TOUGHEST RACES ON EARTH
Toughness, in its real sense – of showing grit in the face of adversity, proving adaptable in the wake of physical and mental challenges, as well as creating functional, resilient bodies as opposed to popcorn gym muscles – is a quality we shouldn’t resign to the dustbin of masculinity too quickly.
In creating this Toughest Races on Earth feature, we’ve thought a lot about what it means to be tough. Recruiting ideas from winning competitors, coaches and race organisers from around the world, we’ve learned that it’s not so much the distances involved (though that certainly comes into it), but the eye-popping intensity, obstacles to overcome, and sheer training volume required. Whether it’s that Herculean effort to rise early on 1 January for the Knacker Cracker 10k, or managing the family and work commitments necessary to train properly for the 100-mile UTMB®, toughness is required in spades. Here’s our list. Are you tough enough?
Ultra Fiord
Patagonia, Chile
• Date: TBC (usually held in February)
• Entry cost: TBC
If you made a measuring stick for race toughness, you’d whittle it out of the dark woods at the end of the world where Ultra Fiord is held. This race leads competitors through Patagonian puma territory, then up onto a glacier’s crevasse field, where rockfall and avalanches regularly rearrange the race course. Some of the world’s best ultra runners have been emotionally broken
