Believe it or not, there are people in the world who actually want to run 135 miles in 120 °F heat. There are also people who willingly choose to take on “electroshock therapy” obstacle races, where they must traverse through a field hung with live wires. To us, these individuals might sound insane. But to them, it’s a passion.
Extreme endurance events are becoming popular all over the world. Although fitness experts warn these athletes of the risks associated with such extreme exercise, they still push on.
Some train for months—even years—before tackling a race, spending thousands of dollars on supplies, equipment and food. Many never cross the finish line, but those who do feel a combination of euphoria, extreme fatigue and accomplishment.
At GearSuite we wanted to find some of the most grueling races in the world. After scouring online forums, race reviews and more, we’ve found 35 of the toughest events. These races are extreme in every way: they test athletes both physically and mentally, and sometimes take months to complete.
Whether you’re simply a curious, outdoorsy reader, or you’re actually in the market for a new extreme endurance experience, GearSuite has you covered.
Iditarod Trail Invitational
Event: Foot, Mountain Bike, and Ski
Distance: 1,000 Miles
Time Limit: None
To qualify for this invitational, competitors must first compete in a “short” 350 mile race. GPS devices are prohibited, so racers must be self-sufficient with navigation and safety.
There are two courses, and the record time for the Northern course is 10 days, while the record for the Southern course is 17 days. In 2014, only 16 people finished, but that was the largest group in history.
Patagonian Expedition Race
Event: Trekking, Biking, Kayaking, Climbing
Distance: 400+ Miles
Time Limit: 10 Days
Known as a the “Race to the End of the World,” this endurance race aims to raise awareness about Patagonia’s fragile environment. There is a brand new route each year, so there’s no way to learn from past competitors. A maximum of 20 co-ed teams of four may participate annually, each representing a different nation.
Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile
Event: Run
Distance: 3,100 Miles
Time Limit: 52 Days
This might make you cringe: In this race, runners must cover 3,100 miles in 52 days, by running around one city block in Queens, New York, over and over again. The race tests runner’s mental strength as much as their physical strength. The lap is short and boring, so runners must be concentrated and able to “self-transcend,” or surpass their own limits.
La Ruta de los Conquistadores
Event: Multi-Stage Bicycle Race
Distance: 250 miles
Time Limit: Three Days
On this gorgeous bike ride, competitors traverse across all of Costa Rica in three days. Bikers must be prepared to be knee-deep in mud and sand during this four-stage ride.
The race traces the path of three 16th-century Spanish conquistadores, except they took 20 full years to do what these bikers are tackling in three days.
Fat Dog 120
Event: Trail Run
Distance: 120 Miles
Time Limit: 48 Hours
This race is quite a challenge: The runners climb over 8,673 metres (about 28,454 feet), which is just short of Mount Everest. As a reward, they enjoy a gorgeous view of the alps and wildflower meadows.
Ironman
Event: Triathlon
Distance: 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon (26.2-miles)
Time Limit: 17 Hours
The Ironman Triathlon is a long-distance race organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. There are Ironman races all over the world. In fact, this month you can participate in one in the Philippines, South America, Ireland, Poland, New Hampshire, Denmark and more.
Tough Mudder
Event: Military-Style Obstacle Course
Distance: 10-12 Miles
Time Limit: None
The Tough Mudder is not considered a race, but an endurance event. The series incorporates teamwork and values camaraderie throughout the 10 to 12 mile obstacle course. A few of the obstacles include the “Arctic Enema,” in which participants must dunk and move through a dumpster filled with ice water, and “Everest,” in which participants must run up a quarter pipe that is slippery with mud and grease.
The Tour de France
Event: Multi-Stage Bicycle Race
Distance: Approximately 2,200 Miles
Time Limit: 23 Days
The Tour de France is a multi-stage bicycle race held in France, which passes through the Pyrenees and the Alps, finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. There are between 20 and 22 teams each year, with nine riders on each, all competing for the coveted yellow jersey.
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Event: Sled Dog Race
Distance: 1,000 Miles
Time Limit: None
The Iditarod is a widely known race in which mushers and their teams of 16 dogs cover 1,000 miles in nine to 15 days.
The race takes competitors through blizzards, sub-zero temperatures and high-speed winds. In Alaska, the top dogs and mushers are considered celebrities.
Hardrock 100
Event: Endurance Run
Distance: 100 Miles
Time Limit: 48 Hours
This mountain run covers beautiful, rugged terrain, and ascends a total of 33,992 feet. The course is a loop that starts and ends in Silverton, Colo. Runners are affected by altitude sickness, rough terrain, and constant ascent and descent.
The fastest time to date is held by Kilian Jornet, who completed the 100 miles in 22 hours and 41 minutes.
