Yahoo Movies A Scorching Moroccan Ultramarathon vs. a Freezing Norwegian Triathlon: Which Extreme Race Is Tougher?
Thought your first post-pandemic 10K was tough? In the arena of extreme endurance races, competitors face off under grueling conditions in environments where just taking a walk feels like punishment. The Marathon des Sables, in which participants run the equivalent of six marathons over the course of a week in the Sahara Desert, bills itself as the “toughest footrace on Earth.” Can’t stand the heat? Head to Norway for the “world’s toughest triathlon,” the Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, where the waters are chilly enough to give swimmers hypothermia. Will you prove your mettle by sweating in the sand or shivering in the fjord?
Patrick Bauer hiked solo through over 200 miles of uninhabited desert with everything he needed for the 12-day journey on his back in 1984. The race started two years later. More from Robb Report
 Erik Sampers/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images | Hårek Stranheim envisioned a triathlon in which “the experience would be more important than the finish time.” The nightmare dream came to life in 2003.  Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
Running 156 miles through the Moroccan Sahara Desert over six days in April. | Swimming, biking and running a combined 140 miles in Norway on the first Saturday of August.  Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
Over 1,000 people run the race each year. In 2019, a lost dog named Diggedy joined on day two and received a medal for finishing. | Thousands vie for a slot, and 215 are chosen at random to race alongside 75 invited athletes. No dogs, though. |
The desert heat in southern Morocco can reach 122°F—coincidentally the same temperature at which asphalt begins to melt. | The waters of the Eidfjord have gone below 55°F on race day, which is chilly enough to induce cold shock. Most people won’t get in their pools if they’re under 85°F. |
Day four is the toughest leg of the race, requiring over 50 miles of running. | The triathlon starts at 5 a.m. after a ferry ride. Once you take the 13-foot jump off the ship into the fjord, there’s no turning back.  Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images |
Medical crews, planes, helicopters, ATVs and camels are standing by in case of emergencies.  Erik Sampers/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images | Contestants provide their own one- or two-person support team and vehicle. No camels, though. |
Runners typically battle dehydration, hypothermia, sunburn and blisters.  Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images | Hypothermia is a risk, but most people suffer from “afterdrop,” where body temperature can continue to descend for up to 25 minutes after getting out of the water.  Alexander Koerner |
The winner gets a trophy and a prize of 5,000 euros, about $5,300 at current exchange. | No trophies here, but competitors who reach the mountain cutoff point within 15 hours get a black T-shirt. (Everyone else’s is white.)  Supplied |
“Your feet will swell. They will crack. They will bleed.”  Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images | “This [race] is not for you. Nothing personal.” |
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