Running in Viking Armour: How a 5K Killed Me
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- Опубликовано: 11 май 2021
- I ran a 5k in authentic Viking chainmail and lemme tell you: it sucked! But it was awesome.
Last year, my channel managed to reach 5000 subs in just a few months, so I decided to run 5000 metres in armour to celebrate the milestone!
It was certainly a challenge to run over 3 miles in it. How much does armour weight? Over 30lbs (15kg), and it's as close to Viking armour as you can get. Preparing for it was tough, and it really drives home how tough exercising in medieval combat gear can be! This is real steel chainmail, and it nearly killed me.
Join me for a look at how chainmail works, how it's made, and what it's like to run an endurance event wearing Viking armour for a really good cause!
No, I won't run a Marathon for 26k. Shut up.
Me and my mates John and Dave have raised over £2500 for Stonewall so far, and now we can't walk!
(donate here: www.justgiving.com/fundraisin...)
Find me elsewhere:
Patreon: / jimmyjohnson
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thewelshviking
Insta: @littlewelshviking
Filmed by:
@boleyn_alley and @isabel.northwode on Instagram
Fellow runner Dave: @reenactmentscotland (IG) and / reenactment.scot
Reading:
www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aam...
Bennet, M., Bradbury, J., DeVries, K., Dickie, I., & Jestice, P. Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World. Thomas Dunne Books, 2005
www.nuernberger-hausbuecher.de...
Rusu M. (1969) Das Keltische Furstengrab von Ciumeşti in Rumänien. Germania 50, 1969: 167 - 269
Business and collaboration email: thewelshviking1@gmail.com
Letters, parcels, packages?
The Welsh Viking,
PO Box 821,
YORK,
YO1 0PY
I never thought about how important the belt was in mail, but this makes SO MUCH SENSE. Wearing my long wool coat open (not buttoned and anchored at the waist) = SO MUCH SHOULDER PAIN by the end of the day, I can't even imagine carrying 15kg of mail on my shoulders. Ughh experimental archaeology is cool 😭
When you are hiking/walking with a backpack the pack belt can make a world of difference.
@@scouttyra a good one at that. I have a Deuter "women's" 50+L pack, and the belt on it is so good. Also so much better than the "men's" version of the same pack. Mine actually cups the top of the hip bone, so the weight of the pack rests on your hip bone. I've had a bunch of amab friends try it out, including some who have the same pack in the men's version, and they seriously considered switching to my model, because of how much more comfortable it was ! There's definitely lighter packs that weigh like 2lbs, but to me the benefits of that great belt are far superior to having an ultralight pack with a worse belt.
When I hike with a toddler in a backpack-baby-carrier the belt is CRITICAL! Otherwise it's just 30+ pounds of not holding still small child only supported by your shoulders!! You actually put an additional strap across your chest to further distribute the weight too! Makes it honestly really comfy. I've done 5-6 miles (so around 10k) on uneven terrain with it and I'm not a big person though I am fit
The irony is that the later invention of PLATE armor was partly meant to *circumvent* that problem by distributing the (even greater) weight more evenly!
Speaking as a former Ren Faire performer who's worn both, I can attest that it works, but that either way, you'll get so HOT you may not care.
Super cool and painful and worth it!
I know a few people who suffer with headaches from tense shoulders after they've worn a heavy wool coat. it's never bothered me too much, but the 15kg bouncing around definitely necessitated a massage or two afterwards!
You might have been running with 15kg of chain mail but I had 15kg of excess fat. It was all great fun. Let's do it again some time. :)
I love how you were so jovial the whole time. I can’t run anymore because of a connective tissue disorder but I’ll bet you’re fun to have a chat with! Super impressed with how easy you made it look! lol
Jimmy was the soul of this video and you were the heart, Graham! Thanks for keeping our Jimmy in good company and spirits when his armor taxed him to the limit.
Best supporting runner in a 5k award goes to YOU! As Jimmy said, you are the stuff legends are made of. ✨
I was really impressed by how you completed this with apparent ease.
You are, nevertheless, an absolute legend!
I'd actually love to do some more running. I'll have to be kept abreast of local runs!
