Rewatching the Hunter Exam in HUNTER×HUNTER, you notice something is already wrong from the very beginning.
Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio follow examiner Satotz through the first phase and are forced to run through an underground passage seemingly forever. In the series and related information, that distance is treated as more than 80 km. And that is not even the end of it. After the underground passage comes a staircase, followed by the Milsy Wetlands, also known as the Swindler's Swamp.
In other words, the Hunter Exam's first phase is not just a marathon.
It is a selection test where you run more than 80 km and then make your way through a swamp full of dangerous creatures.
The baseline physical stats of the applicants are broken from the opening arc.
The short answer
If you translate the first phase of the Hunter Exam into real-world terms, it looks roughly like this.
| Perspective | Real-world equivalent |
|---|---|
| Underground-passage distance | More than 80 km |
| Compared with a full marathon | About 1.9 times the 42.195 km marathon distance |
| Event category | Ultramarathon territory |
| Time for an average person starting from zero | There is no single fixed number; it varies greatly with running history, injury history, and life circumstances |
| What makes the Hunter Exam hard | Distance + stairs + swamp + elimination pressure + dangerous creatures |
| What is absurd about Leorio | He looks middle-aged, yet he is a teenager keeping up over this distance |
Eighty kilometers is already absurd on distance alone, but the Hunter Exam is not a race with a safe paved course, aid stations, a clearly stated time limit, and medical support.
In practice, it is closer to an ultramarathon + survival test + psychological battle.
The first phase of the Hunter Exam covers “more than 80 km”
In the first phase of the 287th Hunter Exam, the candidates follow examiner Satotz and keep running through an underground passage. Hunterpedia summarizes the phase as a run through the passage over an initially unknown distance that is later shown to exceed 80 km. It also describes the route continuing through the Milsy Wetlands, commonly called the Swindler's Swamp.
The important point is that 80 km is not the upper limit for the entire first phase; the underground-passage section alone is understood to exceed 80 km.
Put bluntly, it is not:
You ran 80 km. Done.
It is:
You ran more than 80 km. Great. Now the swamp.
That is simply awful.
How ridiculous is 80 km?
A full marathon is 42.195 km. World Athletics also describes the marathon as a 42.195 km road event.
Ultrarunning, or an ultramarathon, refers to distances beyond the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 km.
So 80 km sits firmly in ultramarathon territory.
In numbers:
| Distance | Rough sense of difficulty |
|---|---|
| 5 km | A common first running goal for beginners |
| 10 km | You start to feel like someone who actually runs |
| 21.1 km | Half marathon |
| 42.195 km | Full marathon |
| 50 km | Entry-level ultramarathon distance |
| 80 km | Around 50 miles; for an average person, basically a different sport |
And even in real 80 km races, competitors often do not run every step. They mix in walking, refuel, and manage their feet and digestive system while moving forward.
The Hunter Exam adds the examiner's pace, the pressure of elimination, stairs, a swamp, and dangerous creatures.
In a real event, this would be the kind of course design that gets the organizers yelled at.
How many years would it take an average person to reach 80 km from zero?
There is no single number that applies to everyone. Running history, previous injuries, recovery, and everyday life all change the answer. The staged model below stretches over roughly 1.5 to 2 years before an 80 km-level goal appears, but that is an explanatory progression rather than a promise that someone will be ready on a particular date.
These are very different goals:
- covering 80 km while mixing in walking
- finishing 80 km within a cutoff time
- running almost the entire 80 km
- clearing it Hunter-Exam-style with stairs and swamp terrain included
If you are starting from zero, aiming straight at 80 km is asking for trouble. You need to build up through 5 km, 10 km, a half marathon, a full marathon, and 50 km in stages.
The NHS Couch to 5K program is a beginner plan built around nine weeks, three sessions per week, and alternating walking with running, with the goal of reaching 30 minutes of continuous running. Mayo Clinic's 5K plan likewise mixes running, walking, and rest to reduce the risk of injury and excessive fatigue.
The CDC also recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week for general health, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week.
So what an ordinary person needs is not sheer willpower.
It is gradually building the habit of running, the habit of resting, strength, foot durability, fueling, and sleep.
A training plan for someone starting from zero and aiming at the Hunter Exam's first phase
Here, the goal is a body capable of covering 80 km with a mix of running and walking.
Running the whole thing like Gon or Killua is less “human training plan” and more “magical-beast category,” so we will leave that out.
Months 0–3: build a body that can handle 5 km
The first goal is not speed.
It is building knees, ankles, calves, and feet that do not immediately break down.
