Endurance sports are growing in their popularity because these races and events offer athletes to discover their limits and to know what the extent of their physical stamina and ability is to endure pain and fatigue. Thousands of athletes ignore health concerns every year to participate in these events, and many of these participants are unable to finish their respective races at all! But that has never stopped the fittest and the healthiest in the world from trying their luck in these events. If you are one such athlete and if you find a body-breaking event to be exhilarating, then these sports are made for you.
Running
Of course, cross country races and marathons are perhaps the most iconic endurance sports in the world. These races are perhaps the most extreme in the world, and they offer a severe test if your stamina and your endurance. These running events vary from the Badwater 135, which is a 135-mile race across the Death Valley of America to Barkley’s Marathon which takes participants across the Frozen Head Park with drastic changes in thee tracks and the topography. These races are a perfect for both experienced and amateur runners and they get a lot of media coverage.
Cycling
Of course, cycling has a wide variety of categories and each category has more than one endurance events. Whether you have found your calling in speed bikes, or mountain bikes, there are events being held all around the world which allow you to enjoy mesmerizing scenery or indulge in excruciating exertion at great altitudes. Tour de France is perhaps the most known and biggest spectator endurance sport. In this event, the challenge is to maintain an average speed of about 25 mph. However, the only downside of this endurance sport is that to participate among the best, one has to put in a lot of money, and the new bikes are not cheap to come by.
Cross-Country Skiing
One cannot judge the excruciating nature of cross-country skiing unless one tries it. You have to fall down hundreds of times just to get the hang of it. This is one of the most difficult endurance sports in the world. Your feet get buried in the soft and fresh snow, and every step is an effort of its own. The soft snow exaggerates the difficulty and the challenge of everything. If you think that is all there is, imagine walking in the same snow with skis on! There are simply too many challenges that this sports poses, and it is certainly not a sport for people with any health concerns. There are events in Canada which combine cross-country skiing with marathon running, so that the event not only test your stamina but also your core strength.
Ocean Rowing
Rowing generally is an endurance sports and it is extremely draining. However, ocean rowing takes that challenge to the next level. Not only do you have to tackle with waves, but even the slightest changes in wind speed and water activity will not only severely damage your timing but these situations can also throw you off course. There are a lit of risk factors involved with ocean rowing, however the sport still attracts thousands of athletes in various events at beaches all around the world and throughout the year. Ocean rowing takes you hundreds of miles from the starting point to the destination and you sometime have to stay more than a day in water. It is on the whole, a complete test of your endurance and your ability to survive the sea.
Open-Water Swimming
There are simply too many challenging features of this endurance sports. There are sharks that you need to be afraid of, very cold water and sea waves which are at times life threatening and dangerous. Open-water swimming comes in a lot of versions. There is swimming in the sea, in lakes at very high altitudes and also in rivers all around the world. These diverse events have a diverse collection of obstacles, and participants have to maximize their fitness status to even finish these races.
How to Endure 