Volvo Ocean Race
Event: Yacht Race
Distance: 38,739 Nautical Miles
Time Limit: Approximately Nine Months
This race happens every three years, and crosses four oceans, hitting five continents. Teams of eight to 12 sailors fight to win the fastest sail around the world, traveling nonstop for days at a time in between ports.
Sailors live off of freeze-dried food during their journey, and endure temperature changes from -5 to +40 °C. Sadly, five sailors have died while competing in this extreme race.
Marathon Des Sables
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 156 Miles
Time Limit: Six Days
This ultra marathon is equivalent to six regular marathons, but held in the Sahara Desert. It is called the “toughest footrace on earth,” and competitors must carry their equipment and food on their backs.
Surrounded by sand dunes, the official website for the race says that the runners “can’t feel the sweat dripping down [their] face(s) because it’s evaporating in the baking heat.” Doesn’t sound very fun to us!
Ramsay Round
Event: Mountain Running
Distance: 58 Miles, 24 Summits
Time Limit: 24 Hours
The Ramsay Round is a long-distance running challenge in which competitors summit 24 different peaks, running 58 total miles in under 24 hours. Called the “Classic 24 Hour Scottish Challenge,” the Ramsay Round takes runners through beautiful Scottish landscape.
4 Deserts
Event: Foot Race
Distance: 155 Miles Per Desert
Time Limit: Seven Days For Each Desert
The 4 Deserts race is a series of foot races through, you guessed it, four deserts: the Sahara Race (Egypt), the Gobi March (China), the Atacama Crossing (Chile) and the Last Desert (Antarctica). The contestants can complete the race in any order, excluding one option: they cannot begin with the Antarctic Race, because it requires runners to have first successfully finished two other races.
The entry fee is almost scarier than the idea of running through a desert: each event costs $3,600 to compete in.
Badwater 135
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 135 Miles
Time Limit: 48 Hours
This race begins at Badwater, Death Valley, and covers three mountain ranges, ending at Mount Whitney. The 135 mile race takes place in mid-July, so extreme temperatures are common (think 130 °F), even in the shade.
It’s also a non-stop race, meaning runners never have a chance to rest. This, in combination with the heat, makes it hard for most to even finish the race.
6633 Ultra
Event: Self-Supported Race
Distance: 350 Miles
Time Limit: 191 Hours (Eight days)
Only 11 people have finished this event in its seven year history. Runners cross the Arctic Circle, dragging their gear on sleds in temperatures around -25°F.
Apart from being physically vigorous, it’s also mentally trying: More people drop out on seemingly endless, flat snowy plains than on the canyon or mountainous parts of the trail.
Grand to Grand Ultra
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 147 Miles
Time Limit: Seven Days
With a 19,000 foot elevation change, this ultra marathon is not for beginners. This race takes runners through the stretch of Utah desert land between the Grand Canyon and the Grand Staircase (hence, the name). The race is self-supported, and features beautiful scenery of red sand dunes, canyons and more.
11-Cities SUP Tour
Event: Stand Up Paddleboard Race
Distance: 135 Miles
Time Limit: Five Days
This race is the world’s toughest stand up paddleboard (or SUP) race in the world, held annually in Holland. On most days, competitors will cover more than 25 miles of canals.
Although the race is scenic and calm, you have to work hard to maintain energy throughout each leg.
Salzkammergut Trophy
Event: Bicycle Race
Distance: 130 Miles
Time Limit: 16 Hours
This race is the most famous of the marathon bike races in Europe. Bikers have 16 hours total to climb 22,965 feet. and cover 130 miles of the Austrian alps. The views are gorgeous and the final descent is a rewarding one.
Yukon Arctic Ultra
Event: Multisport
Distance: 100, 300 or 430 Miles
Time Limit: Three Days, Four Days and 12 Hours, and 13 Hours, Respectively
This non-stop multisport race gives three options to competitors: They decide whether to tackle a 100 mile, 300 mile or 430 mile course. They also get to choose whether to do the race on foot, skis or bicycle.
The racers must carry all their gear the entire distance, and they face extreme weather conditions that can cause hypothermia and frostbite.
Race Across America
Event: Bicycle
Distance: 3,000 Miles
Time Limit: 12 Days
This bike race spans the entire country, making it twice as long as the Tour De France. Because of the 12-day time limit, there isn’t much time for bikers to stop to sleep at night. In fact, winner’s average about 22 hours per day on their bikes (250 to 350 miles per day).
Dragon’s Back Race
Event: Run
Distance: 186 Miles
Time Limit: Five Days
The race runs the length of Wales from North to South, with runners climbing roughly 8.5 miles of ascent on the “dragon’s back,” or mountainous spine of the country. The race’s official website says fast competitors should expect to run eight to nine miles per day, while slower competitors will run and walk 13 to 15 hours per day.