You did the thing, survived, didn’t injure yourself. Victory for charity.
Woohoo! Nice people rule!
"Don't cremate your armor if you want it to survive" immortal
"Do some bloody ballet stretches" Stop giving me ideas. Next thing you know I'll have my old mail-ing pliers out and be about to take class in armor!
Oooh a dangerous but very appealing idea!
I'm obsessed with how you're giving advice as if anyone else will be insane enough to do this! great work though, and for a great cause :)
Lmao ikr! It’s gonna be a no from me dawg 😂
The biggest barrier for me would be the price of that mail. I heard authentic mail suitable for battle is 'still' really expensive. You can buy relativly cheap butted mail, but riveted mail is really expensive.
You never know how many people are masochists! ;)
@@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei Mine cost me £300 in 2016, and that's about what you'll pay for a good, riveted mailshirt from most places. Some charge less, others more, so it's still an expense!
I mean I made a chainmail prom dress and danced in it most of the night my senior year of high school...
Shouting and swearing in a language that most people around you are unlikely to understand is a good coping mechanism, though. When I'm in the UK, I swear softly in Finnish and in Finland I do it in French 😆
You all did an amazing job, good for you 👏
General Chain mail or Maille advice for anyone looking into buying a riveted shirt or hauberk. Kept it clean and oiled, always wear a belt on the waist to stop 100% of the weight from sitting your shoulders, don't wear white clothing you're particularly fond of beneath it and if your hair is long keep it well away from the links when putting it on 😬.
I'd disagree about 100% needing a belt, if the maille shirt fits properly you shouldn't need to take weight off with a belt.
Also most depictions of belts with maille are sword belts and there's plenty depictions of soldiers without any belts with their maille
What type of oil?
I use spray-fat you can buy for your bike-chain.
Not historical but it works just fine. Its mostly important for storage (so it does not rust into a clump) but you'll still be wearing some of it, so make sure its not nasty stuff.
Also second, third and fourth the bit about hair. Get comfortable with your man-bun, otherwise you'll end up bald and crying.
@@aenorist2431 a linen hood to protect you hair while taking it on and off is brilliant for this, I leave it down while I'm wearing the maishirt and find it stops my neck getting chafed as well.
And speaking of hair, don't make the horrific mistake a friend of mine did and wear one without anything on underneath, especially when you're really hirsute. After about 45 minutes of slowly, and painfully, trying to get out of it he just gave up and accepted the plucking.
My favorite part was that you reminded us that you’re an academic rather than an athlete. That was a LOT of effort for your You Tube channel and I’m so impressed! I can’t imagine running in metal clothing while wearing wet wool. Great job. I mean it! GREAT job!!!
I can’t imagine how much worse this would be without a good water source. No wonder dysentery and cholera were such threats. The support systems required for fighting forces are epic and under celebrated.
Absolutely. Hydration was the biggest concern throughout. Now imagine it for 500 men and horses!
The "wounded dog noises" are the workout noises for sure! That's how you know you hit rock bottom lol. You rocked that run!
I always teach the kids that armour 'is the bringer of protection, not immortality'. Its all a composite with the shield and indeed the helmet for the wealthiest of soldiers. If you ever get a chance, talk to Joe Ellen. He swum lengths in an olympic swimming pool! IN ARMOUR! B E E F
Oh dear lord. I felt my lungs filling with water just reading your comment. What a monster of a human!
@@codename495 Yeah to be fair, swimming in armour is frankly terrifying to me. Joe said 'you simply cannot tread water though'... And that made it actually worse to think about!
@@TwoMikesProductions He is an absolute madman though, also.
@@TheWelshViking He once was a bartender watching two Hells Angels prospects having an Acid Tab eating competition. 'Joe how many did they get to?'
'Maybe 11 or 12?'
WHAT
@@TwoMikesProductions Bloody hell...
Just Imagine the long marches... They may have been just walking a lot of the time but it would REALLY start to get to you.
Although probably similar to long marches in modern military gear. Atleast heat and weight. Although stuff gets better and better
yeah, hiking with mail really kills your shoulders!
