2 What are extreme endurance sports?
Extreme endurance sports have become increasingly popular over the past two decades and there are events held across the world in running, swimming and cycling, as well as triathlons. This increased popularity can be attributed to three significant factors (Datta and Bagchi, 2019).
First, increased economic prosperity for some people, particularly in the Global North, has resulted in increased disposable income and time for participation in these activities.
Second, this prosperity combined with relatively inexpensive air travel to most parts of the world has made more areas of the world accessible.
Third, the equipment and clothing necessary for extreme endurance events has become more sophisticated, affordable and available.
That said, many extreme endurance sports are not an option for everyone; the significant financial outlay and time spent away from work commitments can make these activities seem elitist, while they may also not be easily accessible to people with impairments.
There are many examples of extreme sporting activities; for example, World’s Marathons website (2024) advertises 1210 ultra distance running events. But what do we mean by an extreme endurance sport or activity? At what point is endurance defined as extreme? There is no accepted definition of the term ‘extreme endurance sport’, but Townes (2019) describes them as activities that push the limits of human endurance.
Box 2 presents accepted lengths and examples of extreme endurance events.
Box 2 Extreme endurance events
Running – races of between 50 and 100 miles run without a break are accepted as ultra-marathons. However, some races are significantly longer, such as the Badwater Ultramarathon which covers 135 miles run through Death Valley, or the Marathon des Sables, which is a six-day race covering 155 miles through the Moroccan Sahara Desert.
Cycling – extreme endurance events are referred to as ‘ultra-distance cycling’ and this term is reserved for events longer than 100 miles (referred to as a century). These events can be on roads or trails. For example, the Transcontinental Race in Europe is a race of around 4000 km across Europe with a route that varies every year. It takes the winner 8 or 9 days to complete.
Swimming – ultra-distance swimming events are events longer than 10 km. For example, swimming the English Channel, swimming the length of the Amazon River, or swimming from Florida to Cuba.
Triathlon – triathlons are seen as a natural progression from endurance running, cycling and swimming, and a new way to challenge yourself. Ironman events, which consist of 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42 km run are seen as the gold standard. Well-known events include the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and the Norseman Triathlon in Norway.
How do you feel about participating in extreme endurance sports? In Activity 1 you will gauge your attitudes to these activities.
Activity 1 What is your attitude towards extreme endurance sports?
Answer the three questions below to assess your attitudes towards extreme endurance events.
Comment
Once you have answered the questions you might appreciate how your answers may differ significantly from those of other people. You may appreciate how these types of activities are hugely appealing to some people but may be avoided at all costs by others.
As you may be aware, people become involved in extreme endurance activities for many reasons, such as to feel a sense of achievement in challenging themselves. In the next section you will continue to apply sport and exercise psychology, as well as learning more about people’s motivation and examining some athlete’s experiences.