Thought your first post-pandemic 10K was tough? In the arena of extreme endurance races, competitors face off under grueling conditions in environments where just taking a walk feels like punishment. The Marathon des Sables, in which participants run the equivalent of six marathons over the course of a week in the Sahara Desert, bills itself as the “toughest footrace on Earth.” Can’t stand the heat? Head to Norway for the “world’s toughest triathlon,” the Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, where the waters are chilly enough to give swimmers hypothermia. Will you prove your mettle by sweating in the sand or shivering in the fjord?
Marathon des Sables |
Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon |
WHO’S TO BLAMEPatrick Bauer hiked solo through over 200 miles of uninhabited desert with everything he needed for the 12-day journey on his back in 1984. The race started two years later. 
Patrick Bauer Erik Sampers/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images |
WHO’S TO BLAMEHårek Stranheim envisioned a triathlon in which “the experience would be more important than the finish time.” The nightmare dream came to life in 2003.
Hårek Stranheim Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
THE CHALLENGERunning 156 miles through the Moroccan Sahara Desert over six days in April. |
THE CHALLENGESwimming, biking and running a combined 140 miles in Norway on the first Saturday of August.
Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
YOUR COMPETITIONOver 1,000 people run the race each year. In 2019, a lost dog named Diggedy joined on day two and received a medal for finishing. |
YOUR COMPETITIONThousands vie for a slot, and 215 are chosen at random to race alongside 75 invited athletes. No dogs, though. |
HOT N’ COLDThe desert heat in southern Morocco can reach 122°F—coincidentally the same temperature at which asphalt begins to melt. |
HOT N’ COLDThe waters of the Eidfjord have gone below 55°F on race day, which is chilly enough to induce cold shock. Most people won’t get in their pools if they’re under 85°F. |
MOMENTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU RECONSIDER YOUR LIFE CHOICESDay four is the toughest leg of the race, requiring over 50 miles of running. |
MOMENTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU RECONSIDER YOUR LIFE CHOICESThe triathlon starts at 5 a.m. after a ferry ride. Once you take the 13-foot jump off the ship into the fjord, there’s no turning back.
Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
SUPPORT TEAMMedical crews, planes, helicopters, ATVs and camels are standing by in case of emergencies.
Erik Sampers/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images |
SUPPORT TEAMContestants provide their own one- or two-person support team and vehicle. No camels, though. |
DANGERSRunners typically battle dehydration, hypothermia, sunburn and blisters.
Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images |
DANGERSHypothermia is a risk, but most people suffer from “afterdrop,” where body temperature can continue to descend for up to 25 minutes after getting out of the water.
Alexander Koerner |
FIRST PRIZEThe winner gets a trophy and a prize of 5,000 euros, about $5,300 at current exchange. |
FIRST PRIZENo trophies here, but competitors who reach the mountain cutoff point within 15 hours get a black T-shirt. (Everyone else’s is white.)
Supplied |
HOW THEIR WEBSITE SUGARCOATS IT“Your feet will swell. They will crack. They will bleed.”
Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images |
HOW THEIR WEBSITE SUGARCOATS IT“This [race] is not for you. Nothing personal.” |
