*Toughest Events I’ve Done
Dec 1st, 2004 (Wed)
Felix digging deep on the backside of snow-covered Mt. Hamilton in the 2001 Devil Mountain Double, one of the toughest events he has ever done.
These are the most challenging events I’ve ever done, listed in order of difficulty. Most are in California, since that’s where I lived until I moved to Colorado in October 2005. The difficulty is completely subjective (and my humble opinion only), but it gives you an idea of what I think are harder: e.g., double centuries vs. marathons!
Toughest Multi-Day Events
| Event | Type | Distance (miles) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Paris-Brest-Paris | Bicycling | 762! This is a non-stop race! | The oldest, most prestigious amateur cycling event in the world. There are almost no stretches longer than a mile that are flat. And 762 miles is a Long Way. |
| 2003 Davis Brevet Series | Bicycling | 124+187+249+373 = 933 | The largest brevet series in the U.S. to qualify for PBP, it stresses self-sufficiency while testing the limits of one’s physical endurance and mental determination. |
| 1999 California Triple Crown Stage Race | Bicycling | 210+200+200 = 610 | Take 2 of the top 10 toughest events I have ever done, the Terrible Two and Devil Mtn. Double. Throw in the difficult Central Coast Double. Now do all 3 of them and add up your times. That’s the CA Triple Crown Stage Race! |
Toughest Single-Day Events
| Event | Type | Distance (miles) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Sulphur Springs 100 | Trail Running | 100 | Beautiful, well-supported course. But 100 miles is just an absurd distance to run. |
| 2007 Boulder 100 | Running | 64.5 | Actually was trying to run 100 miles, but utter exhaustion on top of the rain and cold made me stop after 100 kilometers. |
| 2006 Rocky Mountain Double Marathon | Running | 52.4 | Hills, thunderstorms, loneliness… and 52.4 miles on foot. The only time I had to beg for Advil. |
| 2003 Ironman Coeur d’Alene | Triathlon | 2.4 swim + 112 bike + 26.2 run = 140.6 | As if doing a full marathon is not hard enough already, try running one after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112! This was my first Ironman, and hence my toughest. |
| 2006 Ironman Arizona | Triathlon | 2.4 swim + 112 bike + 26.2 run = 140.6 | It was a war. |
| 2003 Davis 600km Brevet | Bicycling | 373 | Rain, cold, more darkness than daylight, sleep deprivation, and signficant climbs… a total adventure! |
| The Terrible Two (1999 and 2000) | Bicycling | 200 | 1999: Several 15-18% grades and double-summit climbs. 16,000 feet of climbing. >90 degrees of heat. This course is hard enough by itself–and I had to do it with bronchitis! 2000: Same course as ‘99–and still had to dig deep to beat the official 16:30 time limit. |
| Devil Mountain Double (1999 and 2001) | Bicycling | 210 | 1999:18,000 feet of climbing, with Mt. Diablo, Mt. Hamilton, Sierra Rd., more… 2001: “Devil-less” this year (no Mt. Diablo)–but the Oakland Hills with their gazillion false summits made it seem even harder than the traditional course! |
| 2007 Quicksilver 50 Mile | Trail Running | 50 | In truth, the course was harder than the Rocky Mountain Double Marathon. But it was so well-supported it felt easier. |
| 2006 Pikes Peak Marathon | Trail Running | 26.2 | Altitude (at the top: above 14,000′), >7,000′ elevation gain, technical trails, etc. made for a really tough time. |
| 2002 Heartbreak Double | Bicycling | 202 | 40+ mph winds the whole day. Rolling hills or long climbs the entire way. Bitter cold. Epic. |
| 2001 Mt. Whitney Day Hike | Hiking/ Mountaineering |
21 | Up and down in just one day. The altitude (14,496′) really messed with my head. |
| 2003 Climb to Kaiser | Bicycling | 156 | 13,500′ of very concentrated climbing, mainly in the first half. And the second half was plagued by 105 degree heat and strong headwinds! |
| 2002 World’s Toughest Century, Superstar Course | Bicycling | 140 | The Superstar Course has 15,500′ of elevation gain. Several 16-20% grades, including the infamous Corkscrew Wall. |
Honorable Mentions
| Event | Type | Distance (miles) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Stacey’s Run From Lam | Running | 40 | A charity run for a friend, it gets special mention for being the longest non-race I have done. |
| 2007 Bataan Death March | Running | 26.2 | I learned in this event that running 26.2 miles with 41 pounds on his back through sand is indeed quite hard! |
| 2005 Knoxville Marathon | Running | 26.2 | In this marathon, one is going up or down virtually the entire way. “The third most difficult marathon I’ve ever done,” according to 71-year-old Malcolm Gillis who ran 99 of them, including Boston 8 times. |
| 2002 Markleeville Death Ride | Bicycling | 129 | 5 passes over 16,000′ feet of climbing. None of the passes are extremely steep but most are very long. |
| 2005 Torture 10,000 | Bicycling | 104 | 13,100′ of climbing in just 104 miles? That’s hilly! |
| 2003 Mt. Evans Ascent (CO) | High-altitude running | 14.5 | Longer than a half-marathon, with 90% of it being uphill on North America’s highest paved road (14,260′). Add in an amazing blizzard at the top, and you have… an epic! |
| 2002 Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, Round Trip | Backpacking | 71 | 71 miles in 2 days (including “extra-credit” miles). Terrain is just rolling, but hiking 35 miles for 12 hours/day is not exactly easy! |
| 2004 Vineman | Triathlon | 2.4 swim + 112 bike + 26.2 run = 140.6 | I paced myself well in this one so it didn’t feel so bad, but iron-distance tri’s are never easy. |
| All other double centuries and brevets | Bicycling | 200 | I suppose 200 miles is a long distance to bike in one day, regardless of the course… |
| All other marathons | Running | 26.2 | Actually, I still have problems with some marathons, mainly due to lack of training! |
Joe Miller said:
Hello Felix-
I stumbled across this site awhile ago while doing research on Triple Crown.
Then, today Mick from the Benicia bike club forwarded your stuff to me.
What an impressive list of activities!
I have a technical question for you, hoping for your advice for the triple crown:
I always freeze coming down Diablo. Any tips? I am pursuing newspapers and trash bags for warmth to toss.
I have 3 categories of weight to carry - 4.3 pounds for essentials (including water), 1.6 pounds for lights that I could carry or have sag take them, .8# for or “fun stuff”: GPS / heart rate monitor, and another .8 pound for my repair kit.
What is your opinion on the weight? I’ve carried this stuff and a lot more on all my training rides, but not sure of the impact it will have on race day.
Mulholland: Any idea of “cold” areas on that ride, or am I safe to assume it isn’t anything like the DMD?
Thank you!
-joe miller