Editor’s note

Good morning. It’s Marathon Day in NYC today, but here in the cozy confines of the Brew, we’re taking it up a notch by running you through the business behind events that are even more extreme than marathons (without having to leave bed). We’re talkin’ the rise of Ironman competitions and “darecations,” frigid swims through ice water and foot races through the Sahara Desert, plus a whole lot more. Welcome to...Endurance Brew.

long distance relationship

Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images

Sometimes people find joy in punishing themselves (watching The Office after Steve Carell left, for example). But the growing number of people participating in Ironman races shows there’s no limit to how much pain can bring someone pleasure.

What makes up an Ironman race? A 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. There’s also a shorter race called Ironman 70.3, which is only half as long as a regular Ironman (70.3 total miles). Depending on your fitness level, the full one can take up to 17 hours to complete.

Despite the option to sit on your couch for hours and watch TV, participation in both events surged globally in 2025:

• There were 250,000 registrants, with newbies up 10% from the previous year.
• Under-30 participants grew 35%, while the number of first-timers under 30 has more than doubled since 2019.

In North America last year, the under-30 demographic increased by 23% for the full Ironman and jumped 29% for the shorter one that would still make most of us cry on the ground. Four new races were added this year in Ruidoso, NM; Omaha, NE; Dallas, TX; and Jacksonville, FL.

Why would anyone do this?

Besides the obvious reason (for the ‘gram), there’s a $6 million annual prize pool for professionals. There’s something in it for the hosts and recreational competitors, too.

Ironman Wales in Tenby has a reported £7.3 million ($9.7 million) economic impact on the city and its surrounding areas. It’s so vital economically that Tenby agreed to a new hosting lease earlier this year despite one council member calling the race a “pain in the ass” during the debate process.—DL

      

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definitely not relaxing

UTMB

Some vacation activities are even more taxing on your jet-lagged body than a sangria-fueled bar crawl in scorching heat. Nightmare vacation buddies Adventurous travelers are increasingly embarking on “darecations,” which entail hyper-intense physical challenges in faraway destinations.

That might involve running the world’s highest marathon, which in 2026 started at the summit of a Chilean volcano that’s 22,615 feet above sea level, scuba diving in Antarctica, or an 11-month camping expedition across Africa:

• In the past year, adventure tourism searches on Pinterest were up 75%, and Google searches for “Marathon abroad” skyrocketed 1,255%.
• The number of adventure insurance policies for activities like mountain trekking shot up 182% in the last two years, according to insurer SportsCover Direct.

The trend has been a boon for companies organizing “vacations” that require bed-rest recovery. For instance, UTMB World Series, a trail-running and ultramarathon vacation organizer, expanded its offerings to more than 60 races last year, up from 25 in 2022.

What’s the allure? Industry insiders say that the darecation trend owes its popularity to a growing obsession with extreme fitness and the appeal of unique experiences that make for good social media fodder. One adventure entrepreneur told the BBC that content featuring celebrities (not all of whom are in top shape) pushing themselves to the limit has helped promote adventure travel to normies.

Big picture: The global extreme sports tourism industry is expected to grow to $99.7 billion by 2034, up from $30.5 billion in 2024, according to Allied Market Research.—SK

      

wait, what?

Sometimes, two legs are better than four

Whole Earth Peanut Butter/Getty Images

Besides your dad’s decades-long war with the chipmunks in his yard, some of the most compelling human–animal face-offs happen in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every year at the Man vs. Horse Marathon. The event began in 1980 to settle a pub argument: Could a horse still beat a man in a race on rough terrain? It turns out...it depends.

Horsepower: The event pits humans against rider-mounted horses over a mixed-terrain course of ~22 miles (so, not technically a marathon). Per Runner’s World, humans tend to do better climbing mountainous trails and crossing rivers, but horses more than make up the ground on flat stretches. Until 2004, horses went undefeated.

Too hot to trot: Since then, humans have won the race five times. High temperatures appear to be horses’ kryptonite, partly because riders don’t want to push their steeds too hard in sweltering conditions.

Beyond Wales: Man vs. horse races are also regularly held in Prescott, AZ, and New Zealand’s North Island.—BC

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history lesson

Le Mans gotta do what Le Mans gotta do

Ker Robertson/Getty Images

The 24 Hours of Le Mans motorsport competition has pushed drivers to their mental and physical limits for more than 100 years. Held every June in northwestern France:

• The race gives drivers 24 hours to complete as many laps as possible on an ~8.5-mile road course.
• Three drivers typically take turns behind the wheel and can cover more than 3,000 miles.

