OK, we all love running. But some races are a bit, well, bizarre to say the least. Jimmy Norval rounds up some of the weird, wacky and wonderful races of the running world for you.
1) The Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race
This is the world’s largest certified road race and is absolutely ridiculous (pictured above). The race itself consists of 5,649 laps of an 883-metre course and has to be completed in 52 days. Bearing this in mind, runners must average 60 miles per day in order to complete the race in the allotted time. It requires unbelievable courage, stamina, concentration and the capacity to overcome minor injuries and immense boredom.
2) The Barkley Marathons
Widely considered as one of the toughest races in the world, the Barkley Marathons is a 100-mile run and a 60-mile ‘fun run’ that includes 59,100-foot of ascent and descent through Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee.
The course itself consists of a 20-mile ‘loop’. For the monster 100-mile marathon, runners must do five loops, with loops three and four being run in the opposite direction to the first and second. The last loop is the runner’s personal preference.
The event is held annually in late March/early April and in addition to running, competitors must find between nine to eleven books on the course – yes, books – and remove the correct page corresponding to their race number. This acts as proof of completion.
3) Le Marathon du Medoc
This is certainly no ordinary marathon. In Bordeaux, France, this standard 26-mile run is quickly becoming a legend among long distance runners. Instead of participants refuelling themselves on sports drinks and water, a refreshing full-bodied glass of red wine is the drink of choice alongside gourmet food that includes oysters and ice cream.
Most big city marathons give runners the choice of whether they want to dress-up or not: at the Le Marathon du Medoc it’s a prerequisite. Every year there is a different theme – last year’s was sci-fi; the 2014 edition was a carnival one.
Often there are certain stages of long races that are harder than others with inclines and bends to overcome. The hardest thing about this race is to stay on a straight path. The cut-off point for runners in Bordeaux’s marathon is a very generous six-and-a-half-hours so that’s plenty of time to get through the torture of long-distance drinking.
4) Man versus Horse Marathon
To carry on the drinking theme, this was a race founded by proprietor Gordon Green who overheard two men debating in a bar the merits of men and horses running cross-country. The eureka moment, in 1980, saw a race founded that would pit the two species against each other – Man v Horse.
Taking place in the muddy, mountainous terrain of Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales, runners try and beat horses in a 22-mile race. It took 25 years for someone to actually conquer win the race outright when Huw Lobb took the victor’s spoils in a time of 2hrs 5mins 5secs – pocketing £25,000 in the process.
5) Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll
Originally just for the people who live in the village of Brockwich, South Gloucestershire, this has now become an international event.
From the top of Cooper’s Hill, a nine-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled and competitors have to chase after it. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. Yes, just the cheese and nothing else.
The historic race that has been operating for centuries has always been criticised over health concerns, after all running down a steep hill as fast as you can is practically self-immolation. The lines of ambulances at the finish line preparing to rush the hill-runners to hospital are a warning of how dangerous the race be.
6) Siberian Black Ice Race
Our last pick of bizarre races is arguably the most insane of the lot. Starting in the ancient Cossack city of Irkutsk, Siberia, participants race on top of Lake Baikal’s (the oldest and deepest lake in the world) frozen surface.
In temperatures of minus 40 degrees and gale-force winds of 125 mph, there is a choice between doing the 155-mile marathon or the 379-mile ultra-marathon. That is not a typo – 155 miles or 379. It is also a requirement for competitors to be entirely self-sufficient.
