Ultrarunning
7 incredible stats recorded on Strava
We give some kudos to some of the most active runners and cyclists on the social platform.
Strava is the Swedish word for 'strive'. And no one strives like these guys – from the girl who's been running every day since 2013 to the cyclist who climbed a million feet in a year – that's almost 1,000m a day.
The community site allows you to compare you how stack up against any given athlete. We suggest in this case you don't, just stand back – and be amazed.
1. The cyclist who climbed 1 million feet in a year
Only another 900,000ft to climb...
© Alex Chiu
The feat: Climb 1m ft in a year
Who: Torey Philipp
Status: Completed
Quote: “That's almost 35 times up Mt Everest.”
Philipp didn't even realise he was close to clocking one million feet (304,000m) of elevation on his bike towards the end of last year. "A majority of my training is done in the foothills of Northern California so throughout the year, I accumulated quite a bit of elevation gain,” he says. Then disaster struck shortly before new year and he had a bad slide. “I was determined to finish and complete the one million feet.”
2. The guy who ran seven sub-3h marathons in a row
The camel was not a hallucination
© World Marathon Challenge/Mark Conlon
Who: Michael WardianStatus: Smashes previous record.
Quote: “It has been an amazing start to 2017.”
During the last week of January 2017, the runner Michael Wardian's profile gets interesting. He knocks out seven daily marathons with an average 2h 45m time in – wait for it – Antarctica, Punte Arenas, Miama, Madrid, Marrakech, Dubai and Sydney. “My biggest obstacles were a lack of sleep and food. I slept about 16 hours total the whole seven days of racing and that was not ideal,” he tells us. “With more sleep I could have done a bit better.”
3. This guy ran across America in 42 days
Loneliness of the long distance runner
© Zandy Mangold
The feat: Fastest run across America
Who: Pete Kostelnick
Status: Mission accomplished
Quote: “I need a beer and my wife right now.”
Running across America is an outrageous feat by itself – it's 3,000 miles (4,800km). To do it in 42 days as Kostelnick did, breaking the 37-year-old record in the process, means running almost three marathons a day. “Well, I’m definitely not going to run back,” he told reporters after finishing.
4. First woman to complete '4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus'
Wet relief in the Atacama desert
© Thiago Diz / 4deserts.com
The feat: First woman to complete the Four Deserts Grand Slam PlusWho: Jax Mariash
Status: Completed
Quote: “The second you turn your mindset to negativity, you’re screwed.”
“I had twisted my knee, I had vomited four times, I’d gone off the course by 3km and I was crawling up the hill toward checkpoint one.” And that was just day one in the jungles of Sri Lanka. Fast forward 12 months and Jax would win ultras across the Atacama, Gobi, Namib and Antarctica deserts to be crowned series champion.
5. The woman who can’t stop running
Lee has been running for over 1,500 days
© Daniel McElmury Photography
The feat: Been running every day since January 1, 2013
Who: Joyce LeeStatus: She’s still going!
Kudos: Although not bragworthy as a run, this is from Lee’s fourth annual running party, in which she attracted 250 runners, including a panda.
Quote: “The lesson that we don't have to be an elite athlete or perfect in any way to be encouraging to others is something that really keeps my fire burning.”
Now into her fifth year of non-stop running, Joyce Lee has already clocked over 500 km in just the first two months of 2017, according to her Strava profile – and she has no plans to quit any time soon. “While my original intention was to run 365 days consecutively, I couldn't bear to stop. To be honest, I think I've run more consistently than I have flossed,” she says.
6. This guy cycled 63,000 miles in a year
Abraham spent 4,317 hours in the saddle
© George Marshall/Strava
The feat: Highest annual mileage
Who: Steve Abraham
Status: Forced to retire
Kudos: He once cycled 414 miles (715km) non-stop in 35 hours.
Quote: “I don’t want to be second best.”
Steve Abraham was gunning for the outright Highest Annual Mileage record of 75,065 miles set in 1939 when he was forced to give up early last year. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said at the time. “I don’t want second best. I want the best.” Eventually it would be broken by Kurt Searvogel. Still, his 2015 mileage of 63,608 miles (102,367km) an average of 174 miles (280km) per day, is still one of the highest ever recorded totals. He currently has his sights set on beating the monthly average.
7. First female mountain bike descent of Kilimanjaro
She also had to carry her bike up.
© Pat R. Notaro
The feat: First female to descend Kilimanjaro on a mountain bikeWho: Rebecca Rusch
Status: Mission success
Quote: “It was absolutely the hardest ride I’ve done in my life.”
Rebecca Rusch is no stranger to endurance. In fact, she’s not known as the Queen Of Pain for nothing, so when she says something was the hardest she’s ever done, pay attention. She and adventurer Patrick Sweeney took six days to complete the round trip journey up and down the 5,895m mountain. Watch the video here.