A weekly schedule can be this simple:
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest, or a 30-minute walk |
| Tuesday | 30 minutes of run/walk intervals |
| Wednesday | 20 minutes of strength training |
| Thursday | 30 minutes of run/walk intervals |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | 30 minutes of run/walk intervals |
| Sunday | Longer walk, 60–90 minutes |
At first, something like this is enough:
- run for 1 minute
- walk for 2 minutes
- repeat 10 times
As you adapt, change it to:
- run for 2 minutes
- walk for 1 minute
Eventually, being able to jog slowly for 30 minutes is plenty.
The strength work does not need to be complicated either.
- squats
- calf raises
- glute bridges
- planks
Those four are enough to start.
The Hunter Exam does not just grind down your legs; it also punishes your core and posture. If you train only your cardiovascular system from day one, your legs may fail first.
Months 3–6: extend to 10–15 km
Now you start building “movement capacity.”
The Hunter Exam does not require short-distance speed.
It requires the ability to keep moving.
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest |
| Tuesday | Easy run, 30–40 minutes |
| Wednesday | Strength training, 20–30 minutes |
| Thursday | Easy run, 30 minutes + a little hill work |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Longer run, 8–15 km |
| Sunday | Walk, or easy 30-minute jog |
During this phase, only the Saturday long run needs to increase gradually.
For example:
- 8 km
- 10 km
- 12 km
- lighter recovery week
- 14 km
- 15 km
If you increase every single week without backing off, something eventually breaks. Building for three weeks and making the fourth lighter is a reasonable pattern.
Months 6–12: move into half- to full-marathon territory
This is where you finally start to feel like you have moved beyond the average person's baseline.
A rough target is around 30–45 km per week.
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest |
| Tuesday | Easy run, 40 minutes |
| Wednesday | Strength training |
| Thursday | Hills or stairs, 30–40 minutes |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Long run, 15–28 km |
| Sunday | Recovery jog, or 60 minutes of brisk walking |
About once a month, include a long outing of 20 km or more.
You do not need to run all of it.
In fact, something like:
- run 70%
- walk 30%
is fine.
For real-world Hunter Exam preparation, building a body that can keep moving while tired matters more than maintaining beautiful running form forever.
Months 12–18: prepare for a 50 km ultramarathon
From here, the goal shifts from “running ability” to the ability to keep moving for a long time without falling apart.
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest |
| Tuesday | Easy run, 45 minutes |
| Wednesday | Strength training |
| Thursday | Hills, stairs, or uneven-terrain running, 45 minutes |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Long distance, 25–35 km |
| Sunday | Walk or run 10–20 km while already fatigued |
The important workout in this phase is back-to-back movement on consecutive days.
For example:
- Saturday: 30 km
- Sunday: 15 km
The Hunter Exam is not an event where “I'm tired” means you are done. It is the kind where the next test begins after you are already exhausted.
So you need some practice moving while tired.
Months 18–24: prepare for 80 km
Now 80 km finally starts to come into view.
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Complete rest |
| Tuesday | Easy run, 60 minutes |
| Wednesday | Strength training + stairs |
| Thursday | Easy run, 45 minutes |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Long run, 30–45 km |
| Sunday | Walk/jog, 20–30 km |
At this stage, you do not need to practice 80 km every time.
That would be dangerous.
If you can do one 50–60 km rehearsal before the target event, that can be enough as a long-distance practice session.
After that, train yourself to manage:
- fueling
- fluids
- salt
- chafing and blisters
- the soles of your feet
- your stomach and intestines
- sleep
- next-day fatigue
Eighty kilometers is not just a leg problem.
It is an operations test for your entire body.
How to pace it, Hunter Exam style
If an ordinary person wants to cover 80 km in the real world, there is no need to run nonstop.
Reasonable strategies include:
- run 10 minutes → walk 2 minutes
- run 20 minutes → walk 5 minutes
- walk hills and stairs from the start
Adding walking from the beginning is not weakness.
Over 80 km, walking is a strategy.
If you get carried away in the first 20 km, your legs can be finished by 40 km. Beyond 50 km, your mental state and digestive system also start taking damage. In the Hunter Exam, the swamp's dangerous creatures and psychological traps arrive on top of that.
Still hell.
Leorio is a teenager, and that is frankly ridiculous
The funniest part is Leorio.
Nippon TV's official character introduction says that although Leorio looks older, he is surprisingly still in his teens.
Online, information attributed to the official guidebook HUNTER×HUNTER ハンター協会公式発行 ハンターズ・ガイド commonly lists him as 19 at his first appearance. However, it is difficult to find a primary official website that directly states “19,” so an article should phrase the claim carefully.
