Editor’s note: the story contains references to suicide.
If you thought running on a treadmill for an hour was torture, French-Algerian musician Rilès would like a word. Scratch that—he’d like 24 hours of your time.
Because that’s exactly how long he ran non-stop on a treadmill in the middle of a Parisian soundstage, all while being literally chased by spinning buzzsaws.
And yes, it was live-streamed for the world to see.
But for Rilès, the “Survival Run” was much more than an exercise in masochism.
The whole spectacle was meant to symbolize his mental health struggles—particularly the dark period while making his latest album, Survival Mode, when he contemplated suicide.
In an interview on the podcast Le Code, he revealed that the 14 songs on the album were essentially goodbye letters, written when he wasn’t sure if he’d make it through. Heavy stuff. But instead of keeping that pain locked away, he turned it into art—and, apparently, a brutal treadmill challenge.
The run itself was no joke. Over the course of a full day, Rilès racked up over 200 kilometers (124+ miles).
That’s basically running four marathons plus an extra 20 miler—on a treadmill.
In a glass box.
With people watching.
Oh, and with three oversized saw blades looming behind him, a not-so-subtle metaphor for the constant pressures and dangers of stopping.
Did he take breaks? That’s unclear.
He’s previously done ultra treadmill runs (including a 120-kilometer effort last September) where he didn’t stop for anything—not even music, bathroom breaks, or distractions beyond staring at the ticking time.
So if history is any indicator, he just gritted his teeth and ran through the pain.
As if the whole 24-hour running ordeal wasn’t wild enough, Rilès didn’t just collapse into a puddle of exhaustion afterward. Nope—he immediately recorded a one-take music video for his track DEAD OR ALIVE. Because apparently, running an ultra isn’t quite enough suffering for one day.
It’s easy to be cynical about high-production endurance challenges like this (and trust us, we were at first).
But looking past the sheer insanity of the setup, there’s a deeper conversation happening here about mental health, perseverance, and how people process pain. Rilès isn’t just running for awareness; he’s running through his own struggles in a way that makes it impossible to ignore.
So yeah, at first glance, it’s “French emo dude runs forever on a treadmill.” But zoom out, and it’s something much bigger—a chaotic, intense, and deeply personal way of saying, I’m still here.
