From Couch Potato to Ultra Hero: Conquering the World’s Toughest Races
A guide for the curious and the driven.
Why would you ever run an ultra? It seems ludicrous. For many, running around the block is a momentous task. While the rest of us reside in normalcy, a select few can tolerate the pain, and fewer still embrace it.
First, let’s set some guidelines about what ultra running is:
The technical definition of an ultra is any race longer than 26 miles and 385 yards. In other words, longer than a marathon.
Running, walking, and stopping are all acceptable as long as the racer finishes the course in the designated time.
Ultras are mostly trail courses, given their extreme length and the added challenge of staying vigilant on uneven terrain.
Most races permit runners to have a crew of support staff helping feed, clothe, and tend to the racer’s needs.
With the basics out of the way, let’s dive into it.
The Classic 6633 Arctic Ultra
Distance: 380 miles
Elevation: 12,000 feet
Format: Unsupported
Location: Yukon, Canada
Let's get chilly! Frigid and freezing are not enough to describe this grueling tundra trek. The starting gun sends racers from Eagle Plains up through Yukon National Park as contestants run for the Arctic Circle. Without the help of a crew, competitors must brave the icy conditions for 380 miles as they summit snow-capped peaks and run alongside the frozen Arctic Ocean.
While running 380 miles in normal conditions is hard enough, the Yukon's unique environment presents added considerations for ultra racers. Without a crew, runners must haul a pulk, or sled, to carry their food, shelter, and equipment over the snow. High-velocity winds require wind shells, hoods, and goggles to prevent exposure. Temperatures nearing 40 below knock most of the bravest out of the race, while the staggering elevation change presents more challenges. Veterans say the key is to keep moving and keep warm.
Last Man Standing
Elevation: Unknown
Format: Supported
Location: New Gloucester, Maine
Usually, in ultra racing, you are competing against yourself. It's about battling your mind so your body can do the unthinkable. In Last Man Standing, the same concept applies, except everyone else is out to get you too. Unlike the Classic 6633 Arctic Ultra, Last Man Standing has no set distance. There is only one rule: competitors must complete the 4.2-mile loop once every hour. In between the starting guns, contestants can eat, sleep, and drink with their crews before its time to get running again.
The race begins with a healthy pack of runners, but as the day wears on, the herd is culled. As dawn approaches on the first day, a general excitement surrounds the remaining runners. Night brings about the unique conditions that allow runners to zone out in the warm glow of their headlamps. Many say those nighttime loops are the easiest because they can tap into this tranquil headspace. But, as the sun rises on day two, any comfortability is shattered by the realization of sleep deprivation. The strongest are able to ignore the fact they haven't slept and continue on. In 2023, the last man standing completed 147 miles, running 35 loops for 35 hours. Wow.
Marathon des Sables
Distance: 156 miles
Elevation: 11,320 feet
Format: Semi-Supported
Location: Southern Morocco
Ultra is everywhere. From the Arctic to the desert, athletes continue to seek new challenges. Southern Morocco hosts one of the most formidable footraces in the world. Marathon des Sables, or Marathon of the Sands, is a six-day desert excursion founded by a French concert promoter who wandered off in the Sahara Desert. The race covers 156 miles of desert dunes, sand traps, rock falls, and salt plains. Temperatures are frequently above 100 Fahrenheit and can reach 120 on days three and four.
While race officials prohibit crew teams from accompanying racers, communal water stations and goat hide tents are erected every night. The roving camp offers a community for those weary of battling the sands and their senses all day. Scorching heat and wild winds make the Marathon des Sables one of ultra's most arduous tasks, but the feeling of togetherness brought by camp life carries most to the finish line.
Self-Transcendence 3100
Distance: 3,100 milesElevation: 0
Format: Supported
Location: Queens, New York
Last, but certainly not least, the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race. I know it's a mouthful, but this ultra is the stuff of legend. Sri Chinmoy, the race's enigmatic founder, wished for people to unlock the mental capacity to go beyond what was thought physically possible. Thus, he devised the longest footrace ever recorded. The distance from start to finish covers the width of the continental United States plus eleven marathons. But there's a catch. Instead of choosing an idyllic route through America's national wonders and natural beauties, Chinmoy decided the race would circle one city block. That's right, one block.
To run 3,100 miles, runners must constantly lap the block at all times of the day. This means that racers must navigate and evade city traffic, pedestrians, street vendors, and the students pouring out from school around 3:00. When it rains, runners dodge umbrellas on the sidewalks to keep pace. The course concept, which some might call insane, aims to break the runner's mind. Chinmoy's goal was for the strongest minds to prevail, and this mental test is one of the toughest on the planet. The record holder completed the Self-Transcendence 3100 in 40 days. 40 days of running circles around the same block. He could have run from Santa Fe to Honolulu with the same physical effort. Incredibly, people show up every year to face this challenge. The insane and the driven are sometimes hard to differentiate, but a winner is still a winner.
Works Cited
6633 Arctic Ultra, www.6633ultra.com/route. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
“6633 Arctic Ultra - the Toughest Foot Race in the World.” Inov, www.inov-8.com/us/6633-arctic-ultra-race. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024.
Bare, Nick. “Last Man Standing Ultramarathon | the Race with Only One Finisher.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc69K9x35Ig.
“Marathon Des Sables.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables.
Tales of Adventure. “Sahara: What It’s like to Run the Marathon Des Sables.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 May 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaStXd-54OE.
“The 27th Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race.” 3100 Mile Race, 3100.srichinmoyraces.org/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
“The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race.” Sri Chinmoy’s Official Site, www.srichinmoy.org/service/sri_chinmoy_marathon_team/3100_mile_race. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
Will. “Last Man Standing Ultramarathon.” Backyard Ultra, backyardultra.com/races/lastmanultra/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024.
Images
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