@@FischBlubbBlubb I'm sure! I plan to start buying a new historically accurate armor set based around 1250-1300 AD. My end goal is to look like a reasonably wealthy man at arms, and once I get it all together I plan on doing some marches though trails and such.
If only Mithril were a real thing. Awesome job, Jimmy. You did it and raised money for an amazing cause.
Thanks Nancy! Oof, I'd have given my right knee for a Mithril shirt!
love the Asterix reference!
I've run a half marathon unarmored but in linen shirts in 90F and high humidity. I have to say that linen shirts become frighteningly and very pleasantly cold, and I recommend them for exercising.
Linen is king
“Pecs you could carve commandments into.” 😂😂😂
I was quite proud of that one! XD
I'm by no means an expert in Japanese armour, but I know a little Japanese.
Kusari means chain, so Kusari gusoku (鎖具足) is chain armour, very popular with the retainers of samurai, and Kusari-fundo is a chain with a weight on the end as a sort of peasant self defence weapon, while Kusarigama is a kind of short sickle attached to a chain as a sort of ninja weapon.
Kusari Gusoku was mainly used in the 13th and most especially in the 14th century, while also still used in the 16th century Edo period under clothing. The more specific chain jacket was called Kusari Katabira.
The one thing I love about chainmail is it was obviously effective. Used by so many cultures for so long, it must have done it's job. Heavy yes, but until proper plate technology probably one of the best in terms of combining excellent protection with amazing freedom of movement.
Fascinating! Thank you!
Yay, I got a mention! Twice!
Jimmy, that was the most mental thing I've seen a re-enactor do, on or off the field. Absolute kudos to you and John (the mentalist who did it without a belt or, y'know, training) and Dave. Glad I could be there to support you.
Hope the dextrose helped.
Strong man jimmy! Well done sir! 🙌🏻
edit: i forgot to mention... that ol´pal of yours, what a BOSS!
He is 110% legend status
You sound surprisingly like Bernadette Banner's latest video, discussing The Nevers, and all the fighting in corsets. Well done, and congratulations on surviving without major injury!
Yes I was thinking about that! Busting myths about ”impractical” historical clothing all around!
Ooh. Another video for me to check out! Thank you. I love her work!
As I always told myself the one semester I ran track in 7th grade, just don’t stop, keep moving.
... because it hurts worse if you don't keep moving.
"An Academic Figure" :D :D :D Very well done surviving this ordeal. This makes King Harald's army marching up and down the country before Hastings even more impressive.
Shout out to Graeme! what an awesome supporter! Fantastic effort Jimmy ,John and Dave.
Oh, my dear! You are, of course crazy, but I did donate to this, so I suppose I am an enabler. Just like for my own children who do things like polar-bear plunge--jumping into a hole in the ice, for charity. Bless you anyway, and may Freya protect you!
Congrats on making it through the 5k!
I have two "crazy" running stories: 1) Real crazy: running 6k in full kendo gear with mask on and everything in summer because me and my friends thought "if we can train 2h in it for competition we can run 6k in it!" Turns out: yes we can, but no we shouldn't. At least not in the summer heat. We basically deaded ourselves for the weekend. My gloves wouldn't dry for a week or so. That was yucky. 2) Not so crazy: I ran on leg (8k-ish?) of a relay marathon for charity in my firefighter equipment, including breathing aparatus minus mask. But we were well prepared. I had been running somewhat regulary before and started training with my mates about 3 to 4 months before the event. One had already run 10k the year before, so he trained us - and that was really great. We raised some money for a mobile children's hospice.
Unbelievable madness! :D Well done you!
made me wonder about water needs for moving large numbers of fighters in that armor. Must have been a logistical nightmare. Glad you survived the run with few effects, even gladder you have been able to move around and get home for a bit.
Oh yeah, thousands of gallons, and food, and other equipment. I think we forget about all the ancillary support an army would need on a long march
In the SCA, when people fight in full armor, there are always water stations and water bearers.
Congrats on completing it. Regarding the heat exhaustion issues, if you were to do this again, would it be better to do so in the winter to help alleviate overheating?
Regarding the weight - fun fact you were actually carrying less weight than a modern soldier does in kit. I think the weight distribution of mail is also better than the backpacks and combat webbing modern soldiers use too, which goes to support your comments on the functionality of wearing armour for physical activities.