Furnace Creek 508
Event: Bicycle Race
Distance: 508 Miles
Time Limit: None
Also known as The 508, this bike race begins in Los Angeles and takes riders through Death Valley and the Mojave Desert.
The ride includes an incline of over 36,000 feet, and features a beautiful (but hot) landscape of desert scenery and isolated roads.
Tor des Geants
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 205 Miles, 78,740 Feet Incline
Time Limit: 150 Hours
This race is a non-stop week of running through Italy’s Aosta Valley, an area full of constant incline and decline for runners. The course has no compulsory stages, so competitors can complete the race in any way they want.
There are rest and re-fueling stops, but it is up to the competitors to decide how long they wish to spend at them.
The Jungle Ultra
Event: Run
Distance: 142.6 Miles
Time Limit: 6 Days
Participants cool off their feet by traversing through 70 tropical streams and rivers, often zip-lining over them.
Enduroman Arch to Arc
Event: Triathlon
Distance: 300 Miles
Time Limit: None
This event starts at London’s Marble Arch. Contestants must run 87 miles to the English channel, swim across it and then bike 181 miles from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
You can register for the triathlon for a whopping €3,000, and try to compete with this year’s winning time, which was 85 hours and 30 minutes.
World Bog Snorkeling Championships
Event: Bog Snorkeling
Distance: 60 Yards of Bog
Time Limit: None
This is both grueling and gross: Wearing flippers and goggles, contestants race through 60 yards of stinky, mucky peat bog in Wales.
Luckily, the competitors don’t have to deal with the smell for too long: the current World Champion completed the 60 yard swim in 1 minute and 22 seconds.
Yukon River Quest
Event: Canoe/Kayak
Distance: 444 Miles
Time Limit: None
Except for two mandatory rest stops, teams of contestants race non-stop in kayaks and canoes down the Yukon River for almost 450 miles. Hit with harsh, blistering sunlight, as well as freezing, windy nights, contestants are completely worn out by this race.
Hallucinations are not uncommon; if you have trouble believing that, imagine yourself after 12 straight hours of paddling.
Chasqui Challenge
Event: Multi-Stage Run
Distance: 100 Miles
Time Limit: 14 Days
This adventure run takes competitors through the Andes Mountains. The challenge begins with an Inca Trail Marathon (27.5 miles) followed by a 31 mile trek around Mount Ausangate. For a whopping registration fee of $4,145 (for four to six runners) competitors are provided with transportation, hotels, meals, mountain support and “first class camping.”
Cape Epic
Event: Mountain Bike
Distance: 435 Miles
Time Limit: Eight Days
This eight-day epic is referred to as the “Tour de France of mountain biking” by ultra-marathoner Simon Donato. The race covers over 435 miles of Western Cape, South Africa, and surprisingly, fills up quickly year after year. Amateurs are able to enter as well, but they must enter a lottery to win a registration slot.
Spartathalon
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 153 Miles
Time Limit: 36 Hours
This run covers the entire course from Athens to Sparta, the same route that the famous Greek messenger Pheidippides ran in 490 BC. The course itself isn’t too challenging (temperatures are moderate, too) but the time limit makes this race intensely grueling. Even if they are running through the night, if runners fail to make it to any of the 75 checkpoints in time, they are out of the race.
H.U.R.T 100
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 100 Miles
Time Limit: 36 Hours
This event takes place in tropical Hawaii, but has nothing to do with Mai-Tais or tanning. The race takes place in January, and the course has 24,500 feet of elevation change and 20 stream crossings. If the humidity doesn’t get to you, the bugs will.
Manhattan Island Marathon Swim
Event: Swim
Distance: 28.5 Miles
Time Limit: None
Considered the toughest open-water race in the country, this swim has contestants fighting boat traffic and freezing water as they encircle the entire Big Apple counterclockwise. You only have to be 19 years old to participate in this race, but NYC Swim will accept ambitious younger swimmers based on their experience.
Namibian 24h Ultra Marathon
Event: Ultra Marathon
Distance: 78.3 Miles
Time Limit: 24 Hours
This Ultra Marathon covers a distance equivalent to three normal marathons, but there is a catch: it takes place in the Namib Desert. Competitors must carry their own water, food, clothes and GPS for the full length of the race, which has a 24 hour time limit.
Barkley Marathon
Event: Unsupported Running Race
Distance: 100 Miles
Time Limit: 60 Hours
This race was inspired by a prison escape, and is held in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park. Runners must climb more than 60,000 feet and complete a series of five 20-mile loops. Dates aren’t posted for the race, and there’s no website—the race director wants the race to remain a mystery to most.
Few know how to sign up, and even fewer finish the race. Since it began in 1986, only 14 people have been able to complete it.
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