"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt
IN THE 1950'S, THE WORLD'S MOST esteemed sports scientists were absolutely certain -- and in agreement.
They concluded that it was impossible for any human to run a single mile in under four minutes. And, they had the “scientific proof” to back up that assertion.
Some of the scientists argued that human body could not process enough oxygen to run a sub-four minute mile. Others speculated that the lungs would burst at the effort. A few believed that the upright orientation of the human body created too much aerodynamic drag, that no person could run that fast for that long, through the progressive resistance of air. Some even contended that the human skeletal structure couldn’t handle the speed, that the bones would literally fracture at the breakneck 15 mile-an-hour pace.
Fortunately, 25 year-old British runner wunderkind Roger Bannister either didn’t listen to any of this -- or he just didn’t give it much thought. Because on a cool, cloudy morning on May 6, 1954, at
The scientists were sent scuttling back to their drawing boards. Bannister showed them, and the world, that the human spirit doesn’t always abide by the laws of physics.
Bannister ran a mile faster than anyone before him, but there was more to it than that. He opened the floodgates. For decades, nobody could break through the 4-minute barrier. Over the ensuing 18 months after Bannister did it, would you believe that 16 other runners did it, too? Bannister’s “miracle mile” was one of the most patent displays of mind over matter. Bannister smashed through a psychological wall and in doing so seemed to “show the way” to other runners who suddenly believed they could do it, too. And, then did.
In 1955, when asked how he ran like no man had run before, Bannister answered: “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you've got.”
Self-belief is one thing, but what of science? Aren’t there hard-wired limits of human performance set by quantum physics? If so, when will athletes run into that barrier?
At present, those barriers seem to exist only in our minds. The records keep tumbling. The current one-mile mark is 3 minutes, 43 seconds held by Hicham El Guerrouj of
Athletes aren’t merely pushing the limits of speed; they’re also pushing the limits of endurance. People are now completing “Deca-Ironman” triathlon events; that’s 24 miles of swimming, 1120 miles of cycling and 262 miles of running. It takes eight to 10 days to complete this event.
This begs the question: what are the toughest athletic events on the planet?
Here, I will set out to answer that question. I will explain what makes each event so grueling and what lessons we can glean from those who have “been there, done that.”
To compile the list, and its order, I used this simple benchmark: how difficult would it be for the average person to finish the event? Put another way, how much physiological and psychological stress would the event place on an ordinary human being?
The following “10 toughest tests of endurance” push the body and mind to unthinkable places and reveal to us all that the human spirit, at least as far as we can tell, has no limits.
#10. The Elfstedentocht --
We begin our countdown in the
Contestants travel 143 miles…on ice skates. That’s roughly 5,200 trips around your local ice rink. Racers skitter along the frozen canals through bitter cold and Gortex-piercing winds. Hordes of Dutch people travel to the area to witness this great athletic spectacle; it is one of the most popular events in
What makes it so tough: The Elfstedentoct places monstrous stress on the body because the motion of ice skating is a double-whammy on the body: it’s aerobic and isometric. In other words, your cardiovascular system is taxed as your muscular system sustains “isometric” stress from the motion of each skate “push.” Sprint on a pair of ice skates for five minutes and you’ll feel this sensation first-hand.
What you need to know: If you want to excel at sports that demand lower-leg power and strength—cycling, ice skating and hiking, for example—the best move you can make is to hit the gym for 30-40 minutes twice a week. Lifting weights develops the tendon, ligament and muscle strength to endure long periods of strength-oriented activities.
#9: The 24 Hours of
In these events, riders go it alone, without the beneficial shelter of a group of other riders. The “what” is simple: ride your mountain bike as far as you can in 24 hours. The “how” is anything but simple. In a race of this length, every move you make has a consequence later on. Start out too fast and you doom yourself to a slow death. Mountain biking, with its steep climbs, is anaerobic -- your body produces energy without sufficient oxygen. Each successive anaerobic effort gets more difficult. Some say when you ride a mountain bike, you begin with a “book of matches,” and you have a finite number to burn. Each time you push yourself to the point at which you run out of breath, you burn a match. When you’re out of matches, you’re out of options.
“In a 24-hour race, the leading riders will stop twice, just briefly, to fix lights to their bike and don extra clothes for the cool of the night and then again in the early morning to shed those lights and clothes,” says Simon Doughty, a professional cycling coach and former Team Manager for
What makes it so tough: Exercising for 24 hours puts special demands on body and mind. Racers say that after roughly six hours, the mind begins to wander. After 15, it begins to play tricks. At around hour #20, mind almost separates from body – and participants pedal on instinct alone.
What you need to know: If you are training for an endurance event longer than two hours, you should do one long workout per week, and over time, build up to the projected duration of your event. For example, if you’re training for a century bike ride -- and your projected finish time is six hours, then over a period of 8-10 weeks, strive to build up to a few 6-hour rides. Bottom line: train for the specific demands of your event.