It’s kind of like that road trip you took with your friends in college, except way faster and with fewer stops at White Castle. There are more celebrity sightings, too.

Looking in the rearview mirror: Le Mans, now the world’s oldest-surviving endurance racing event, was the brainchild of Georges Durand, secretary general of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, motorsports journalist Charles Faroux, and industrialist Émile Coquille. André Lagache and René Léonard won the inaugural race in 1923 in a vehicle made by French manufacturer Chenard & Walcker.—BC

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Which endurance supplements are worth it?

Marco Berterello/Getty Images

Almost immediately after your algorithm gets a whiff of your search for new running shoes, you’ll probably start seeing ads everywhere for a plethora of powders, gels, and shots that promise to keep you exercising longer. Whether they work is another question. Here’s what science and the endurance community think about some of the hottest stamina supplements:

✅ Caffeine. It’s long been a go-to for a pre-race boost or pick-me-up toward the end of a race. In 2018, the International Olympic Committee listed it as a proven performance supplement for elite athletes. Caffeine is pretty cheap, and comes in chews and tablets. Or you can just pound an espresso shot an hour or so before you start your ultramarathon.

⚠️ Carbmaxxing. This isn’t just a night-before spaghetti dinner. A recent study in The Journal of Nutrition suggests athletes might need 90 to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour during endurance exercise longer than 70 minutes. This is up from the ~60 grams previously suggested. The real challenge, though, is that too many carbs in a GI system that isn’t prepared for them can mean you’ll be blowing up a porta-potty.

⚠️ Sodium bicarbonate. A spoonful of baking soda will have you (again) blowing up a porta-potty. But when Swedish company Maurten wraps it in a hydrogel to slow down the baking soda’s release, it is supposed to delay lactate buildup without GI issues. Maurten—which sells packs of four servings for ~$70—has gained a ton of attention for fueling Kenyan distance runner Sebastian Sawe as he broke the two-hour marathon barrier this year.

❓ Broccoli shots. Olympic cross-country skiers at this year’s Milano Cortina Games swore by drinking the Swedish company Nomio’s broccoli juice, which promised lower lactate levels. But there aren’t enough studies to determine if it really works.

✅ Cherry juice. Cyclists downed tart cherry juice at the end of every leg of last year’s Tour de France, hoping it would improve recovery. Evidence suggests the antioxidants can help ease soreness related to a range of activities.—MM

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EXTREME MAKEOVER: MARATHON EDITION

Barely anyone can do these races

Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/Getty Images

Only a small group of athletes can humble marathon runners, and you’ll find some of them at the finish lines of these extreme events:

Antarctic Ice Ultra, the world’s southernmost ultramarathon. Twenty-four-hour sunlight and the spirit of competition help keep runners thawed while they run as many as 100 miles in subzero temperatures. If that wasn’t bad enough, each runner must pay a $22,500 entry fee to compete.

Marathon des Sables Legendary, a foot race through the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Participants haul food and gear while running 168 miles in temperatures that can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. In 1994, one competitor and former Olympian ended up in Algeria after getting lost for nine days.

The Ice Mile, a frigid mile-long swim that can be organized wherever the water is 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. More than 700 people have completed an Ice Mile since the International Ice Swimming Association introduced it nearly two decades ago.

The Iditarod, a nearly 1,000 mile sled dog race in Alaska. It has rules about proper animal gutting, in case mushers happen to kill moose on the trail in self-defense. Along the way, participants keep an eye out for wild animals and tend to their dogs—which can include chopping frozen meat for them—all on two or three hours of sleep per night.

The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3,100 Mile Race, the ultramarathon that takes place on a single block in Queens, New York. Runners have 52 days to complete 5,653 laps, which comes out to roughly two marathons per day. In its nearly 30-year history, only a few dozen people have successfully self-transcended to the finish line.—ML

brew's best

ICYMI, use your Sunday morning to get caught up on some of our most-clicked recent recs:

• The best cinnamon roll in every state.
• The year’s most popular baby names.
• The top destinations to visit around the globe next year, according to National Geographic.
• How to pack your bag like a flight attendant.
• Fishwife just dropped an advent calendar that is every tinned fish lover’s dream.**

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