Did you read the “Ten Toughest Athletes” list in USA Today?
Two golfers? A jockey? Armstrong gets 5th? Pardon my vernacular but WTF?
Seems the public agrees with you. Here is the public opinion poll .
I would have put the jockey ahead of Shaq.
http://ww1.usatoday.com/survey/response_question.asp?id=1848
And just for the record, here is the REAL Ten toughest Athletes list:
- Guy Delage: Swam the Atlantic ocean alone, unsupported.
- Reinhold Messner: First to summit Everest alone without oxygen, first to climb all 18 8000 meter peaks.
- Paula Newby Fraser: More Ironman wins than anyone in history (I think?).
- Lahsen Ahansal: Winner of Marathon De Sables.
- Nikki Lauda: Formula 1 driver horribly burned in crash and returned to racinf despite severe disfigurement.
- Ben Abruzzo: Trans global ballonist.
- Lance Armstrong: Future six time Tour de France winner, survivor of nasty divorce and cancer.
- Mark Allen: Ironman winner, redefined the standard for Ironman.
- Ian Anderson: Adventure racer, Eco-Challenge and Raid Gauloise winner.
- Hans Kammerlander: Ascended Everest alone without oxygen in 17 hours and skied down.
What about Cal Ripken Orioles’ Ironman
.
What is their definition of “tough” anyway?
Tom,
Is this list toughest, or toughest athlete? What about that woman at the south Pole who operated on herself for cancer?
Hey Tom, I agree with you. What a bunch of crap!
My pick is the guy (forget his name) I think from Sweden? who rode his MTB with a trailer and supplies(got mugged a couple of times) all the way to Everest climbed and summited solo, went back down and rode home.
If I remember correctly hid did some sort of wierd multisport thing across the South or North pole? too. Swam in a heated drysuit.
Tiger Woods:
After sidestepping the icy hand of death on the back nine for over $100,000.00 a hole at a golf tournement Woods must come to grips with tens of millions of dollars of endorsements and then the mind-numbing dangers of bedding a swedish model and dodging paparazzi.
The mental and physical toughness required is beyond my scope of perception.
Messner and Kamemerlander were impressive, as were Hillary and Mallory and many other of the great climbers. But as a general rule I’m more impressed by the sherpas than anyone else. Not only do they carry their own supplies, they carry all the supplies for the weak, wealthy, cell-phone-toting, yuppie climbers as well. Usually without oxygen. Those guys are true badasses.
Goran Kopp. He bought the farm unfortunately.
It obviously includes some level of “mental toughness”, or concentration, and not just physical toughness. It also reflects the “common man’s” conceptions, or misconception, of how tough sports/games are. Most people have tried golf find it very “tough”, but as too many so called journalists have stated, “anyone can ride a bike, how tough is that?”
That’s a good point. I can;t do anything with a ball. My issue is with the definition of “tough”. To me that infers some level of risk and adversity.
I fail to see the risk and adversity golfing presents.
Right On! I vote for the Sherpas, who although mostly un-named have been the backbone of every Himalayan “expedition” I’ve ever heard of. That does not include the aforementioned purely completely solo accomplishments by individuals, who also belong in the top ten. I say save four or five of the top ten toughest spots for the un-named Sherpas.
RP
What about that guy who went rock climbing or something and got his arm stuck? Then proceeded to cut off his arm with a pocket knife and head home? Yech. :X
There is this perception that many of the climbers who go on guided climbing trips are cell phone toting, peak bagging yuppies.
They are no more so than anyone who does Ironman in over 12 hours.
The people who make it to the summit or wisely turn around when they discover they can’t are climbers too. Many of them are very experienced climbers and incredible endurance athletes.
Climbing on a guided expedition is no different than doing Ironman: Both are catered. Both require you finish the thing on your own.
Saying guided climbers are wussies is like saying anyone who does Ironman is a pansy becasue they used an aid station.
Ripkin did stay in some tough motels as a pro. In spring training they had him run the baselines to. One tough dude. He is in my top5.
go Cubs
I didn’t mean to imply that all climbers fit into the wine and cheese category. But I think you will admit that climbing Everest in the 21st century is more about the size of your bank account than your physical toughness. What do expeditions start at these days? $65,000?
But even most of the solo climbs are/were extensively aided by Sherpas. The white guy gets the final ascent and the glory, but the Sherpa is the guy that gets him and his gear to where it needs to be. Personally, I’ve got more respect for Hillary for what he did for the sherpas AFTER his ascent, than I do for his actual summit.
according to tom d’s 4th post on this subject, tiger and I have something in common. Not (quite) the money or the swedish part of super model but i sleep w/ a former model everynight! I sacrifice myself for the good of all of us!
Think about USA today’s target market. A bunch of middle age overweight men waking up in a hotel in some strange city after watching espn’s sports show thing (don’t know the name). If they came up w/ a real list like only slowtwitchers can then no one would read the article. They couldn’t relate to an unknown hauling 200 pounds of gear in an O2 poor enviroment or couldn’t relate to lance if not a household name.
Tom,
You left out Goran Koepp (spelling?). This is the guy who rode his bike carrying all his gear from Sweeden to Everest, summited w/o oxygen and rode home. He died about two years ago.