Fitness
The 7 toughest triathlons on the planet
You'll need nerves of steel and the fitness levels of a Greek God to take on these events. Seasoned tri athlete Nick Busca introduces the hardest Iron-races on earth.
As a triathlete, finishing an Ironman is a huge achievement. But as soon as you cross the finish line – or at least once all the pain and fatigue have gone – you may ask yourself, 'So, what’s next?'"
Many endurance athletes are always in search of something else, something new, something harder. A new race, a new discipline, another Ironman – or even an ultra-triathlon: a race that stretches the half and full Iron distance over the dramatic setup of a mountain range.
Here are the hardest Iron-races on the planet. Be prepared though. If you’ll take one of these as your next one, both the training and the fight will be brutal.
01
Norseman, Norway
Competitors get the ultimate wake up call
© Norsemen
When: August 2024
First held in 2003, the Norseman was the very first ultra-ironman ever ran. To be awarded with one of the famous finisher t-shirts, you’ll have to jump off the deck of a boat at 5am in the cold Norwegian waters (10° C in 2015), cycle for 180 km with 3,800m of vertical gain, and run for 42km with a total 1,432m of climbing. The race is not supported, so athletes must carry everything with them in case of emergencies and extreme conditions. Finally, only the fastest 160 athletes among the 250 that start will be allowed to climb to the finish line. Brutal, but epic.
02
Israman, Israel
When: March 2024
With an early swim in the Red Sea, water temperatures of 23° C and air temperatures of 20°, you might think that this race sounds like a walk in the park. But no. First, the bike part features 2,000m of vertical gain in the half-distance, and then the tough part of the course reveals its true shape: a gruelling mountainous plateau over the Eilat Mountain range, lashed with cold cross winds and front winds for the entire 60km of its length. It's probably one the darkest places you’ll cycle in your entire life. On top of that, you’ll be surrounded by the silent and ghostly desert at the border between Israel and Egypt, surrounded by soldiers armed with rifles and tanks parked along the road. And when you rack the bike your race isn’t done: cue a downhill run for 10km. By that point your quads will be long gone.
03
Bearman, France
Bearman is one of the newest fixtures on on the ultra-triathlon circuit
© xtreme-triathlon
When: September 2025
The Bearman is one of the newest races of the ultra circuit, but it can already be ranked among the hardest. Located in the French Pyrenees around Amélie-Les-Bains, the bike leg of this race will demand all your energy in order not to blow up on its +5,000m climb. The run will also claim some scalps, with 2,000m of vertical gain. Among all the 'standard' gear required for a triathlon, athletes must also bring along bike lights for the sunset, head or body torches for the run and a mobile phone.
04
ICON Livigno Xtreme Triathlon, Italy
If you don't like altitude, you're going to be in trouble
© Livigno
When: September 2024
This Italian event boasts the highest swim of any ultra-tri. The first leg of the ICON takes place in the cold water of Livigno Lake – a mountain town at the border of Italy and Switzerland – where athletes plunge into the cold water at 1,800 meters above sea level. The fact neoprene swim caps are compulsory (with neoprene socks and gloves strongly recommended) is testament to how cold it is. The bike course (195km - 15 more than a full Ironman) includes 5,000m of elevation gain, while the final run of the race lives up to the race name, with 42.2 km and 3,000m of vertical gain.
05
The Brutal, Wales
When: September 2024
The name tells you everything you need to know, but the 3,000m climb on the bike and the 1,349m on the run tell a small part of the whole story. Lake Padam’s waters can be really cold on race day (and usually around 15° C), with both the bike and run being stretched across the beautiful but demanding Snowdonia National Park. If the Brutal’s full distance is not enough for you, the organisers also offer a double and a triple Brutal which runs twice or three times the Brutal’s full distance. And if you miss The Brutal, look no further than Slateman, another triathlon running through the unforgiving landscape of Snowdonia.
06
Ironman Lanzarote, Spain
You won't find a sun lounger on this stretch of coastline
© Ironman Lanzarote
When: May 2024
A Mecca for triathlon training camps over the winter – when the North of Europe isn’t quite welcoming in terms of training conditions – Lanzarote also offers one of the toughest branded Ironman events of the race calendar. Normally held at the end of May, the course will take place in the Atlantic Ocean (19°C the average temperature) and it’s notorious for its bike course elevation (2,500m), the infamous winds of the Canary islands and the heat, even at this time of year. It has a median finish time of almost 14 hours and a DNF rate of 11%.
07
Austria Extreme Triathlon, Austria
The land of Arnie offers one of the hardest triathlons going
© Austria eXtreme Triathlon
When: June 2024
The Austria 'eXtreme' has joined the ultra calendar in 2016 and takes place in the Styrian region around Graz. It has a pretty high median time (15 hours 31) and includes a river swim in the Mur (14°C with 2,000 meters downstream and 1,800 upstream), 3,923 meters of vertical gain on the bike and 1,863 on the run. It's just a slog, a beautiful, beautiful slog.
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