ULTRA-TRAIL DU MONT-BLANC
MONTANE SPINE RACE
JUNGLE ULTRA
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Another key difference between ultra-marathons and standard marathons is the social aspect and camaraderie many competitors maintain that they’ ve formed lifelong friendships with fellow runners over the course of a race, and it’ s clear to see why. With both your mental and physical strengths pushed to their limit and beyond, shedding a tear or two with a fellow competitor who knows the pain you are suffering can only help to motivate you further.
Below we take a look at some of the best events on the ultra-marathon calendar, ranging from the icy peaks of Mont Blanc to the thick foliage of the Peruvian jungle.
ULTRA-TRAIL DU MONT-BLANC
Each year 2,300 participants gather in August to complete a 168km course, throughout which they’ ll climb 9,600 metres and pass through France, Italy and Switzerland. Since the inaugural race in 2003 it has been called the“ race of all the superlatives”, with the competition open only to those with the requisite number of qualification points.
Following the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path, the route usually takes walkers seven to nine days to complete. Regarded by many as the single most challenging ultramarathon in Europe, the Tour du Mon Blanc is today made up of five ultra-marathons, with the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc( UTMB) being the biggest of them all. The other four are either smaller in scale or encompass more technical challenges, not least the Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix, or“ the little one”, which takes runners on a 101km track and a 6,100m climb.
MONTANE SPINE RACE
Britain’ s toughest endurance race is a non-stop 269 mile trek through Edale, Derbyshire, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park, eventually finishing up at the Scottish Borders.
Taking place in January, only the most courageous of competitors are capable of enduring the crippling mental and physical demands of the course. The current record of 110h 45m was set in 2014 by Pavel Paloncy as part of what is widely regarded as one of the most impressive feats of endurance yet witnessed in the UK.
JUNGLE ULTRA
A true icon- The Jungle Ultra takes place over five stages and covers 230km of winding jungle trails, lofty mountain paths and little-known village tracks. Competitors must descend on foot 10,500 feet from Peru’ s Cloud Forest to the Amazon Jungle, with a time limit of six days to complete the course in its entirety. The event asks that participants carry everything they need for the duration of the race, including a hammock, sleeping bag, food and water.
Humidity levels can reach close to 100 percent, leaving competitors saturated for long periods of time, whilst the unforgiving terrain gives participants little to no respite throughout.
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