The first 600 miles is the hard part
November 4, 2016 10:57 AM   Subscribe

From Kottke.org, a quick story about the Quintuple Anvil Triathlon, which is five Ironman triathlons over the course of five days. And then he finds out about the Triple DECA Ironman, which is thirty triathlons over thirty days.

That works out to 114 kilometers of swimming (in a 25-meter pool, no less), 5,400 kilometers of cycling (over ever-changing road courses, because they lost the facility they were going to use just before the event), and 1,260 kilometers of running. Twenty-one competitors started. Thirteen dropped out by day 5. The other eight all finished.
posted by Etrigan (16 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Exercise addiction
posted by thelonius at 11:02 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I feel like this might be not entirely healthy.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:28 AM on November 4, 2016 [8 favorites]


I hope these people all lives healthy and long lives with minimal pain. But I have worries.
posted by Theta States at 11:40 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


Previously:
Lael Wilcox bikes alone across U.S. in 18 days

The loneliness of the long-distance rider

6 marathon lengths in 36 hours

And back in 2003, some people here were impressed by a single Ironman
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:45 AM on November 4, 2016


I thought Dean Karnazes was crazy when he ran 50 marathons in 50 days but this is also crazy.
posted by GuyZero at 11:45 AM on November 4, 2016


The other eight all finished.


I originally read this as the other eight are finished, and thought "Well, I imagine they would be. My condolences to their families."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:50 AM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]


Reminds me of the All Drug Olympics.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:54 AM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


A couple years ago some of the ultrarunners I know started doing Ironman races and winning them all because, as they put it, "It's just a marathon plus you have to swim and bike a little."
posted by lagomorphius at 12:14 PM on November 4, 2016 [6 favorites]


My ex-husband was really into following these kinds of extreme extreme athletes. Last summer one of the guys he rooted for was James "Iron Cowboy" Lawrence, who attempted to complete 50 Iron-distance triathlons over 50 days in 50 states (and either succeeded or came very close to succeeding). IRRC, the ex even went so far as to run 18 miles of the marathon leg when he was in Delaware, since he was training for his own first marathon at the time.
There were slight caveats--some days the efforts were made indoors due to weather conditions, including use of treadmills and training stands, and one day following a cycling crash he completed the "run" portion on an elliptical, which is getting pretty far from an actual running effort.
You cannot deny, of course, that this is a superhuman feat of physical and even moreso mental endurance. However--and perhaps this makes me a rotten person for feeling this way--I felt a little hinky about these sorts of things and what the goal/motivation is. In this particular case, for example, the stated goal beyond personal accomplishment was to "raise awareness" for childhood obesity. I don't know what the logistical costs of an operation like this are, but they surely must drain away a significant portion of the funds are raised for the named cause. As well, I could see it being even slightly counterproductive to the fight against obesity with an athletic endeavor so extreme as to border on the ludicrous. Not only is it slightly alienating for the average couch potato, but during the attempt itself you could see the guy getting unhealthier and unhealthier by the day. It also feeds into what I feel to be an extremist shift in approaches to health--the popularity of 30-day challenges and extreme diet changes vs. the small incremental approach.
posted by drlith at 12:29 PM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]


And I thought the Barkley Marathons were crazy.
posted by MsVader at 1:09 PM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


There was a very interesting story about this race in the NY Times a few days ago.
How Much Suffering Can You Take?

From the story:
Competitors may choose one of two ways to mete out their self-flagellation: do one Ironman-length triathlon a day for five days, abiding by a 17-hour cutoff, or do all of it continuously — a 12-mile swim, followed by a 560-mile bike ride and a 131-mile run — stretched out over five and a half days, broken up however you wish.
posted by jjj606 at 1:12 PM on November 4, 2016 [2 favorites]


I actually read this as the 'Quintuple Advil Triathlon'. Which is perhaps closer to the truth.
posted by grounded at 2:36 PM on November 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


12+560+131=703 miles. There are faster ways to get from Birmingham Alabama to Kansas City Missouri.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:01 PM on November 4, 2016


When I did Ironman New Zealand in 2008, there was a dude doing a back-to-back Ironman. He finished the run, put on his wetsuit, and got back in the water to do the whole thing all over again. I think he finished. I dunno. I was too tired and sore and hungry to think about him, other than to thank the Flying Spaghtetti Monster that, as dumb as I was to do one Ironman, I wasn't dumb enough to do another immediately after.
posted by RakDaddy at 9:37 PM on November 4, 2016 [3 favorites]


And I thought the Barkley Marathons were crazy.

Oh, they are!
posted by maupuia at 9:37 PM on November 4, 2016


I have an amazing new sport for the ultra-marathoners! It's called: TURN THIS CRANK!
Yes, you can stand here and turn this crank, powering a generator, for as long as you can, day in and day out!
All of the excitement of putting your body through hell for excruciating periods of time, except somewhere else a light bulb turns on.
SIGN UP TODAY!

We'll even livestream your constant efforts as part of our new Slow TV lineup.
posted by Theta States at 5:50 AM on November 15, 2016


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