The silence of the Atacama Desert is absolute. No birds, no wind, just the rhythmic sound of running shoes hit- ting hard, salty ground. Nicki Lange faces 500 kilometres \u2013 four days and nights across one of the most hostile landscapes on Earth. Here, among the expanding vastness of Chile, the ultra-marathon runner finds a form that goes beyond what most people will ever experience. \u201cFor me, immersion means following my passion whole -heartedly \u2013 something I want to dedicate 100% of my time to,\u201d says Lange. His definition of immersion is radical: while other people pursue various hobbies, he focuses exclusively on running. \u201cI don\u2019t play tennis, football, or padel \u2013 running is all I do.\u201d This clarity also extends to his professional life as an investment banker, where he places a focus on the consumer and healthcare sector, \u201cbecause I say that\u2019s what I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Running between 100 and 150 kilometres a week, Lange isn\u2019t just chasing fitness \u2013 he\u2019s seeking a mental state that borders on meditation. He describes entering the flow as \u201cthe moment when head and mind become disentangled. Where I feel my breath, hear my heart, look left and right, and perceive the nature around me\u201d. This moment of clarity does not come from external stimulation \u2013 as a principle, Lange runs without music, often even without a heart rate monitor \u2013 \u201cThe real freedom lies in the flow\u201d. The intensity becomes particularly clear when he talks about his extreme experiences. On his first attempt to complete the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc \u2013 170 kilometres through the Alps \u2013 he experienced something after about 100 kilometres that fundamentally changed his perception of reality: \u201cTrees turned into people. Stones became skulls. I saw hotels on the roadside, and when I walked toward their doors \u2013 the door suddenly vanished.\u201d<\/p>\n
These borderline experiences, which Lange describes as \u201call kinds of madness,\u201d are more than just physical exhaustion. They mark a transition to a state in which the usual categories of self and world become blurred. \u201cIt\u2019s like there\u2019s a version of me hovering above, watching everything Nicki is doing,\u201d he reflects on these moments beyond the normal limits of consciousness. Paradoxically, it is precisely these apparent defeats on Mont Blanc that led to his most profound transformation. \u201cIf I had completed those two races, we wouldn\u2019t be talking today,\u201d he explains. The hallucinations and failure opened the door to new possibilities and ultimately to an invitation to participate in The Speed Project from Los Angeles to Las Vegas \u2013 550 kilometres, which he completed as a solo runner.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":122624,"id":122624,"title":"","filename":"niki-lange-03.jpg","filesize":1198318,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/nicki-lange-stepping-into-the-flow\/the-speed-project-2024-3\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"the-speed-project-2024-3","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":122615,"date":"2025-09-08 11:33:22","modified":"2025-09-18 08:44:00","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1555,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","thumbnail-width":78,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","medium-width":1555,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","medium_large-width":1555,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","large-width":1555,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03-1244x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1244,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","2048x2048-width":1555,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-03.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1555,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":122626,"id":122626,"title":"","filename":"niki-lange-04.jpg","filesize":609640,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/nicki-lange-stepping-into-the-flow\/the-speed-project-2024-4\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"the-speed-project-2024-4","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":122615,"date":"2025-09-08 11:33:48","modified":"2025-09-19 10:00:03","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1539,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","thumbnail-width":77,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","medium-width":1539,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","medium_large-width":1539,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","large-width":1539,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04-1231x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1231,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","2048x2048-width":1539,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-lange-04.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1539,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":"Photography by Erik Schereder and Johannes Rapprich."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
A long relationship with pain reveals another dimension of his immersive practice. Inspired by triathlete Jan Frodeno, he has learned to welcome pain not as an enemy, but as a companion. \u201cPain is part of the journey,\u201d he says. But he puts it in perspective: \u201cThere are people who suffer far more than I do. Compared to their pain, mine is nothing.\u201d This attitude comes from a fundamental gratitude towards his body. Unlike \u201csomeone who is in a wheelchair and perhaps would do anything to be able to walk at all,\u201d he has this ability, and so his own pain becomes secondary. A perspective that gives his extreme endeavors a spiritual dimension that extends far beyond sport.<\/p>\n
