didn't have to work as harder, as the saying goes. I mean look, if I was stuck injured or with injured people in the middle of the desert (my likely scenario) I think I could with my preparation, my knowledge and fitness walk to get help. I would rather punch the button my my SPOT or PLB and have the rescue come to me.