Inilah marathon dengan medan lari tertinggi di dunia. Garis Start berada di ketinggian 17.149 kaki dan Finish di 11.300 kaki, yaitu di Namche Bazaarm sebuah desa di utara Nepal. Lomba ini diadakan pertama kali tahun 1985, diprakarsai oleh Tony Hunt dan Jan Turner yang berhasil menaklukkan trek tersebut dalam waktu 12 jam. Tantangan terberat selain jalurnya yang naik turun adalah suhu udara yang dibawah 0°C dan melawan rasa takut terhadap ketinggian.

Marathon yang ini selain lomba lari, bisa jadi sekalian ajang uji nyali terhadap binatang. Hehehe…Karena memang mengambil lokasi di African Safari, yang meungkinkan kita lari sambil “ditonton” oleh macan, zebra, gajah, bahkan banteng. Untung saja selama ini belum pernah ada yang terluka oleh hewan buas yang ada di sana. Karena selama pertandingan, jalur lari ini selalu dijaga oleh penjaga taman safari yang siap dengan senjata plus helikopter yang selalu patroli di atas arena.

Bagaimana rasanya jika kita disuruh lari saat panas terik di siang hari? Pasti cepat lelah dan kepala jadi pusing. Nah, di lomba marathon Des Sables ini para peserta harus lari dalam kondisi suhu udara sekitar 48°C atau lebih. Pertandingan yang sudah ada sejak tahun 1986 ini mengambil lokasi di Gurun Maroko, dan sudah banyak memakan korban. Ada yang hilang karena badai pasir, ada juga yang karena kelelahan.

The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the sandstone cliffs of the Grand Staircase are among the West’s most important geologic formations. And the vast stretch of Utah desert between the two? It’s one of the most beautiful, diverse arid regions in the world. The Grand to Grand Ultra takes runners over coral-colored sand dunes, through slot canyons, and past alien hoodoos on this 147-mile, seven-day self-supported race, which climbs 19,000 feet along the way. The second edition takes place in October

Peru’s Jungle Ultra is mostly downhill, dropping 10,500 feet from the cloud forest down into the Amazon over its 142.6-mile course. But underestimate it, and you’re in for a world of hurt. The five-stage, self-supported race winds its way through utterly remote terrain, where temperatures hover over 90 degrees, the humidity is brutal, and hordes of biting bugs are just waiting to make you their lunch. Along the way, participants wet their feet in 70 tropical rivers and streams, in some cases zip-lining over them.

With roots in the mid-1970s, Badwater is one of the grandpappies of the modern ultra craze. But age has not dulled what is billed as the world’s toughest footrace. Not only does the 135-mile course wind through Death Valley, the hottest spot in the U.S., it takes place during July, the hottest month. And from its origin at Badwater Basin to the slopes of Mount Whitney, the course gains 13,000 feet of elevation, crossing two mountain ranges. The worst part? It’s a non-stop race, meaning you have to run from the lowest point in the United States to the base of the highest in one epic go.

Forty-eight hours may seem like a pretty generous amount of time to finish this 100-mile race. But add in altitude sickness, headaches, and knee-crushing terrain, and the Hardrock, which has been held in the San Juans near Silverton, Colorado, each July since 1992, gets pretty grueling. The loop includes 33,992 feet of ascent and descent, the most of almost any ultramarathon in the world. Since the average runner takes 41 hours to finish, most have to run through the night at elevations where temps can drop below freezing, navigating scree-covered slopes by headlamp. Being above treeline for most of the course, racers are also vulnerable to lightning and freak storms.

The Spartathalon, which covers the 153-mile course from Athens to Sparta that Greek messenger Pheidippedes ran in 490 BC, doesn’t go over tough terrain or take place in extreme heat. In fact, the September race through the rolling hills and dirt roads of the Greek countryside would be downright pleasant if it wasn’t for one thing: tempo. Racers have 36 hours to complete the course; if they fail to make it to one of the 75 control points in time, they’re out. That means that despite running through the night, the 350 competitors can’t lag when they’re tired, and instead must push through at a consistent pace. Hopefully, unlike Pheidippedes, most of them won’t collapse and die of exhaustion at the finish line.