Meet the man who completed the Mamba 100 ... twice

In 2024, he completed the race in about 27 hours, falling just short of his 24-hour goal. The race was held Nov. 8-9, but by Black Friday of last year, Langley had already committed to the 2025 edition. The first experience served him well.

“I finished in 22 hours and 30 minutes, so I improved my time by almost four hours,” Langley said. 

Contemplating how one decides to run a 100-mile race may be as hard on the mind as pushing through such an endeavor, but as with all journeys, it started with one step.

“About eight years ago, I started running a bunch of local 5Ks with Seashore Striders,” Langley said. “After 5Ks, I was like, ‘OK, let's do a 10K. Let's see if I can do six miles.’ I didn't run track in high school or anything like that. Yeah, I did play football, but then, when I got out of school, I just kind of worked and worked and worked, and then kind of got out of shape and didn't do much besides work.”

Achieving his desired runner’s high, however, required higher and higher mileage.

“I did some local 5Ks and some 10Ks, and then I did my first half-marathon,” Langley said. “I just kept wanting more, just a little bit more. So after a few half-marathons, I said I would never do a full – I can't run 26 miles – and then I ran the Rehoboth Beach full marathon one December, and that was the first full marathon I ever did.”

With that notch on his belt, Langley was sold.

“I loved it,” Langley said. “I kind of got hooked, and I did some more marathons over the course of a few years, and then I was reading an article on this 50K that was on a trail in Patapsco State Park in Baltimore.”

Langley reasoned the 31 miles was only a bit farther than a marathon, and he conquered that hill, and enjoyed the view while doing so.

“It was so much different than road running because it's scenic, and being in the woods made it more interesting than just running on a flat road,” Langley said.

“After my 50K, I saw a 50-miler while reading a book,” Langley said. “It talked about this athlete doing a 50-miler called the JFK 50-Miler that takes place in Boonsboro, Md. It's one of the oldest ultra marathons in the world. I signed up for the 50-miler in March of 2023, and I went online and I printed out this plan to run a 50-mile race, and I just followed that plan all the way up until November 2023.”

Langley said he enjoyed completing the endurance milestone, but found himself wanting more as a way to continue to push his capabilities.

“I saw this race called the Mamba 100, and at this race, there were a bunch of different distances,” Langley said.  “There was a 25K, a 100K and a 100-mile race.”

In distance order, the 100K, about 60 miles, would have been the next race to conquer, but the lure of the centennial march beckoned.

“I printed out a training plan – it was like 26 weeks long – and I started training for the 100K,” he said. “About a month into my training, I just kept having the 100-mile on my mind and kept thinking about it and thinking about it.”

The distance didn’t scare him, and he knew if he trained properly he could complete his goal.

“As long as you put in the work before the race, it doesn't matter what distance it is,” Langley said. “Race day is all about showing up and collecting the medal; nobody sees the hard work that goes into it.”

He switched his registration to the 100-mile trek.

“A lot of things could happen in a year,” Langley said. “I felt like I was in pretty good health, in pretty good shape, and I thought why not do it now because tomorrow's never promised.”

Langley and a few friends drove out to the land of Elvis and Delta Blues last November. 

“It was really rough, but it was a good feeling that all the hard work I put in paid off and I was able to complete it,” Langley said. 

For the record, the Mamba 100 is not like the Tour de France, where bikers can rest and restart. It plays out closer to a NASCAR race, but instead of cars, it is the human machine.

“You always come back to the start line and where your base camp is, so when I would come back toward the start line, I would stop at my base camp for a few minutes and grab some food or change my shirt, fill up my water pack and things like that,” Langley said. “Other than that, you're going the whole time; you're on your feet the whole time.”

Despite the rigors of the first race, Langley felt like he left some meat on the bone.

“After I finished the first one last year, my ankles were really swollen, I had a ton of chafing all over my body and I was pretty beat up on that last lap trying to get through that last 14-mile loop,” Langley said. “When I crossed the finish line, I was happy, but I wasn't quite satisfied.”

Langley set a goal of 24 hours or less, and because he finished a 50-mile race in a little over 10 hours, he reasoned his goal was obtainable. He needed to go again.

“I didn't think about it very long,” Langley said. “It was Black Friday and I saw the posts come up that you could sign up for Mamba 2025, and I just felt like I had something more to prove by going back in 2025 and running it again.”

Now lightly seasoned, Langley set out to improve on his time.

“I work a full-time job, too, so I would set out on my long run days, four to five days a week, at about 1:30 to 2 a.m.,” Langley said. “I'd come down to Cape High School and I would normally park there or at the Lewes library and I’d go run 20 miles before having to go into my job at 6 a.m.”