#8: The
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.
For the eighth toughest endurance test, we set off in
The Paris-Dakar rumbles to a start in
What makes it so tough: Race car driving requires maximal effort from one’s body and total focus from one’s mind. Picture interminably long stretches of barren landscapes, precipitous climbs and descents of the
Most of this race takes place over razor’s edge terrain. While every stage puts special demands on body and mind, it’s in the desert stretches of
What you need to know: Most people overestimate their driving ability. If you want to see how well you can operate an automobile, go to a driving track and take a high-performance car for a few laps. You’ll likely learn that you, um, have much to learn. Consider taking a professional driving class; they’re informative and a lot of fun.
#7: The Birkebeinerrennet -- Rena to
Just saying the name of this event requires endurance. The Birkebeinerrennet is a 54-kilometer cross-country ski race in
What makes it so tough: Some experts believe that, pound for pound, cross-country skiing is the most physically demanding sport. Studies show cross-country skiing burns more calories than any other activity.
While 54 kilometers may not sound like much, it’s often the middle distance races that are the toughest. That’s because they’re not long enough to allow you to find comfortable rhythm, and they’re too long for an all-out sprint. Fifty-four kilometers is in that sweet-spot of pain: it’s a long controlled sprint in which your body gets flooded with rivers of lactic acid -- for extended periods of time.
What you need to know: cross-country skiing may be the best total-body workout you can do -- in some of most stunning venues in the world. This winter, spend a day learning how to cross-country ski. You might discover a new winter passion that takes your fitness to new heights.
#6: The Moloka`i Challenge Canoe Race, Six-Person Ourigger -- Moloka’i to O’ahu,
The Moloka’i Challenge is the world championship of kayak and canoe racing.
An international contingent of men and women race for 32-miles across the Kaiwi Channel from Moloka’i to the east
The “six-man” is the toughest iteration of canoe racing, because it’s a small enough boat that your teammates know you’re not pulling hard enough. And when others are counting on you in a big athletic contest, it tends to push you past any pain level you would tolerate on your own.
What makes it so tough: How does paddling a 43-foot, 400-pound vessel made of wood through rough-water ocean at speeds of up to ten knots sound? This is an enterprise so exhausting that teams rotate three substitutes during these races. Physically spent paddlers roll over the side as the canoe bears down on rested paddlers who have been positioned in the open ocean by an escort boat. As the canoe sweeps by, the new paddlers seize hold, clamber aboard, and pick up the stroke at maximum effort.
What you need to know: canoeing and kayaking require a good measure of upper body strength, but also a steady rhythm and a savvy technique. Here’s a lesson in achieving peak performance, whatever your sport or goals: finesse is as important as fitness. Whether you canoe, bike, run, or petanque, don’t try to muscle your way to athletic greatness. Apply your mind, and some graceful fluidity, to your fitness pursuit and watch your enjoyment and efficiency soar.
#5: The Iditasport 130 –
This is a 130-mile mountain bike race along the section of the famed Idirarod Trail (of dog-sled fame) which passes through frozen Alaskan taiga, swamps, rivers and lakes.
You might be asking why Iditasport made the list and the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race did not. The answer is simple: in the former event, your legs do all the work; in the latter, dogs do all the work.
Why it’s so tough: Umm, it’s cold? Really, really, really cold. Pushing your body in extremely cold temperatures is extremely difficult: nerve messages move slower and muscles work much less efficiently. The human body burns almost four times as many calories exercising in the cold, which means you run out of fuel quickly…and definitively. In other words, when you run out of gas, you’re finished. There is no “bouncing back” when you’re glycogen depleted in temperatures of 20 degrees below zero.
What you need to know: just don’t do it.
#4: The English Channel Swim –
In this historic event, swimmers plunge intrepidly into frigid water against the backdrop of the White Cliffs of Dover at
What makes it so tough: The Dover Straits are prone to incredibly strong tidal flows and a large rise and fall in water between high and low tide. To complicate things, the position of the moon relative to the earth and the sun affects the gravitational pull that is moving the water. Also, according to race organizers, there are “quite a lot of hazards such as seaweed and flotsam and jetsam (rubbish and timbers, etc.).”
Swimming 30 to 40 miles against unforgiving currents, through rubbish and timbers and in bone-chilling temperatures of 52°F gives the
What you need to know: The French poet Paul Valéry once said of swimming: “To plunge into water, to move one’s whole body, from head to toe, in its wild and graceful beauty; to twist about in its pure depths, this is for me a delight only comparable to love.” However, most people don’t feel this way about swimming, because it’s a difficult sport to master. If you aren’t a natural-born swimmer, think of swimming like a technical sport such as golf more than an aerobic sport like running. The best way to hone your technique is to work with a coach and have them teach you the finer points of stroke mechanics. Learn to swim well, and a world of fitness bliss will open up to you.
