Let us remember that a marathon is a long-distance running competition (by the standard, 26 miles, or about 42 km). This already challenging discipline can become incredibly difficult due to demanding sections of the course and unusual locations where the races are held. I previously published 10 Best Marathon Races, and now here are the 10 most difficult courses:
If 40 km is no problem for you, then our top three are for you:
1
240 km isn’t enough for you? First place in our ranking goes to something truly unimaginable. The world’s longest ultramarathon has the mysterious name “Self-Transcendence” and consists of running laps around New York, with participants required to run more than 5,000 (five thousand, yes!) kilometers.
2
The Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts in Death Valley and takes 2nd place in our ranking, is 215 km long and, unlike the “Sand Marathon,” is run continuously without stopping! Naturally, it takes participants an average of about a day to complete, especially since the air temperature can sometimes rise above 50 (!) degrees Celsius.
3
3rd place goes to the “Sand Marathon,” in which participants cross approximately 240 km of the Moroccan desert over 7 days. Each participant carries their own food supplies, a dose of antivenom (there are snakes in the area), and signal flares in case they get lost.
4
4th place goes to the Dead Sea Marathon. In addition to the heat, participants face considerable difficulties from the changes in elevation throughout the course — from 900 meters above sea level to 400 meters below sea level. That’s a total elevation difference of no less than 1.3 km.
5
The world’s highest marathon, ranking 5th, is the Everest Marathon. The starting point is located at an altitude of 5,184 meters above sea level. Due to the rugged terrain and high altitude, and consequently the thin air, results are slower than in other races — in 2010, the fastest participant completed the course in more than 3.5 hours.
6
The Arctic Circle Marathon, which ranks 6th, tests not only your running ability but also your ability to stay on your feet on ice — some sections of the course consist of completely frozen ground.
7
7th place goes to the Great Wall Marathon. It is, of course, held in China (there don’t seem to be Great Walls anywhere else). The difficulty lies in the constant ascents and descents — you can start training in your own apartment building’s stairwell.
8
8th place goes to the Russian Christmas Half Marathon, held in Omsk. The Christmas Half Marathon takes place in extremely low temperatures, so in 2001, for example, only 11 of the 134 participants who started actually made it to the finish.
9
9th place goes to the Waterberg Marathon, held in South Africa. Have you ever wanted to race lions? If so, you should definitely take part. The race route passes through the habitat of a lion pride! Naturally, armed security personnel monitor the runners’ safety from helicopters…
10
10th place goes to the Midnight Sun Marathon, held in Norway in the middle of summer, when the Sun remains in the sky around the clock for two months (a phenomenon observed during summer near the Arctic Circle). The difficulty of the course lies in the climb up Tromsø Bridge, which is 44 meters high.
