KILIAN JORNET BORN TO RUN - Amer Sports

80 percent of those heading out make it to the finish line,
the fastest travelling the distance in less than 28 hours.
Iditarod (www.iditarod.com) represents the opposite
extreme in terms of conditions. The Alaskan trail from
Anchorage to Nome crosses mountain ranges, forests and
vast expanses of snow over a total distance of 1,161 miles,
or 1,868 kilometers. The temperature often drops to -30
degrees centigrade. Every year, some 60 dog sled teams
arrive on site to contend for glory and considerable prize
money on the traditional mail route. The same challenging
setting has also hosted a mountain biking race in recent
years.
Furnace Creek 508 (www.the508.com) offers road
cyclists an elevation gain of nearly 11,000 meters across
some 800 kilometers, crossing ten mountain passes in
the Californian deserts. Should it seem an overwhelming
route to tackle alone, you can also sign up as a relay team
of two or four members. The number of entrants is
restricted to approximately 200.
Race Across America (www.raceacrossamerica.org) is
one of the most legendary long-distance cycling events. It
The Crocodile Trophy in Australia is one of the
hardest and most challenging bicycle races.
brings together all the essentials: a route across the USA
from the west to east coast, a distance of 5,000 kilometers,
as well as demanding and varying conditions. In addition
to the cyclists’ own performance, the work of their
support crews plays a big role in getting the competitors
to the finish line – which the fastest participants reach in
an amazing nine days.
Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (www.ultratrailmb.com) is a
running race that extends over 166 kilometers across the
French, Italian and Swiss Alps. The vertical difference
along the route totals some 9,400 meters. The fastest runners
cover the distance in an admirable 20 hours, but for
most participants getting through the race is the greatest
achievement of all.
The adventure racing world series (www.arworldseries.
com) consists of several events and culminates in the
Adventure Racing World Championships. The race locations
vary annually, but what they all have in common is a
duration of one day, extremely difficult conditions and constantly
accumulating fatigue. Teams of four push ahead
day and night running, walking, mountain biking, paddling,
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t John Flynn, Regina Stanger
3.2010 || 19