As I look over my race calendar – for this year & years past – I’ve noticed that I have some pretty aggressive events on there. So I did some Googling, and found this list of the toughest endurance challenges out there. Now, I’m not saying that I’m the most impressive athlete, but let’s breakdown this list and see how I stack up.
- Tough Mudder – Totally on my bucket list, but want to find a team of friends to complete it with first, as what I’ve read about the event requires having some buddies to help you get to the finish line.
- Spartan Race – Done! And already registered for another one this year.
- GoRuck Challenge – On the calendar for March 16th. Man oh man…what am I getting myself into?
- Boston Marathon – Bucket list!! Living in Boston and being kind-of a runner, this race has been on my bucket list for a few years now. I’ll never qualify for it, but I hope to run it with Team in Training someday soon.
- Ironman 70.3 (aka Half-Iron) – Again, another one that’s on my bucket list. I have a few locations scoped out for good first-time 70.3s – currently Muskoka is topping that list due to location (easy bike transport) and timing. The fact that the run course is fairly flat is nice too.
- Sea Paddle NYC – This is an event that I had never heard of. It is 26.5 mile standing paddle around Manhattan. Doesn’t really appeal to me, but I bet you get some pretty awesome views.
- La Jolla Rough Water Swim – Also hadn’t heard of this one before. I’ve done one-mile open water swims before, but never ocean, which I have to imagine is the trickiest part. This one actually doesn’t scare my too much, but seems like more of a pain to travel to. I’ll put it on the maybe list.
- Ragnar Relay – A 24-36 hour race with eleven of your closest running buddies. This is actually on my to-do list, and I may even squeeze it in this May. There are some TNT alums getting a group together, so I may fill an open spot on that team, if there is room.
- Mount Washington Road Race – 7.6 miles, all uphill – with an average grade of 12%! I don’t think that I will ever attempt this one, although I said that about running a half-marathon a few years ago, so who knows. It’s definitely out of my comfort zone, that’s for sure.
- Goofy Challenge – Also on the bucket list, maybe for completion in 2014..? Just like my first half, maybe doing my first full in DisneyWorld isn’t a bad idea.
I was actually pretty shocked at how many of these were already on my radar. Also a bit surprising that there isn’t a single century ride on here, or that they chose an Ironman 70.3 instead of the full Ironman. I think they were trying to keep the list still plausible for most people. Either way, it’s a neat list & definitely one that I will come back to.
Interesting list! It does seem like they geared it towards events that ‘regular’ people can complete. In addition to not listing any Century rides, there are also aren’t any Ultra-races, like the Leadville 100, etc.!
Yeah, exactly. It’s like the most aggressive-yet-still-sane event list. Although fewer people have done a GoRuck than an Ultra-race…so I think the unique-ness of some events played into the list as well.