These races are only for the toughest guys. They have to cover hundreds of kilometres in brutal conditions, endure abrasions, blisters, heat or icy water, all within a time limit that is not long at all.
Patagonian Expedition Race (or the last truly wild expedition)
Starting off pretty rough, this Patagonian Expedition takes you in a team of 4 (at least 1 man and 1 woman) into the depths of southern Patagonia to places not many people go. Following the traditional routes of your Indian ancestors, you'll cross plains, glaciers and forests, ford rivers, cross lakes and climb mountain peaks. You'll spend hundreds of miles running, trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, or climbing, all in unpredictable weather and without encountering a live animal.
What does it look like in reality? Check out
Wow, isn't it?
When: 17 - 30 November 2018
Where: southern Chilean Patagonia (with the capital Punta Arenas)
How much: time limit 10 days, over 500 km. 24 hours before the start you will be given a map and you must be able to read the route from it, which changes every year
Prerequisites: minimum age is 18, you must be able to swim, ride a seakayak (one of the team must be an instructor), work with ropes (you will rappel, wade rivers, etc.), navigate (no, being shown a buzzer in high school is not enough knowledge), know first aid (with a certificate)
Registration: are you in? Just sign up
World's Toughest Mudder
The world's most extreme, craziest, and breathtaking obstacle race. A 5 mile long circuit spiced up with about 20-25 crazy obstacles you can't even imagine awaits you. In fact, no one has ever seen them before. Every year they're new.
The race organizers don't just have a mouth full of tough talk, their obstacles are actually worth it, hey
You'll be doing these over and over again, over and over again, for 24 hours. I think you'll perfect the technique of overcoming them over the course of the race. All you really need is upper body strength, lower body strength, full body coordination and mental toughness and endurance. Toy.
When: 10 - 11 November 2018
Where: Fairburn, Georgia
How much: 24 hours, about 80 to 100 miles and about 300 to 400 obstacles, $10,000 prize for the best
Registration: are you in? Just sign up
Only about 10 percent of participants will finish this race. At the end of a really long day, the toughest man and woman on the planet will be revealed.
If you're not sure yet, you can start training with the official race instructions or go test your mettle at the Toughest Mudder bootcamp
The brutal extreme triathlon in Wales or Triathlon for the best
"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough", this is their motto for the race perfectly.
Hawaii's Kona ironman looks like a school playground warm-up next to this race. Here you'll enjoy 11.4 kilometres of swimming in the icy Lake Padarn, 540 kilometres of cycling through the stunning mountains of Wales and finally 126 kilometres of running up Wales' highest mountain, Mount Snowdon.
When: 17 September 2018
Where: Llanberis, North Wales
How much: 11.4 kilometres swim, 540 kilometres bike, 126 kilometres run
Registration: are you up for it? Just sign up
If you fancy a slightly less brutal challenge, there's also the option to do just the classic ironman, or split it up and do it as a team.
So, have you made your choice?
Erzgebirge Everest
These races are out of this world to you? How about something a little less extreme and a little closer?
On 6 October from 10am you can try the hardest interval race in the Czech Republic - the Erzgebirge Everest. The team's task is to run (climb, scramble) up the slalom slope on Bouřňák as many times as possible during 12 hours and ideally reach the 8,000 vertical meter mark. The panoramas will probably be a bit different than in Nepal, but you can do this ultra-trail race without an oxygen bomb. Your body will get a pretty similar experience out of it though.
So, are you up for it? Just sign up. You'll still have time to train.
