Hacker News Reader

Comment by derefr | Hacker News Reader

> the lighter you are the faster you can run long distance

Is there a running-related sport that doesn't care about who gets there first, but instead measures success like a gauntlet, where the last person to drop out of the race for just not being able to run anymore, wins?

Not quite like a multi-day ultramarathon, where the running is segmented. I'm talking more about something that measures who can muster the longest single-segment run, with most people being expected and encouraged by their trainers to drop out once their muscles start to fail them, lest they incur permanent damage.

I imagine light weight would serve no advantage in this kind of "race."

View on HN

This sounds a lot like the last-person-standing format that is becoming more popular. The most well known is probably Big's Backyard Ultra: https://trailrunnermag.com/races/bigs-backyard-ultra-gets-bi...

> The format is simple: Runners must complete a 4.16667-mile loop every hour until only one hardy soul is left. Whatever time they bank before the next hour begins is theirs. So it’s not a race of speed but rather a war of attrition where all but the winner DNF. Last year, a duel between Guillaume Calmettes and Harvey Lewis ended with Calmettes running 245.835 miles in 59 hours. The feat drew considerable attention for the race and attracted a highly competitive field for 2018.

There is a gauntlet race somewhere in Appalachian US that only 20 or 30 have ever finished.

It's a 30 hour race through the woods if I recall correctly.

EDIT: I wasn't 100% correct, but this looks like what I was talking about: https://www.outsideonline.com/1924491/60-hours-hell-story-ba...

The actual count is 16 finishers and it is a 60 hour race so I am assuming it is done in legs.

The Barkley Marathons. It's a 60 hour race of 5 laps through an unmarked course in a Tennessee state park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Marathons

There is a good documentary about it called "The Barkley Marathons: The Race that Eats its Young" currently available on Amazon Prime streaming. There are also some smaller pieces on YouTube about some other years.

You're basically describing the Big Dog Backyard Ultramarathon (created by the same person who created the Barkley Marathons, which other comments have mentioned). To get a taste of this year's race (which just happened!), read this thread: https://twitter.com/voraciousbrain/status/118552792918436659...

Not all multi-day ultras are stage races. Have a look at the Tor des Geants (tordesgeants.it). Unlikely the Berkeley, you have a good chance of finishing. But it basically involves almost no sleep for a week. I did it a couple of years back and got 16 1/2 hrs sleep in 138 hrs.

Bonkers but utterly brilliant...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com