I have nothing but respect and admiration for anybody who completes, or even attempts, an Ironman.

Back to back, athletes take on a 3,86 km swim, a 180,25 km bicycle ride, and then a cheeky 42,2 km marathon tacked on the end for good measure.

The thought alone is enough to make me shudder, but then you read about the Enduroman Arch 2 Arc, which only 38 people have ever completed since it begun in 2000, and things get real.

That’s number 38, Calum Muress, looking understandably stoked above.

To crunch the numbers, here’s the Telegraph:

What makes it so difficult? Again, the numbers speak from themselves. An 87-mile run, from London’s March Arch to Dover, followed by a 21-mile swim across the English Channel, and then a 181-mile cycle from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, all without stopping (in theory anyway).

Let’s convert to kilometres – that’s a 140 km run, a 34 km swim, and a 291 km cycle.

We’ve spoken about Ryan Sandes’ incredible feat in winning the 160 km Western States race, but this is getting ridiculous.

This map is something of an approximation:

The latest (mad)man to tackle the Enduroman is 32-year-old Chris Leek, and he’s hoping to break the world record, which currently stands at 73 hours and 39 minutes.

That’s even longer than the notorious Barkley Marathons, which is known as the “race that eats its young”.

Muress, who finished earlier this week, took 91 hours and 16 minutes.

What’s more, Leek is making his life even tougher by attempting it without a wetsuit:

“Only four people have done it without a wetsuit, so this really would be a special record to break,” he tells me. “But I’m looking to raise a lot of money by making that sacrifice. My dad [with Chris below] has both Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia and is cared for full-time by my mum. I’m aiming to raise awareness and £1m for three charities very close to our hearts; Parkinson’s UK, Lewy Body Society and Orpington’s Saxon Day Centre.”

…Chris will certainly need his sense of humour and mental fortitude to complete the Arch 2 Arc and hit his fundraising target. Aside from the head-splitting amount of miles, athletes who take it on know they face the possibility of uncertain start times, delays in Dover due to unforeseen changes in the weather, route deviations on the bike course and even difficulties entering central Paris when pollution levels are high. Completing it is a remarkable achievement – let alone doing it in record time…

“I’ve done a few physical challenges in my time, but this will be the biggest by a long way. I’ve tried to keep a good balance between training, work and my personal life, but I’ll really be looking forward to that first beer at the finish line!”

Sheesh, never has a beer been more deserved.

Good luck, Chris.

You can read more about the Enduroman event on the official website.

[source:telegraph]