Hacker News Reader

Comment by cgsmith | Hacker News Reader

It always amazes me that there is always, always, a harder race out there then the one I've done.

Humbling...

Do you reckon the 1% of the people who completed are looking for something even harder?

Wow, that is a good thought as well. I imagine the 1% of competitors that complete the race would be willing to do any challenge given to them.

Just constantly driven.

There are a small handful of extreme races that are all approaching impossible in their own special way. The Barkley, because of it's traversal of insane undergrowth and ridiculous total elevation, is one. The Marathon des Sables (http://www.marathondessables.co.uk/) across part of the Sahara is another (6 days max to traverse 251km while carrying all your supplies except a tent (and you can refill water containers each night at the aid stations)). The Arrowhead 135 is essentially the same style, but conducted in northern Minnesota in the middle of winter (http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/race-inforegistratio...). The Iditarod is a fourth.

Meh, the Iditarod is easy. They should do the Antarctica dog sled race to the south pole. Amundsen did that one at the beginning on the 20th century with ease.

I once was in Argentina and met some people who were going to climb Vincent Mastiff in Antarctica. The tallest peak in Antarctica. It cost them something like $25,000 a person to fly their group in. Basically you have to get someone willing to fly a perfectly good long range airplane and land it on a glacier in the middle of nowhere with no hope of rescue if you screw up.. and then you have to have it take back off and get you back to south america. Now that's adventure.

Perhaps eitally refers to the Iditarod Trail Invitational?

> The Iditarod Trail Invitational is the world's longest winter ultra marathon by mountain bike, foot and ski and follows the historic Iditarod Trail from Knik, Alaska over the Alaska Range to McGrath and to Nome in late February every year one week before the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The short race 350 miles finishes in the interior village of McGrath on the Kuskokwim River and the 1000 mile race finishes in Nome. Racers have to finish the 350 mile race in a previous year before they can enter the 1000 mile race.

Yes, thank you for clarifying.

I'm not sure Marathon des Sables belongs in that list. Badwater is almost the same distance, usually hotter, and without all the rest.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com