#3: Stage 16 of the Tour de France -- Les-Deux-Alpes to La
Stages in the Tour de France change frequently, but this 2002 stage covered 179.5km from Les-Deux-Alpes to La Plagne and riders climbed up three soaring “beyond category” climbs. That means these mountain passes are so tough that they’re “beyond classification.”
The racers began by pedaling up the rugged valley of the Romanche, through deep gorges and tunnels to the colossal Col du Galibier, the highest point of the Tour de France at 8,677 feet where the air gets thin. After hair-raising descents of roughly 7000 feet, riders climb the 20 kilometer Col de la Madeleine at 8-percent, plunge down to the
What makes it so tough: Road cycling is intensely difficult because you are forced to ride hard when that’s the last thing you want to do. In other words, if you miss the “pack,” your day is done. The other nine events on this list are more a matter of self-inflicted torture. Road cycling at the Tour de France level requires the max output of endurance, strength, speed, power, flexibility, stamina, strategy, balance, coordination, guts -- and grace under pressure.
What you need to know: In a one-hour ride, you’ll likely pedal your bicycle between 3,000 and 5,500 times. Ideally, your bike should feel like an extension of your body rather than an alien mass of metal beneath you. Watch top-level cyclists on their bikes, and you’ll notice how at ease they are. Much of that has to do with their position. If you aren’t properly positioned on your bicycle, your body will sustain stress with every pedal stroke. A seat set just three centimeters too high, for example, will force your hamstrings to hyperextend and pull on your lower back. So, find an expert to properly fit you on your bike. A few changes to your bike position likely won’t get you to the top of the Col du Galibier -- but it can boost your performance, increase your comfort and reduce your risk of injury.
#2: The Western States 100 –
The Western States is one of the longest-running “ultra” trail events in the world -- and it is arguably the toughest.
This remarkable endurance test follows the Western States Trail, which starts at
What makes it so tough: Uphill running stresses your quadriceps muscles. Then, just when your muscles are fully fatigued, you must run downhill. Any runner will tell you that, late in races, the downhills hurt the most, because your muscles undergo concentric contractions in an already fatigued state. When your quadriceps muscles are fatigued, downhill running feels like a professional baseball player is hitting your legs with a baseball bat with every step you take.
What you need to know: Running is one of the most popular participatory sports in the world -- and for good reasons: It’s a potent fat-burner. It’s a quick and simple workout. It melts away stress. And, it’s a bonanza for your health. To reduce pain and injury often associated with running, choose the right shoes, run on soft surfaces, take plenty of rest days and stretch liberally after every run.
There is only one event that frazzles muscles and mind more than the Western States 100, and that is:
#1: The Ironman Triathlon World Championships --
Each year in late October competitors from more than 30 countries converge on the west coast of
The Hawaii Ironman is the crown jewel of the sport of triathlon -- in large part because of its island mystique and searing difficulty of the event. It is comprised of a 2.4-mile rough-water swim, a 112-mile bike ride on a road the cuts a swath through the legendary lava fields and a 26.2 mile marathon, much of it along the barren and exposed
While the Ironman marathon is only one-quarter the distance of the Western States 100, Ironman requires participants to endure a stomach-churning swim, a back-breaking bike before the body-burning marathon.
What makes it so tough: What’s not tough about this event? Every muscle is pushed to its breaking point during a the Ironman triathlon. In addition, at Ironman you are allowed no outside help -- or the benefit of drafting other people on the bike. Aside from periodic “aid stations,” you are completely on your own. Throw in 100+ degree heat, 4,000 feet of climbing and howling Kalapahuna winds and the Ironman World Championships earns its spot as the world’s toughest test of endurance. Most seasoned triathletes will tell you that no matter how fit and strong you are finishing isn’t a given in Kona. Two-time Ironman World Champion Tim Deboom says: “There are almost mythical forces at work. To compete well there requires learning the island and that only comes with experience.”
What you need to know: Do a triathlon ( it needn’t be an Ironman) at least once in your life. It will change you in ways you never imagined.
When Bannister crossed the hallowed finish line of his record-breaking mile run, he fell to the ground, physically and mentally bankrupt. “It was only then that real pain overtook me,” he said. “I felt like an exploded flashlight with no will to live; I just went on existing in the most passive physical state without being unconscious.”
This -- and the above accounts of trial, tribulation and human suffering -- beg the question: Why do these people willingly inflict such mental, physical and spiritual agony on themselves?
Bill Merchant, of Iditasport fame answers that question: “People wonder why on Earth we do this. Here’s what I tell them: ‘It’s to see how far the human spirit can go – and to become stronger people. We go into the Alaskan backcountry to find cracks in ourselves. We go back a year later to see if we've done anything about them.’”
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