Here’s an idea for what to do next if you’re feeling suicidal - do the Offa’s Dyke walk in full Viking kit. 😝. Bonus points if you camp along the way in a Viking tent and bedroll. 😜
It's on the cards!
Yes, and I was wearing way less than your average Marius Mule would have carried 1000 years before the Vikings!
Just heard up to the dehydration, mead makes perfect sense for the after battle party now, sugar, safe water and pain killing properties
Your list of injuries and health problems is super authentic. Judging by all the corpses analysed from that time people were having health problems from injuries and body strain starting from the mid 20ies XD
One of my larp friends will wear a weighted "vest" in the days before an event to get used to carrying the weight of his armour.
Great job on that 5k!
As a former U.S. Army Ranger i would like to say out fking standing. You did great you didn't stop you didn't quit thru pain and misery just push and push and push. RLTW (Rangers Lead The Way) and you lead the fing way.
You are a beast! Congratulations on reaching this goal, and props for raising funds for Stonewall! Enjoy "home".
Bravo! Well done.
Now a marathon in full Hoplite kit!
I mean... maybe...
well done old boy. i know the feeling for the pounding your knee's take from moving in the armour. when i did the sports relief i figured it would be to bad. after all i'd done loads of forced marches in modern combat kit as training but yes practice shorter distances is something i should have done. 5k in armour shield and helm is something i might do again. but like last time i guess it would turn in to a quick walk the running didn't last long. late roman boot are just as bad i'd go with modern foot wear next time. and shield left behind or strapped over the shoulders. i did some silly little shorts on armour training. in viking kit and the wool tunic might be good padding but boy does it hold the heat.
This gives me the same vibe as the videos of all things you can do in corsets. I love when people experiment with historical stuff and talk about it afterwards!
As someone with a slightly bad shoulder I had sympathy pains during this video. Way to go though. This an amazing achievement.
Congratulations on finishing your run and for all the money raised! When I was a teenager there was a 24-25 mile marathon that raised money for cancer research. I completed it two years in a row and my third year my friend stopped at 22 miles and I didn’t feel like finishing without her. I was in regular clothes for the marathons but I think they would have been even more fun if I’d dressed in my renfaire outfits!
You did a brilliant job! I ached for you 🤣🤣 Thank you Jimmy! The vikings would have thought you mad running in mail and so do I.
You're such an inspiration. Not only do you use your platform to educate, but to help uplift others as well. Congratulations, no way I would have made it out alive lol
Props to you! It's been *mumbled age* years since I have done any type of running like that. To be 17 years old and in shape, without a knackered body.
Makes you wonder how people in combat dealt with it. Not to mention say a Roman Legionar.
I wonder what the weight of a viking warriors complete kit was.
Hope he answers this because I was wondering the same thing.
Probably a few kilos more. A sword of a kilo plus scabbard, helmet of a couple of kilograms, shield of another couple. 20kgs or thereabouts for a well-armed and armoured nobleman?
All that training only made you about 5 minutes faster, but I was pretty wrecked by the end, wish I had made a better underwear choice and brought talcum powder.
You did amazing!
Would a linen shirt under the wool have helped some? It’s supposed to be better at wicking & cooling than a cotton shirt.
Also too bad there’s no video of the three of you doing the get-out-of-maille shimmy. However the three of you were probably too wrecked at that point!
Yes, linen is a lot nicer in terms of breathability, and it's probably one reason later gambesons were usually padded linen or hemp
I'm with you in spirit. I'll be drinking a gin and tonic in your honor! Have fun with your run!!!
I can't believe you actually did it! Good job, my friend! Also lots of good chainmail info!
As someone who used to do 5k (without chain mail!) and then had covid and now can't do 3k..
36 minutes sounds so admirable. Congrats!