A safe formulation is:
Leorio is officially introduced as a character in his teens, and information attributed to the official guidebook commonly treats him as 19 at his first appearance.
That is a much stronger way to write it.
And now we get to the real point.
Leorio looks like the “ordinary person” of the group.
Gon is a feral child raised in nature. Killua comes from a family of assassins. Kurapika is driven by revenge and has both brains and physical ability.
Then there is Leorio: suit, sunglasses, obsessed with money, wants to become a doctor, plays the straight man.
Everything about his presentation screams “the normal one.”
And yet, as a teenager, he keeps up with a first phase that includes more than 80 km of running.
That is simply not normal.
In real-world terms, imagine a 19-year-old aspiring medical student showing up in a suit, entering an ultramarathon-level selection test with no warning, and somehow not dropping out.
The old-man face is camouflage. His physical ability is completely on the Hunter side of the line.
The first phase is not a “running test”; it selects people who refuse to drop out
The real point of the first phase is not simply marathon performance.
It tests a bundle of abilities at once:
- a body capable of long-distance movement
- the mental endurance not to break
- the awareness to stay with the examiner's pace
- judgment that is not easily swayed by other people
- risk management in a swamp after your physical reserves are already depleted
- the stubbornness to come back even after you start complaining
So even in real training, building “legs that can run 80 km” is not enough.
What you really need is the ability to keep making decent decisions while tired: refuel, walk, run, stop when needed, and then move again.
The scary thing about the Hunter Exam is that physical stamina alone still does not get you through it.
The shortest route for an average person
If you are starting from zero, the shortest sensible route looks like this.
The stages below are an explanatory model for avoiding sudden jumps in distance, not medically fixed timelines. Actual training should be adjusted for your running history, current condition, and injury history.
Stage 1: 3 months
- three 30-minute run/walk sessions per week
- strength training for legs and core twice per week
- a 60–90 minute walk on a day off
Goal: 5 km.
Stage 2: 6 months
- run 10–15 km
- add a little hill and stair work
- get used to moving for a long time, even if you mix in walking
Goal: 10–15 km.
Stage 3: 1 year
- one 20 km+ outing per month
- 30 km or more of total weekly movement
- start considering half- to full-marathon distance
Goal: around 42 km.
Stage 4: 1.5 years
- do long-distance sessions on consecutive weekend days
- experience combinations such as 30 km + 15 km
- learn fueling, blister prevention, and foot-care management
Goal: around 50 km.
Stage 5: 2 years
- experience 50–60 km once
- plan the 80 km attempt with walking mixed in
- include stairs, hills, and uneven ground
Goal: around 80 km.
This kind of gradual distance progression is realistic as an approach, but the time required varies greatly from person to person.
By contrast, aiming for 80 km within six months can be dangerous. Your legs may fail before your cardiovascular system does.
Summary: the Hunter Exam's first phase is already a “graduate from humanity” test
The underground passage alone in the Hunter Exam's first phase is understood to exceed 80 km.
That is about 1.9 times a full marathon. Ultramarathon territory. Then come the stairs and the swamp.
For an average person starting from zero, it is safer to build the foundation in stages—5 km, 10 km, then toward marathon-level distances—rather than chase a short fixed timeline.
And Leorio, despite being officially introduced as a character in his teens, still keeps up with this first phase.
He looks like a thirty-something med student fresh off a failed job hunt, but in reality he is a teenager running ultramarathon-level distance.
An absolute monster, in perfectly ordinary terms.
You expect Gon, Killua, and Kurapika to be abnormal.
What may be genuinely frightening is that someone like Leorio—the guy wearing the face of the “normal-person slot”—is casually keeping up too.
The Hunter Exam's standards are broken from phase one.
References (9)
- Hunterpedia, “287th Hunter Exam”: https://hunterxhunter.fandom.com/wiki/287th_Hunter_Exam
- Nippon TV, HUNTER×HUNTER character page, “Leorio”: https://www.ntv.co.jp/hunterhunter/character/reorio.html
- Shueisha, HUNTER×HUNTER ハンター協会公式発行 ハンターズ・ガイド: https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?isbn=4-08-873701-6
- World Athletics, “Marathon”: https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/road-running/marathon
- World Athletics, “Ultrarunning - Introduction”: https://worldathletics.org/news/news/ultrarunning-introduction
- NHS, “Couch to 5K running plan”: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/couch-to-5k-running-plan/
- Mayo Clinic, “5K run: 7-week training schedule for beginners”: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/5k-run/art-20050962
- Mayo Clinic Health System, “Training planning for your big run”: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/planning-for-your-big-run
- CDC, “Adult Activity: An Overview”: https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
