Why Are We Drawn To Ultra Long Endurance Challenges?

It’s just not normal, is it… So why do we sign up for such long endurance events?

It was the Enduroman Festival of Endurance last weekend that got me thinking. I was there with coached athletes Adam and Mathew Pritchard and this was their 'A' race of the year. The events included 50 mile, 100 mile and 200 mile runs, Single, Double and Triple Ironman triathlons, and a 3-day ultra endurance swim challenge. It was a long, bonkers weekend, and I had plenty of time to ponder the Big Questions about endurance sport!

And the question I kept coming back to was: why on earth do we do it?

Why are we drawn to ultra long endurance events like the double or triple Brutal iron distance triathlon, Marathon des Sables, Channel swimming, climbing Everest? Why does someone like the Iron Cowboy do 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 states in 50 days?

I mean, it’s not normal is it, to run hundreds of miles, or to do a triathlon which takes more than a day to complete. It’s painful, gruelling, and risky.

Yet plenty of people are attracted to these challenges - and not just as a one-off. In fact, the ultra-endurance niche is flourishing.

5 Common Traits of the Ultra-Endurance Athlete:

Persistence: crucial when you have to stick to a training schedule which could take a year (or more!) and then do a race which will be uncomfortable, and possibly boring, for many hours. Persistence helps you stick to an ultra-endurance training schedule. This in turns gives you the confidence of knowing you’ve done everything you could to succeed.
Mental toughness: ultra athletes all seem to have a heightened level of psychological toughness, which can help them overcome pain and discomfort. It also helps keep their head straight over many hours of training and racing. Are they born this way, or do they develop this skill? I suspect it is largely a built-in trait.
Curiosity: ultra athletes aren't willing to settle for ordinary. They constantly seek new challenges, even if it’s within their own niche (different terrains, distances, or climates).
Mental flexibility: success in sport is never guaranteed, but your risk of failure gets higher as the challenge gets greater. With some ultra events, you are up against the elements. Even the best-prepared athlete is not guaranteed to finish. Ultra athletes seem to have little fear of failure, with a remarkable ability to rationalise and reframe disappointments.
Courage: ultra athletes are bold, fearless, and courageous. I suspect that some of them might “fake it til they make it”, but that doesn’t matter. Their events need them to push aside fears, worries, and self-doubt. When you’re facing hours in the saddle or in the sea, you can’t afford to let negative thoughts creep in.

There must be other factors which make people do such ultra-long events. Do they prefer the challenge of "longer", rather than "faster"? Or does the challenge spiral from one race, pushing you to go further next time? Perhaps it’s as simple as wanting to find out just how far your body and mind can go.

Ultra-endurance athletes tend to define themselves by the challenge they are training for. This is understandable: they’re likely to be the only person in their family or at the office who is training to run 100 miles! But I wonder if some feel they’ve built up an image that they then have to maintain?

I’ve noticed something special about the ultra-endurance community. It’s small, close, and tightly-knit. Athletes have crossed paths before, or know each other from social media. Events tend to be low-key (perhaps the challenge is enough, and doesn’t need any extra glitz!) And most ultra athletes prefer to use traditional kit rather than state-of-the art bling. This suggests that ultra athletes value hard work, friendship, and the pure simplicity of the human body vs the elements.

Have you ever done an ultra-endurance event? What attracted you to the idea?