Here is my top ten list, but not in any particular oder since these are all VERY hard in their own way. The are all endurance sports, so no hitting baseballs or driving golfballs, and no judges. Finishing a three week stage race Breaking a 4-min mile Breaking 2:10 in a marathon for a man, 2:25ish for a woman Breaking 8 hr in an IM Setting the Mt. Washington Hill Climb record Setting the world hour record The Rim to Rim Grand Canyon run The Iditarod Any 90+ km XC ski race Running the Antarctica Marathon
There it is…some may not agree, but these are all DAMN hard and I couldn’t think of anything harder in endurance sports, but am open to suggestions. I did take into acount the training that had to be done to accomplish any of these.
I prefer events or achievements rather than “time-records”:
Climbing all the 8000+ peaks Unsupported solo Antarctica crossing Non-stop, unsupported Atlantic swim Eco-challenge Raid Gauloise Idita Impossible Non-stop ballon flight aroud the world Badwater Ultramarathon Marathone des Sables Sailing around the world, nonstop, via the Southern Ocean
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I would add this to the list http://www.ws100.com/
The Western States Endurance Run
100 Miles - One Day
Squaw Valley to Auburn, California
30th Running: June 28 - 29, 2003
The Western States Endurance Run is one of the oldest ultra trail events in the world and certainly one of the most challenging.
The Run is conducted along the Western States Trail starting at Squaw Valley, California, and ending in Auburn, California. The trail ascends from the Squaw Valley floor (elevation 6,200 feet) to Emigrant Pass (elevation 8,750 feet), a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4½ miles. From the pass, following the original trails used by the gold and silver miners of the 1850’s, runners travel west, climbing another 15,540 feet and descending 22,970 feet before reaching Auburn. Most of the trail passes through remote and rugged territory, accessible only to hikers, horses and helicopters.
Here’s one to add to the mix…the Fila Tibet TopMarathon. In 1995, The “World’s Highest Marathon” was run in Nepal/Tibet at Tugla Lu Pass, at a relatively constant altitude of 17,060’! It’s not always that tough, the course location changes, and in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, the course elevation was “only” 14,350’. In 1998, Matt Carpenter set the course record in 2:52:57.
Another tough one is The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run held in Utah the first weekend after Labor Day each year. The run stretches from Layton, Utah to The Homestead in Midway, Utah and covers some of the most beautiful scenery the Wasatch Mountains have to offer. There is a cumulative elevation gain of approximately 26,882 feet, as well as a cumulative loss of approximately 26,131 feet throughout the course.
and what about Race Across America ? 5000km in less than 9 days ? from west to east coast. (three time winner Wolfgang Fasching slept less than 10 hours during the race.) http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/
I agree with Eric and Lloyd that there should be a tough 100 mile mountain run in the list. I think Leadville 100 might be toughest? I’d love to try Western States.
Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile midsummer race from the bottom of Death Valley (North America’s lowest point, 282 feet below sea level, and also its hottest) to the top of Mount Whitney (at 14,495 feet, the highest point in the Lower 48). It’s 19,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain, with temperatures around 128-degree.
The MARATHON DES SABLES is a foot race, with several heats, free style, and with food self sufficiency over a distance of about 230 Km. Each participant must carry his/her own backpack containing food, sleeping gear and other material.
And Idita Impossible is a 1800 Km race trough Alaska, during winter.
Swimming the English Channel- 23+ miles (but expect to go 30-40 because of tides), 60 degree water if you’re lucky, no wetsuit if you want your swim to be certified
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It’s not always that tough, the course location changes, and in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998, the course elevation was “only” 14,350’. In 1998, Matt Carpenter set the course record in 2:52:57.
Of course, it is easy to go fast when there is no air to provide wind resistance
Like TD, I would definitely include the Around Alone race. Spending several weeks alone on a sailboat, manhandling lines, in freezing weather, facing 50-foot breaking waves, a thousand miles from any assistance, with no one else on watch is not my idea of fun.
Still, I think it beats the 17,000 ft marathon mentioned above. A bullet would be a cheaper way to kill myself.
A slightly different take on the thread: here are my favorite performances in each of the three disciplines that make up our sport:
Ultra-runner extraordinaire Yiannis Kourous blitzing the 1989 1000K Sydney to Melbourne road race in 5 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes. NOTE: Kourous still holds the world records for 200k, 500k, 500 miles, 1000k, and 24-hour runs. The last was set in 1997 at the age of 41, when he went 188 miles, 1038 yards, an average pace of just over 7:30/mile.
Cycling legend Pete Penseyres winning the 1986 RAAM (when it was a much tougher course than those of recent years) at an average speed of 15.4 mph. No one has come within 0.5 mph of that time in the intervening years.
Two choices: The woman who recently swam for 27 minutes in the Antacrtic Ocean in nothing but a bathing suit and a regular swim cap. Or a 20-year-old Sheila Taormina setting a world record in the 10,000 meter butterfly (long course) - at 2:34 and a few odds seconds, if I remember correctly. That would mean she held a pace of 1:32/100 meters for the entire distance.
Endurance sports leans heavy on the mental side, and so many of these listed events are a string of individual races or have many babysitters along the course.
I’ll admit my bias, but I don’t see much here that beats the Iditasport Impossible race. In Iditasport, you don’t race 6 hours a day, get a massage every night, eat fresh food, get handouts during the race, have spectators or medical support. It’s just you versus nature and yourself. You ride/bike/ski until you’re exhausted or hypothermic or delirious, bivy a few hours in the snow, and repeat. With bad weather, the 2001 race took 26 days for the bikers and walkers. They made decisions to risk their life, continue on a poorly marked trail, and with little food. They’re been two stories of racers being stalked by wolves.
And one more story from the 2001 race…
A friend of mine was riding up the frozen river at 1am with a female racer. The wind was gusting and they had their heads down suffering. He looked up and saw nothing but black. They were riding into open water. He yelled but she couldn’t hear with the wind and clothing. He carefully picked up his pace and knocked her off the bike before the ice’s edge. They were over 80 miles from the nearest town (of a couple hundred) and temperatures were in the 10F range.
The happy ending is they got married a year later.
I tried to place an emphasis on sports, not events, and on performances in them, not just achievements. That explains the time goals of most of the list.
I haven’t done Leadville, but some friends who have say it is indeed a tough one. However, a straw poll I conducted today of some Ultramarathon geek friends concluded that the Hardrock 100 was the toughest. One of those polled has 8 Western States finishes, 4 Leadville’s and 4 Wasatch’s, and two Hardrocks. He said it was his toughest.
I found this on the website for this year’s race:
“The 2003 Hardrock course will be run counter-clockwise - a big loop through the San Juan Mountains of beautiful southwest Colorado: Silverton - Ophir - Telluride - Ouray - Sherman (Lake City) - Silverton, 101.7 miles, 33,000’ total elevation gain, 11,186’ average elevation, low point 7,680’ at Ouray, high point 14,048’ at Handies Peak.”