- The meanest, the toughest, the,
- The what?
- I'm trying to be really tough cause
this is the Toughest Triathlon video.
- Oh, right.
(energetic rock music)
- As triathletes, we like to push the limits,
and break the barriers, and we enjoy
putting ourselves through pain, and often strive
to outdo each other.
- So with that, we like the idea of being able to say
we've done the toughest triathlon.
So it's time to bring out the big guns,
this is our pick of the toughest triathlons.
The Patagonman is brought to us
by the same folk that do the Norseman,
the Swissman, the Celtman, and various others.
So, you can safely assume it's gonna be seriously tough.
- [Heather] Well it's a new event for this year,
part of the Xtri series,
that's in the Asen region of Patagonia.
It actually started from three triathletes,
or three Chilean triathletes,
who wanted to combine their love
and passion of triathlon,
and exploring, they came up with this event.
- As with many of the Xtri events,
the Patagonman is a point-to-point race.
So, it starts before sunrise with athletes
jumping off a ferry into the Asen Fjord,
to complete a 3.8 kilometre icy cold swim.
Then, onto the bike it's a 180 kilometre bike course,
through a hilly and scenic route,
finishing at Sorrow Kassilow,
and then onto the run.
They complete the race with a 42.2 kilometre off-road run,
following the Ibanez River through the forest.
The Surf City Escape triathlon,
it's a new addition to the Escape triathlon series,
and a qualifier for the famous Escape from Alcatraz,
which we featured in our bucket list video.
Now, it may be shorter than a lot of the events
we're featuring in this list,
with it only being a standard Olympic distance.
But it's tough in it's own different way.
- Yeah, the race starts in the Pacific Ocean,
where the swimmers have to negotiate the large waves,
as they head out, and then back in again,
through the famous beach break of Huntington Beach.
The same venue that they hold the US Open Surfing.
Gets a little bit easier on the bike
whilst they head out along the Pacific Highway,
but to finish, it's the run through
the deep, sandy terrain of Huntington Beach.
- The Helvellyn triathlon,
when the cycling includes a hill known as The Struggle,
you know you're in for a tough day.
It's not the most well known race on our list,
but it when it attracts the likes of the Brownlee Brothers,
it's gotta be tough.
In 2007, Alistair and Johnny took on the challenging,
and hilly course, situated in the Lake District.
No surprises, Alistair took the win
in the time of 3 hours and 28 minutes.
- Well it consists of a one-mile swim,
a 38 mile bike ride, and then a 9 mile run
that includes the Helvellyn climb,
which is the third-highest peak in England.
Now, to give you an idea of just how tough it is,
on the run, you actually have to carry your own bag,
which needs to have in it a map,
a whistle, a foil blanket, and also bivy-type bag
that you can fit your body in, if need be,
as well as your own nutrition.
Kona, Hawaii, arguably the most famous
of all the races on this list.
As it is the Ironman World Championships.
Well that makes it a tough race in itself,
with a really top field,
but also the big island of Hawaii,
throws it's own unique challenges.
- Yeah, first off it's a non-wetsuit swim
in the Pacific Ocean, with water temperatures
around 27 degrees Celsius,
and that doesn't sound extreme,
but when you think of swimming
flat out for about an hour, your core temperature
starts to rise, and that's all ready
before you're out on the bike.
- Well the biking in Kona is mentally tough,
as it's a out and back course,
and there's no shelter from the intense heat
that comes off the tarmac, and from the sun.
Then there's the wind,
which seems to come from every direction,
just never behind you,
and I know from personal experience.
The wind is rarely constant,
so you need to be prepared for any gusts,
whilst your trying to stay in your arrow position.
- [Mark] Back onto the run, there is a little more support
from the crowds for the first half.
But then, the athletes are sent out along the Queen K,
and into the dreaded energy lap,
where the lava fields have had all day to heat up,
sucking all the energy from the competitors.
This section is also pretty empty
from the crowds, just the feed stations,
and other athletes for company.
There's a reason this has become the home
of the Ironman World Championships for the last 40 years.
- The Bearman, located into the South of France,
it's a long-distance event, and actually starts
with a fairly pleasant swim, three laps of the lake.
It's the Jean Plaid Accourt,
which could lull you into believing
it's not so nasty after all.
- But, that all changes when you're onto the bike.
The 180 kilometre bike course takes in a total
of 4,700 metres of climbing,
and if that's enough, there's no feed stations.
Nothing throughout the whole 180k bike,
other than a bit of water.
To give you a bit of idea of how hot this is,
you have to carry bike lights,
and you have to have a bag of warm clothes,
in T2, which you pass through in the bike leg,
and the bike cutoff is at 9 p.m.
- If you make it onto the run,
you've still got almost 1500 metres
of climbing through the picturesque Pyranees.
Then, it finishes off with a really long descent,
that is sure to finish off your quads.
The Axetri Extreme Triathlon,
now the Norwegians know how to do things well,
and they have certainly not disappointed on this one.
- No, it's middle-distance triathlon
that takes in the Olan Fjord
where temperatures get as cold as eight degrees Celsius.
Then the bike for 98 kilometres
over the Olan Felon Mountain Road,
and it takes in a total elevation of over 3,100 metres,
and then onto the 21.1 kilometre run,
up the Olan Daylon Pass, and again
it takes in another 1,100 metres of elevation.
To top it off, athletes get seeded on their finishing time,
and earn different colour T-shirts.
- Well, it is a truly stunning course,
and it goes through the Olan Fole,
which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
But sadly, for the first time,
it's actually going to be held this year,
due to Norwegian regulations,
but they hope, as it such a popular event,
that it will be back in 2019.
The Triple Brutal, as if an Ironman distance
wasn't enough, how about doing a triple Ironman.
Yes, this probably for a unique audience,
but there's no denying, this is one of the toughest events.
- Yep, it takes place in the Snowdonia National Park
in Wales, a popular area for extreme endurance events.
The race starts in the town of Llanberis,
at the foot of the Snowdon mountain,
the highest mountain in Wales.
The swim starts in Lake Pardan,
and then the bike goes over the challenging Snowdonia train,
and the no surprises, the run goes through the summit
of the Snowdon mountain, and back down again.
- For those crazy enough to take on the triple challenge,
it consists of a 7.2 mile swim,
336 miles on the bike, and then finished off
with 78 miles of running.
Just to put it into perspective,
the winner last year completed it in a time of 51 hours.
- A triple Ironman sounds hard enough,
let alone set in Snowdonia.
That's our pick of the toughest triathlons out there.
Heather, any you fancy?
- Well, I mean I loved Kona.
I think it's time for you to choose one.
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