Langley is an operations manager at Baltimore Aircoil Company in Milford in addition to working part time as a trainer for Chris Antonio’s company, Antonio’s Personal Training. He has worked his full-time job for 29 years in a variety of roles, but has settled into a hands-on role where he oversees more than 100 employees. He likes meeting people where they are as opposed to a desk role. 

Oftentimes, some people wonder how he manages to have such availability for his jobs and interests.

“Everybody has time for it,” Langley said. “If it's important to you, you're going to make time for it.”

Rain or shine, Langley was hitting the pavement or trails at Cape Henlopen State Park and Gordons Pond no matter the conditions. He would reward himself on hot summer mornings by finishing his long runs at the beaches or the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk, catching the rising sun.

He would also include Five Points, Old World Breads and Silver Lake in his travels on high-mileage days.

The 2025 race was held Nov. 7-8, and with his training supporting him, Langley fueled his body before the race with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bagel, giving him the simple energy to push through without being logged down.

“The entire race, I felt really, really good. I mean, even at mile 90, I was, like, ‘OK, I got 10 miles left,’” Langley said. “Much different than the first race, but I also think after running it the first time you're going to figure out ways you can do better.”

Langley stuck with his training regimen to prepare for the race, continuing to lift and run.

“It's just as important being in shape as it is to go out and run,” Langley said. “Building that strength, building that muscle mass for race day is super important.

“A lot of people say you can't be a heavy lifter, and you can't be a runner either, but I disagree with that,” Langley said. “I love both of them. I love to lift, and I love being in the gym, and I love to run as well.”

As he crossed the line at 22 hours and 30 minutes, Langley felt a sense of accomplishment, but soon after, the trauma from the trek began cropping up again. He had burned nearly 15,000 calories.

“My toes were swollen pretty good, my ankles were swollen pretty good, I wasn't walking very fast … I was limping around for about a day or two,” Langley said. “The third day when I got back from Memphis, I hit the gym right here in Chris's gym, and I started doing some light workouts. I just knew I needed to get back in the gym and keep moving,” 

A week after the race, Langley ran his first long distance – seven miles.

Langley’s story is an inspiration for the clients he works with, too. He was once where they are.

“I started with Chris Antonio in 2020, and I actually did Chris's program in 2018 because I used to be out of shape. My nutritional habits weren't always the best, because I really didn't know what proper nutrition was or how to fuel my body,” Langley said. 

Antonio posted on social media during COVID-19 lockdowns saying he needed help, leading to a prosperous relationship.

“I've been working with Chris for the last five years, and there's been times I'd had up to 10 clients,” Langley said.

“One of my clients I was training last year, Todd Willits, was never much into running, and we got to working out together here, and we got to running together here, and he actually came to Memphis last year with me and ran 14 miles,” Langley said. “He ran one loop with me in Memphis to kind of support me in my training.”

The desire for more engulfed Willits as well. 

“Todd actually signed up for the race this year and came down with us,” Langley said. “He didn't quite meet his goal, but he ran 86 miles, so I thought that was pretty cool because I trained Todd here, and he turned his life around.

“I work really close to my clients,” Langley said. “I'm continuously texting them or calling them or checking up on them. On Sundays, I'll share some of my recipes with them, or I'll take a picture and send it to them.”

Langley firmly believes once people start eating clean, taking in a gallon of water and holding themselves accountable, the results eventually become the motivating factor. 

A low-carb diet is suggested by Langley, but he emphasizes moderation as a key factor. One of his clients is Keith Irwin, who owns Old World Bread, and if he can control his carbs, anyone can.

“Keith is a great guy,” Langley said. “I see Keith three times a week, and he's on the nutrition program as well, so he's checking in with myself and Chris every Thursday. Keith has had amazing results. I think he's six weeks in at about 20-plus pounds down on his fitness journey.”

Langley’s work ethic stems from his parents, who operated an 800-acre farm outside Chicago, and each worked jobs outside their farming chores.

“My mom was a hairdresser, my dad was a farmer, so I helped dad on the farm,” Langley said.

“I'd watch my dad get up very early in the morning every morning – he worked two jobs as well,” Langley said. “He drove a fuel truck, and then he also farmed, just him and my mom. I have a twin brother, so we'd help on the farm as well.”

Langley was profoundly impacted by the character of his father.

“My dad was kind of a perfectionist, and when he said something, he said he was going to do something, he always followed through with it, so I've kind of followed in his footsteps, and I feel like I'm a lot like my father,” Langley said.