Tough ( or suicidal ) ? Try one of these races !

Marathon ? Triathlon ? This is so not cool nowadays ( especially, when you see a 90 year - old grandma, running next to you ). Looks like "complete marathon/triathlon" is on everybody's to-do list... And I am not an exception... Except that, I want something more than just to say " I've done a marathon" ( who hasn't ?! ).


These days, one of the most popular endurance events is adventure racing. Adventure Racing is a multi-sport team activity that usually involves running, mountain biking, paddling and orienteering ( sometimes climbing and other "Mystery Events" that are unveiled mid-race). Comparing with triathlon competitions, Adventure Racing is more of a team sport. When you do a team sport you can only go as fast as the slowest (team) member, but in a triathlon it's all on you. Adventure Racing is meant to test participants both physically and mentally in multiple activities over varied lengths of time – from a few hours to many days.

But you don't have to go for days to test yourself.






" The Tough Guy Race" is " only " eight miles long and takes 2-3 hours to finish , but it claims to be the "World’s Most Brutal Race". Why ?
The organizers claim that running the course involves risking barbed wire, cuts, scrapes, burns, dehydration, hypothermia, acrophobia, claustrophobia, electric shocks, sprains, twists, joint dislocation and broken bones.
Although the course is adjusted each year, its features have included a 40-foot crawl through flooded underground tunnels, balancing planks across a fire pit, and a half-mile wade through chest-deep muddy water. Marshals dressed as commandos fire machine-gun blanks and let off thunder flashes and smoke bombs over the heads of competitors as they crawl under a 70-meter section of barbed wire.

If "Tough Guy" doesn't sound very intimidating, why not try " The Death Race "?




Not being tough ( or suicidal ) , and not wanting to deal with barbwire or an eclectic fence, I set my eyes on the The Men's Health Urbanathlon last year.



The Men's Health Urbanathlon is a rigorous race and obstacle course that incorporates challenging urban obstacles at iconic city landmarks ( this part really got my excited ). The event takes place annually in three different cities - Chicago, New York or San Francisco. Comparing to AR or the races described above, the Urbanathlon is not that extreme ( challenging-yes, extreme ? not so much ). But the chance to experience one of these beautiful cities in a fun, challenging and memorable way, is more rewarding for me than testing my self-confidence.