Too Unfit for a MegaMarch? What Really Matters

Can you be too old, too unathletic, too slow, too chubby?
Or are those just labels we stick on ourselves?

This article is not a motivational poster. Not a “You can achieve anything.”
It is an honest, reflective look at what really limits us—and what is just ego.

My personal starting point

I’m no longer 20.
I’m not a lightweight.
And I was never the classic “natural athlete” either.

I’ve done extreme hikes. 60 km and more. For hours on end. With blisters, cramps, and moments when I thought:Why am I even doing this?

And yet it keeps coming back—this voice:

“Others are fitter.”
“Others are lighter.”
“This would have been easier at 20.”

I’ve met all of them on my walks.

The super-fit woman in her early 30s with carbon poles and 10% body fat.
The family man in his mid-40s, carrying a few extra kilos but walking with unwavering purpose.
And people in their early 80s who simply kept going, stoically.

On long distances like these, categories quickly blur.
What remains is movement. Step by step.

And yet I experience it again and again: when I talk to colleagues or friends and try to get them excited about a long-distance walk, the same lines come up almost reflexively.

“I can’t do that.”

“I’m too slow.”

“Too unfit.”

“Too weak.”

These doubts seem so final, as if they were medical diagnoses. And yet there are those people on the route, in their early 80s, calmly and determinedly moving on. Not fast. Not spectacular. But consistent.

If the 80-year-old is still walking, then what exactly is holding the others back?

The physiological reality

It would be romantic to say that it is all about willpower.
It isn’t!

Age

With increasing age, the following decline:

• maximum oxygen uptake
• muscle mass
• recovery speed

But endurance capacity remains remarkably stable for a long time—especially with regular training.
Many ultrarunners are not 25. They are 40, 50, 60+.

Weight

More weight means more mechanical load.
That is measurable, especially over long distances or with lots of elevation gain.

An extra 10 kg over 1,000 metres of elevation gain equals 10,000 kg of additional vertical work.
That is not an opinion. That is physics.

But weight alone decides nothing.
Movement economy, muscle strength and training status are just as important.

Fitness

Training status beats talent.
Consistency beats motivation.

The super-athlete in their early 30s without specific preparation is more likely to fade than the 55-year-old woman with years of hiking experience.

What I have really observed

It is not necessarily the fittest people who arrive feeling the most relaxed.

More often, it is those who:

• know their pace
• eat regularly
• do not attack every climb
• keep their ego in check

The difference is rarely muscle mass.
The difference is self-assessment.

Can you be too old, too unathletic, too slow?

For a specific goal—yes.
For movement in general—no.

An 80-year-old will not win a mountain sprint.
But they can walk 30 kilometres if their body is adapted to it.

Someone carrying 10 kg more weight may need more energy—
but not necessarily more willpower.

“Too slow” exists only when you measure yourself against the wrong reference point.

Ego: the real brake

Ego is subtle.

It says:

• “I used to be faster.”
• “I have to keep up with those people at the front.”
• “It can’t be that bad.”

And that is exactly where these arise:

• overload
• crashes
• choosing the wrong pace
• unnecessary injuries

Age does not break you.
Neither does weight.
It is the gap between reality and self-image.

Why honesty improves training quality

Honesty means:

• My current pace is 5 km/h, not 7.
• My heart rate rises faster on a 15% incline than I thought.
• Losing 5 kg would take pressure off my knees.
• I need more recovery than I did at 25.

Those are not weaknesses.
That is data analysis and insight.

And good data leads to better decisions.

What impressed me

The people in their early 80s had no Strava segments on their minds.
No VO₂max debates.
No pressure to compare themselves.

They walked.

Consistently. Calmly. Without fuss.

Perhaps that is real performance:
not being as fast as possible—
but staying strong for as long as possible.

Conclusion

You can be unprepared.
You can have the wrong expectations.
You can overestimate yourself.

But “too old”, “too unathletic” or “too chubby” are not final verdicts.
They are parameters in a system.

And systems can be trained.

The decisive question is not:
“Am I good enough?”

But:
“Am I honest enough to get better?”