I can sort of relate to the just pure exhaustion sort of thing, not quite as bad though. So we went on a hike on a mountain near here, it goes in and up and all about, trails everywhere, and, I was mostly fine for most of it, and then it started going what felt like almost straight up, and I dislocated my knee a while ago, so I'm already weaker, and it just completely drained me, I could barely stand. On the way back, it was even worse, I was have blinded on this one rocky bit just over a big drop off, so that was terrifying. All this to mostly just talk about the suffering but also to say I can relate, excersise sucks when you over estimate what your body can do, pizza for life. Also fantastic job on the jog
Next winter, you and me go skiing! Only for five or ten hours up in the Swedish mountains. I'm not in good shape, so it should be fair. :-)
Yes. yes yes yes!
@@TheWelshViking You're on!
It's called Kusarikatabira (くさりかたびら or 鎖帷子 written) in Japanese.
Kusari (鎖 or くさり) means chain and Katabira (帷子 or かたびら) means something like a light garment, originally made of hemp.
You really did a great job with your run!
Fascinating! Thank you so much!
Yeah, trapezius and latissimus have to be pretty used to carrying that weight for you not to come out of a long march or run without back/neck strain. I used to wear actual steel chain for larp weekends, walking and running around for nearly three days.
Getting my black belt was only SLIGHTLY more difficult.
If you're anything like me, as soon as you cross the border home, your accent will get stronger. Apparently its a thing with the Welsh... the accent intensifies for us as soon as you cross the border. For me it's the roadsigns changing to two languages across Severn Bridge, I'm due to go home end of next week after about the same time away... I'm looking forward to the accent switch!!
I'm the same with my Cornish accent. My kids have pointed out that once I cross the Tamar bridge back into Cornwall it gets noticeably more pronounced.
It's not just a Welsh thing. This happens to me every time I go home to Queensland, too. I keep forgetting just how broad a vowel can be until I'm back among the family 😆
Congratulations!! I am so impressed, I would have passed out like 5 minutes in 😂
Since we've got back to training I've done each half day session wearing my mail, mostly so that it doesn't come as too much of a shock when we are back to shows. However as a man of large tastes and equally large physique I very much could not do a 5k in it and am very impressed. Well done you all.
In German there is the Kettenhemd (chain-shirt) and the correct term Ringpanzer (ring-armour) very similar to the chain-mail/ mail debate.
I definitely know it as panzerhemd, but I ain't german. lol
Just rarely encountered the terms mentioned... maybe me is blind.
Ringpanzer, I am picturing a tank wearing boxing gloves.
I love the way you say 'armour'. Your accent is a delight to me, but especially "armour". (As a native Texan, I have a rather distinctive accent, and I know that sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle, but I like mine, too!) In poetry, Knights with swords were engaged in serious sword fights from dawn to dusk. Is that even possible? Those swords are massive!
That's amazing! Well done! Love how you turned this experience, too, into an empirical experiment and analyzed it for the benefit of others. Once an academic, always an academic. :)
awesome to see the support you got when running the 5K! And Graham is totally *chefs kiss* for his encouragement!
I'm so impressed by all of this. I'm also very appreciative of the incidental motivation. If ol' Jimmy can run in chainmail and not die, by golly I might be able to get these (very slightly older) bones around a few miles without keeling over. Welcome home
Daioni fi! Am really proud of you but please don't do that again!!!!
You did us proud and I am amazed that you did it in chainmail. Also bravo for raising so much for such a great cause.
Congratulations!
Hurrah! Good for you! Sounds like practice with a backpack containing a big bag of dog food or the maille shirt would be a good idea. Congratulations! And yes, you actually sounded more Welsh but only at the end of the video.
Not quite chain mail but I used to do rock climbing with a 5kg ball dangling from my harness. It was fun.
Anyway congrats!!!! And congrats on no injuries in particular, it really is important to pay attention to those things as you said...
Omg Jimmy....thats just awesome!!! And so well done brother!
I cant even imagine...I used to work at a place called Medieval Times..which was a feast/horseshow / hand to hand sword battle....The staff had a Christmas gift made for me which was essentially a full length coat 5 link chain mail style..132 pounds....thing is im only 120 pounds...lol...death on two legs after 10 minutes standing still....
my lovely coat hangs I the corner of my room now...like an old skeleton...lol
Congrats, Jimmy. I am in awe. Excellent charity effort so props to the entire channel as well for supporting Jimmy so well xx
Congratulations! I'm so glad that you had such excellent support while you were doing this run.