The lengthy preparation for each run resembles a spiritual ritual. He describes himself as \u201cvery religious and superstitious\u201d \u2013 he manifests his goals through prayer and mental visualisation. \u201cWhen I\u2019m at the starting line, I already know that I\u2019m at the finish line,\u201d he explains his technique of anticipation. This mental practice, compared to a golfer who knows that the ball is already in the hole, creates a foundation for the radical dedication that extreme endurance performances require. His superstition also manifests itself in specific rituals: the first step must always be done with the left foot \u2013 \u201cbecause that\u2019s the side of the heart, but also my father\u2019s lucky side.\u201d Four is his magic number: four times making the sign of the cross, taking four sips, eating the bar in four bites. These seemingly irrational practices give him \u201ca certain comfort\u201d and structure his beliefs in measurable, controllable elements.<\/p>\n
In the most extreme moments \u2013 alone in the Atacama Desert, separated from his team, surrounded by life-threatening solitude \u2013 Lange finds a form of devotion reminiscent of mystical experiences. \u201cWith my faith and confidence, I am very strong and I let myself be guided by it,\u201d he says, describing these moments. \u201cWhen I surrender to the universe and put something positive out there, I receive that same energy in return.\u201d This attitude transforms potentially deadly situations into spiritual tests. When the support vehicle gets stuck in the sand and he has to navigate the desert alone, the extreme situation becomes an opportunity for radical trust in this very universe.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":122627,"id":122627,"title":"","filename":"niki-Lange-05.jpg","filesize":421866,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/nicki-lange-stepping-into-the-flow\/the-speed-project-2024-5\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"the-speed-project-2024-5","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":122615,"date":"2025-09-08 11:34:45","modified":"2025-09-08 11:42:12","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1280,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1280,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1280,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/niki-Lange-05.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1280}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Erik Schereder and Johannes Rapprich."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Lange experiences the most intense moments of immersion in the absolute silence of the desert nights. With the memory of \u201cWhen you walk through the desert at night and look up \u2013 where there\u2019s no stray light and you can really see the stars,\u201d he describes moments of cosmic connectedness. In these moments, he understands himself as \u201ca small piece of a larger whole.\u201d The extreme clarity of the desert environment intensifies this experience: \u201cDay and night are really day and night, warm and cold, and the environment is completely pure and real.\u201d This immediacy of the experience of nature creates an \u201cimmersive experience\u201d in which all culturalfilters retract and only the elemental relationship between body and environment remains.<\/p>\n
In these extreme conditions, Lange develops a radical form of energy preservation similar to meditative practices. \u201cI don\u2019t talk much \u2013 talking drains energy. Even thinking uses energy,\u201d he explains. This reduction to the essentials transforms him into \u201can atom that simply runs and surrenders itself\u201d. Every movement here becomes a conscious action: \u201cEvery step brings me one step closer to my goal.\u201d This microfocus allows him to split monumental distances into manageable units while remaining completely in the present moment.<\/p>\n
Lange\u2019s most important insight about immersion is surprisingly simple: \u201cTake the first step. I believe in not thinking too much about what and how, but just doing it\u201d. This philosophy of acting before thinking permeates all areas of his life, from meticulous route planning to spontaneous decisions to run a particular race. \u201cYou want to lose weight? Fine \u2013 just start moving. You don\u2019t need new clothes or fancy shoes. Just go outside,\u201d he says, illustrating his pragmatic approach. Perfection lies not in preparation, but in the willingness to take the first step despite uncertainty.<\/p>\n
The extreme physical strain has changed Lange as a person: \u201cIt has given me a certain gratitude for life and for what I do,\u201d he reflects. This gratitude, born out of direct confrontation with his own limits and the experience of absolute vulnerability, creates a new perspective on everyday challenges. The runs have given him \u201cserenity\u201d because \u201cthis sport has allowed me to have a certain borderline experience\u201d. What might be perceived as stressful in everyday life loses its threatening quality in the face of memories of 100-hour runs through difficult environments. Nicki Lange\u2019s path to immersion leads through the conscious choice of extremes. By exposing himself to situations that remove every comfort, every security, and ultimately every filter between himself and raw reality, he finds a form of presence that goes far beyond athletic performance. His experiences in the Atacama Desert, on Mont Blanc, and on the route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas are laboratories for a radical form of expanding the human consciousness. The first step, according to Lange\u2019s central teaching, is often the most difficult \u2013 but also the only one that really counts. In a world increasingly characterised by distraction and superficial stimulation, his practice of extreme focus offers an alternative: the discovery of depth through uncompromising devotion to a single thing. Sometimes the path to transcendence leads through hell \u2013 or, in his case, through the most hostile desert on Earth.<\/p>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\n