Jaunted

Take the Ultra Trail Tour du Mont Blanc (pictured), for example. The 150-kilometer race is considered one of the toughest in the world, with an elevation gain of 8,500 meters, but there are still a few freakishly tough runners who can complete it in 20 hours. If that seems too easy for you, register to race in 4 Deserts, a series of ultramarathons across the Gobi Desert in China, Sahara Desert in Egypt, Atacama Desert in Chile, and the "Last Desert" in Antarctica. Start training now for next year's race.

You actually don't have to be an elite runner to do well in these races. Take the story of Cliff Young. Cliff was a potato farmer in Australia who happened to be terrifically fit due to his penchant for herding sheep without the aid of a dog. At the age of 61, he entered the famed Sydney-to-Melbourne ultramarathon and absolutely annihilated the competition. The best part? He did it with a slow, loping pace while wearing a pair of big, clunky "gumboots," as they call rubber boots in Australia and elsewhere. His secret? No sleeping. While other the other athletes got some shuteye - this was a five-day race, after all - Cliff would run through the night, personifying the tortoise-and-hare story to a tee.

At the moment, it seems like too much effort to even refill our coffee mug, so we'll have to settle for knowing that we could run ultramarathons too, if we really wanted to.

[Photo: teamgearedup.com]

Related Stories:
· The Legend of Cliff Young [Elite Feet]
· Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc [Official Site]
· 4 Deserts [Official Site]
· Marathon Coverage [Jaunted]