Ultrarunning
The world’s 8 toughest ultra runs
Seasoned ultrarunner Fredrik Ölmqvist rounds up the world's longest, highest and most challenging running races on earth.
Ultrarunning is a booming trend in the running world as more and more people swap the standard 26.2 miles for something even more challenging. But even in this extreme discipline, there are races that are simply off the charts. We asked seasoned ultrarunner and writer Fredrik Ölmqvist to pick out the hardest in the world. Here's his selection...
1. Hardrock 100
Running 100 miles is no bed of roses
© Hardrock100.com
AKA: The toughest race in America
Distance: 100 miles (160km)
Climb: 10,074m
Where: Colorado, USA
Hazards: Altitude, steep drops, storms, wilderness
Tough factor: 8/10
The course is designed to provide extreme challenges in altitude, steepness, and remoteness,“ say the event organisers. And with a 100-mile route taking place at an average altitude of 11,186ft and 66,100ft change in elevation, they seem to have ticked all three of those boxes.
Participants have just 48 hours to complete the course and kiss 'the Hardrock' (a picture of a ram's head painted on a stone), with mountaineering, wilderness survival and wilderness navigation skills deemed as important as endurance.
2. Escape from the jungle
Watch the snakes: the jungle marathon is 254km
© Alexander Beer
AKA: The best race for wildlife
Distance: 254km
Climb: Not recorded
Where: Belize
Hazards: Swamps, snakes, piranhas, jaguars, panthers, mud...
Tough factor: 9/10
The people behind the Jungle Marathon have taken things up a notch for 2020 with their brand new adventure race – Escape From the Jungle. Carrying a map, compass and compulsory kit, participants have six days to traverse through the jungle and make it to the finish line.
All entrants will take part in six days of jungle survival training, and have to be able to spend a night in the jungle alone before being allowed to start. If the Belize jungle's humidity doesn't get you, then the piranhas, anacondas and jungle cats might.
3. Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra
Nothing but a long cold road ahead...
© MONTANE® / Martin Hartley
AKA: The race for cold lovers
Distance: 724km
Climb: Not recorded
Where: Canada
Hazards: Exhaustion, frostbite, hypothermia
Tough factor: 9/10
'The world's coldest and toughest ultra' pits participants against the elements in the depths of Canada's Yukon territory. The 724 km route follows the path of the Yukon Quest trail – the world's toughest Sled Dog race – although man's best friend won't be on hand to help entrants get to the finish line in Dawson City. The temperatures can drop to minus 50 degrees Celsius, while wind chill can cause the mercury to plummet even more, making hypothermia and frostbite real risks. Oh, and you have to sign a waiver before competing, so it must be dangerous...
4. Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race
Enter the Dragon's Back to test your soul
© Jon Brooke
AKA: The race with no trails
Distance: 315km
Climb: 15,500m
Where: Wales
Hazards: Technical ground, wet and cold, navigation, sheep
Tough factor: 9/10
The next edition in 2021 will mark the 29th anniversary of the first Dragon's Back Race – a five-day scramble from Conwy Castle in North Wales to Ystrad-ffin in the south, across some of the country's most challenging peaks.
Glyderau and Snowdon are both on the menu – and that's just on the first day – and there's an average daily distance of 63km and 3,100m of climbing – a majority of which is on loose slate. Held on an unmarked course, participants have to navigate across the harshest terrain Wales has to offer.
And despite it taking place in May, they often have to battle against the elements, too.
5. The Grand Raid Réunion / Diagonale des Fous
Diagonale des Fous: the madman's race
© JP VIDOT / Grand Raid
AKA: The race for madmen
Distance: 162km
Climb: 9,643m
Where: La Réunion, Indian Ocean
Hazards: Almost 10km of elevation, extreme weather, huge drops, volcanic rock
Tough factor: 8/10
A race that takes part on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean might sound like a nice break after trudging around the rolling hills of Wales, but The Grand Raid Réunion is anything but.
The 100-miler has almost 10,000m of elevation – surpassing the height of Everest – and the weather can alternate between extreme heat to monsoon-like rain.
If the name – which literally translates to the diagonal of madmen – doesn't put you off, then the opinion of one seasoned pro might: “If you're prone to vertigo, pick another race, as some sections will scare the shit out of you." Lovely.
6. Montane Tor des Géants
Even seasoned ultrarunners are scared of the TdG
© Stefano Torrione
AKA: The race for masochists
Distance: 330km
Climb: 24,000m
Where: Italy
Hazards: Extreme weather, hallucinations, ridiculous ascents, sleep deprivation
Tough factor: 9/10
The stats of the TDG, or 'the Tor', speak for themselves, and all other ultras pale in comparison. At 330km in length and 24,000m of ascent (that's around three Everests, FYI), it's just about the toughest on our list – even if La Ultra (below) does come a close second.
But it doesn't hold that crown simply because it's one of the longest or has the most climbing. Conditions are generally a mixture of freezing rain and strong winds that try and blow you off the mountain, while sleep deprivation and hallucinations are handily thrown into the mix, too. Only 60% of those who sign up finish in the allotted 150 hours; could you be one of them?
7. La Ultra – The High
High altitude in La Ultra 333
© Shilpi Sharma
AKA: The race to get high
Distance: 333km
Climb: 16,000m
Where: Indian Himalayas
Hazards: Altitude sickness, heat and cold, lack of oxygen, massive mountains
Tough factor: 8/10
Covering 333km in sub-72 hours would test even the most hardy ultra competitor. Throw in three 5,000m passes, an atmosphere where there is 50% less oxygen than at sea level and temperatures that fluctuate from 40 degrees Celsius to -12 over the course of six hours, and you've got yourself a course that shouldn't be physically possible.
In the past eight years, only 72 of the 123 competitors that have started the race have finished, with organisers discouraging runners from competing against each other and instead concentrating on finishing in one piece.
8. Spartathlon
The Spartathlon will stay with you forever
© Shilpi Sharma
AKA: The race to become a legend
Distance: 246km
Climb: 1,200m
Where: Greece
Hazards: Exhaustion, ruthless cut-off times, scorching heat
Tough factor: 7/10
The Spartathlon is inspired by the Greek legend of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger who, in 490 BC, is said to have covered the 246km between Athens and Sparta, to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.
Participants are given just 36 hours to complete the mammoth course, with only 40% managing to complete it. Finish and you'll join the pantheon of legends.
