61-year-old Diana Nyad is back in the water. Again.
(previously)
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad
is making her third attempt (and second in as many months) to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, a distance of 103 miles. Her previous attempt failed after a crippling asthma attack. At the time, she swore she wouldn't try again, but a week later she was already
having second thoughts. You can track her progress
here.
posted by BlahLaLa
on Sep 23, 2011 -
26 comments
In 2006, Joss Naylor ran 50 miles up and down seventy
Lake District fells, ascending more than 25,000 feet in 21 hours. Not his best performance, but to be fair, he was 70 at the time.
Cumbrian shepherd Joss Naylor (warning: Youtube link; Cumbrian accent, impossibly adorable sheepdog) is one of the greatest British athletes most people have never heard of, and perhaps the greatest competitor ever in a sport most people have never heard of either: fell-running.
[more inside]
posted by reynir
on Nov 20, 2010 -
25 comments
Commonwealth, schmommonwealth. The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are on. Horse lovers the world over are enthralled by the high drama and hijinks in Lexington, Kentucky this week. Already there's been a controversial withdrawal following a
travel-related mishap (on the very same flight
hilariously previewed here.) In all the excitement, Eitan Beth-Halachmy, a "cowboy dressage" rider in the opening ceremony, seems to have
burst a spleen. As expected, the Dutch took the gold medal in Dressage despite one of their team being disqualified with
a horse bleeding from the mouth. Some point to training methods like
rollkur, or hyperflexion, saying they are cruel and abusive. The FEI has banned rollkur; former advocates say that what they do is not rollkur, but "LDR" (long, deep and round.)
Look at the lawsuits fly! In happier news, the gloriously named
Nobby took the gold medal in the Endurance event. "He could go another 100 miles today if you wanted him to," rider Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton said of the 15-year-old bay Arab gelding. Still to come, the equestrian triathlon:
Eventing! [more inside]
posted by rdc
on Sep 29, 2010 -
16 comments
On Oct. 27th, 1915.
Sir Ernest Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship, moving the crew and supplies off of the
ice bound Endurance. The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition would never achieve it's goal of crossing the continent, instead Shackleton would become famous for somethings far greater: his masterful and amazing ability at leadership and survival for himself and his crew of 27 men under the harshest conditions imaginable.
[more inside]
posted by mrzarquon
on Oct 27, 2008 -
59 comments
The Western States Trail Ride, more commonly known as the
Tevis Cup, is an equestrian competition held annually in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It begins near Squaw Valley, and ends in Auburn - a distance of 100 miles, to be covered in under 24 hours.
[more inside]
posted by po
on Oct 23, 2007 -
10 comments
Death Race: "
I confirm that if I should die on the Tough Guy route 2007, that it is my own bloody fault for coming. No claim can be made by me or my estate for loss or injury suffered by my failure."
posted by thisisdrew
on Mar 14, 2007 -
14 comments
Endurance - "During the performance of Endurance, 26 participants took a one our turn standing motionless on the same square foot of sidewalk. Challenging Seattles' vagrancy laws, which prohibit loitering, each participant dedicated their stand to the memory of a friend whose death resulted from a life lived on the streets." (flash)
posted by atom128
on Mar 13, 2004 -
9 comments
The World Triathlon Corporation ("WTC") runs the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. Most people have heard of the 2.4 mile swimming, 112 mile biking and 26.2 mile running race in Kona, Hawaii. It's the best-known and most prestigious race in the sport of the triathlon (
although no longer the most lucrative). Legend has it that the event was born in 1978 when some buddies in Hawaii, led by former Navy captain John Collins, were debating which was the toughest sporting event in Hawaii: the 2.4-mile
Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the 112-mile bike race around Oahu, or the
26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon. After more than a few beers, the legend goes, the small group decided to attempt all three distances in one day, and the Ironman was born. Today, the Ironman ("IM") is a trademarked event replicated annually almost 20 times all over the world by the WTC. These (and a few 1/2 IM races) function as
qualifying races for Hawaii, which now serves as the World Championship. Basically, each of these events is allotted a number of
qualifying slots per age group and you have to win a spot for Kona. The non-pros that they show on TV are generally the result of 200
lottery slots or special invitation (celebrity, good tv story, etc).
Athletes are lining up to get into IM races in the US. Currently, there are 4 IM trademarked races in the US:
Ironman USA in Lake Placid,
Ironman Wisconsin in Madison,
Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and
Ironman Florida in Panama City. What you may not know is that to participate in one of these you routinely have to register and pay the $400+ fee almost one year in advance. Registration for the 2003 races closed within a week or two of the completion of the 2002 races. Just recently, registration for the 2004 Ironman USA -- 2003 was held last weekend --
closed in two days, so
you're already too late for next year.
And who are these entrants? According to USAT
demographics, over 41% of triathletes (USAT members) earn more than $80,000 per year, 40% have college degrees and 48% have graduate/post-graduate degrees. Perhaps reflective of the demographics,
CEO's (of corporations with a minimum $1 Million in annual gross revenue) now have their own racing category.
The WTC may own the name "Ironman" but I have my eye on a non-WTC, "iron distance" event this year:
Duke. You can still
register for this one.
Here is a 13-week Ironman
training schedule for a 12-14 hour finishing time.
posted by probablysteve
on Aug 5, 2003 -
25 comments