You madman, that's awesome! Thanks for doing such a feat, both for charity and for history. I've never been one for running (it's not a fun sport when you've got a big chest, I'll put it that way), so even running that much at all really impresses me, much less in a big metal shirt.
Also, your mom and I share a favourite flower! While I have no one favourite, harebells (and all their cousins) are very high on the list. They're just so lovely and magical looking :)
Congratulations!!
Truly impressive!
It's super interesting that you talk about the perception that you have to be super fit to wear chainmail - larpers have a bad habit of dumping steel shirts on nerds at their first event because "it's not that bad" and its put several people I know off armour entirely. As always the truth is somewhere in the middle!
What do you mean you don't sleep on a bed of.... snort. Hugs. Proud of you, always.
I'm impressed by your will-power! Have a good time in Wales.
"I don't recommend it"
Fine, i'll do it myself.
Not only did you do it, you also survived! Truly impressive
You did well for a fine charity, awesome ❣️. It must be so nice to be home again!! 👍🏻
Excellent! Not only is this video informative and educational, it's a bloody wild story as well! Thank you!
G'day sir! Just thought I'd let you know that I genuinely believe that what you are doing is amazing. Always love watching your videos and I always learn something new.
Thank you.
All the best,
Joshua
You did it! Congratulations! This is the kind of stuff I'd like to do in the future. I want to try and recreate different people's way of life and experiences throughout history. This is epic to me!
Frick, you couldnt get me to run a 5k, let alone with 15kg mail, my deepest respect!
one of my last armored tournaments I did (after I stopped training) had a competition where we fought for three minutes straight. By the end me and my training partner were hobbling around and taking wide swings.
Very well done! 👍👍🙌🏆. Maybe it’s time to get an Hollywood chainmail, than you can even swim in it! 😅😂 . Great respect for your achievement!
This is so impressive!! 5Ks are excruciating for me bc of my knees so this was really cool to see. I'm happy you had someone to talk you through the run and supportive friends on the sidelines. Thank you for all you do :)
Congratulations and very well done!!! Thank you for raising money for Stonewall! How awesome!
🤣 "this isn't helms deep" haha relatively new comer to your vids love it :)
This is super informative. I've never known this much about chainmail. Go you! Go charity!
Amazing! Also loving the undercut!
You're an absolute legend as well. Hooray for experiments like that, and glad you survived.
Impressive attitude!! Well done:)
This is incredible! Great job with your fund raising and finishing your 5k. So proud.
One thing I'm surprised that you didn't mention is one of my strongest memories of wearing maille: the ability of the rings to expand and collapse with the wearer's breathing, especially if it fits closely. Hell, it feels like wearing a SLINKY!!!
Mine didn't really fit me quite as snugly as that! But yeah, they have a superb flexibility.
The mail looks like a work of art. Thanks for the interesting video.
Just discovered your channel. Hope youre a lector/teacher cause you present the material very well. Cheers from Norway
Big kudos! Thank you for documenting this!!
Just spent a couple of hours catching up on The Welsh Viking videos. I regret nothing, time well spent! Well done, Jimmy!
Congratulations! I'm unspeakably impressed that you (a) ran 5K and (b) did it in chain mail!!
To be honest, I've not watched any of your vids since before the run... was rather afraid you might die. That was an insanely physically challenging thing to do.
But you're not dead! And you look and sound fab! Thank God! Back to enjoying your videos :D
You are absolute beast my friend, I did something similar to prepare for an event in the middle of an Georgia Summer here in America, i think it was 37c and 90% humidity. Kudos to you
Well Done You and Kudos for Stonewall . I am just remembering our eight Mile Run before Breakfast every Day in the Irish Army when I was a Recruit lol .
You utter daftie.... but well done.
And I'm glad you made it home, sounds like you really need this visit.
Truly don’t have the words for how much I respect this. Great cause, great education, absolutely bonkers execution.
Don't look now, but I think a Ragnar haircut is creeping up on you! :-P Suits you well!
Ruh roh! ;) Thanks! It's enjoyable, but awful for my image! XD