Crossing the finish line of any race is an accomplishment, whether it’s a 5k color run fun run or the New York City Marathon.
But, ultra runners take the cake in terms of tackling the world’s toughest races—running distances of 100 miles or upwards or 200 miles or more!
And, if that wasn’t tough enough—race organizers began designing ultramarathons in extreme conditions, on impossible terrain, and with the threat of dangerous wildlife looming out there on the course.
Keep reading for our picks of the top ten toughest ultramarathons in the world.
What Is the Hardest Race In the World?
There isn’t one particular trail running ultramarathon that all race directors and racers themselves will unanimously agree is the toughest race in the world.
Truthfully, every ultramarathon is physically and mentally challenging, but the most extreme and challenging ultras have added elements of difficulty.
Runners must train to go the distance and traverse the technical terrain—managing to not plummet to their death or run with sand chaffing their entire bodies.
They must also learn how to overcome complete exhaustion, support themselves in the world’s most inhospitable climates, and deal with situations gone wrong with no support system for days on end.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the comfort of your home, as we introduce you to the world’s most difficult races.
#1: Marathon des Sables
Marathon des Sables, French for Marathon of Sands (or MdS for short), is roughly a 250-kilometer journey in seven days in the hot sands across the Sahara desert.
It is fully self-supported, meaning there are no race crews so you have to carry your supplies.
You spend the night in communal goat-hair Berber tents with no sides protecting you from the desert winds.
And, it is very hot. It reportedly gets to be more than 122 degrees Fahrenheit or 50 degrees Celsius.
Combining the distance, the sand, the heat, the wind, and the weight of carrying your own supplies, the MdS is undoubtedly one of the toughest footraces in the world.
#2: UTMB
The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, or UTMB, is a must-run ultra for most serious trail runners.
The 106-mile (171 km) race begins in Chamonix, France, and follows the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path, climbing through France to Italy to Switzerland, and back to France.
The elevation of 32,900 feet in the Alps makes it one of the steepest race courses in the world. Some of the climbs are 3,000 high.
And the weather is extreme—often going from freezing at night to blistering hot during the middle of the day.
Some of the best ultra runners manage to finish in just over 20 hours. It takes most hikers 9 days to complete the trail.
The UTMB has allured most ultra-running legends and has a strict entry policy using a point system from qualifying races around the world over a two-year period and a lottery.
#3: Badwater 135
Although most of the hardest races in the USA are trail running races due to the challenging nature of running on trails, the Badwater 135 bucks the trend.
Don’t worry; the Badwater 135 has enough other elements to make it one of the toughest ultras. After all, it runs through sizzling Death Valley in California.
Ultramarathon legend Dean Karnazes, who has raced Badwater 11 times says it is hot enough to make the soles of your running shoes melt.
Oh, and there is a good chance you’ll encounter a rattlesnake or scorpion.
In 2018, the temperature at the evening start was 118 degrees F. The desert’s record high, set in 1913, is 134.1 degrees F.
Badwater covers 135 miles and has 14,600 feet of elevation gain and a total elevation loss and gain of 20,700 feet.
The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America, at 280 feet below sea level.
The race finishes, with a jaw-dropping ascent of 13,000 feet, to the highest point in the USA, the Whitney Portal at 8,300 feet. The climb to the summit painfully begins 122 miles into this grueling ultra.
Runners have only 48 hours to complete the race.
#4: Western States 100
The Western States 100 is the oldest 100-mile ultra-trail race in the world, and one of the most popular in the USA.
Beginning in 1974, the WS100 ultramarathon is well-known for its history and challenging conditions, including 18,000 feet of climbing and 23,000 feet of descending on many trails that are only accessible by helicopter.
Racers also have to cross through frigid water, and temperatures swing from blistering cold with snow and ice to triple-digit heat.
They have just 30 hours to conquer the 100.2-mile beast.
Not anyone can run the Western States. You must run a qualifier from its qualifying list during the qualifying period for the year you wish to run. The odds of getting accepted are less than 5 percent.
Check out our other ultramarathon race profiles.
#5: Barkley Marathons
The Barkley Marathons is arguably one of the hardest ultramarathons in existence, in large part because of its deliberate disorganization.
For example, no one knows the exact distance or even the start time. Even figuring out how to apply is difficult.
The Barkey Marathons take place in Frozen Head State Park, which is in rural East Tennessee.
The 100 miler involves running 5 loops of at least 20 miles (depending on how lost you get and how race director Gary Cantrell has devilishly designed the route), much of which is on uncleared trails.
The course changes every year. It isn’t marked and runners have to navigate with a map and compass–no GPS. Plus, they have to find hidden checkpoints.
The total elevation gain of 60,000 feet (if you complete all five loops) is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest two times from sea level. The total elevation gain and loss combined is close to 120,000 feet (so climbing and descending Mount Everest twice…from sea level).
It regularly ends with no finishers. Since 1986, there have only been 17 Barkley Marathons finishers, and the course record is 52:03:08, which is way slower than most 100 mile records.
Related: Who is Lazarus Lake? The Man Behind the Barkley Marathons
#6: The 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series
The 4 Deserts is an ultramarathon series of four 6-stage 250k (155 miles) multiday races taking place in four deserts around the world.
Runners must traverse the “driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on earth, testing their limits both physically and mentally.”
And they do this self-supported. Only a tent and water are provided for 4 Deserts.
The highest elevation runners run is in China, with a total of 14,635 feet of elevation gain and 13,293 feet of descent.
Runners will experience extreme temperatures, from 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the hottest deserts to 20 Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Antarctica, and everything in between.
#7: The Moab 240
The Moab 240 Endurance Run is a footrace through some of Utah’s most stunning and challenging terrain. The terrain (and distance) is what makes the Moab 240 so difficult.
It runs 240 miles through deserts, two mountain ranges, slick rock, and canyons.
There are also large boulders, cliff edges, loose rock, and steep inclines.
The course itself is a full circumnavigation of the Moab desert in Utah, which sees runners tackle and conquer two mountain ranges: Shay Mountain and the La Sal Mountain ranges.
It has an ascent of 29,467 feet and a cutoff time of 112 hours.
Each participant must have fulfilled an eight-hour trail work requirement to qualify.
#8: HURT 100
The Hawaiian Ultra Running Team’s Trail 100-Mile Endurance Run (HURT100) is a challenging and very technical ultramarathon taking place through pig trails, rainforests, and single-track paths located in the hills above Honolulu.
The 100-mile race is known for its grueling terrain including loose soil, roots, puddles, and mud. The narrow trails traverse along exposed ridges and past vertical embankments.
Coupled with the danger are stunningly beautiful views of the O‘ahu coastline as well as the Pacific Ocean.
Participants are chosen via a lottery selection process. Entry is limited to only 125 participants.
#9: Hardrock 100
The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run takes place in southern Colorado’s grueling yet beautiful Rocky Mountains. The course ascends nearly 34,000 feet over 100.5 miles at an average elevation of 11,000 feet, topping out at the 14,048-foot Handies Peak.
Hardrock is designed to traverse some of the steepest and hardest routes in the Rockies, touring many defunct mining operations.
Indeed, the race is dedicated to the memory of the “hard as rock” miners who settled in the area and built the mining trails on which much of the race is run. The race is typically run during peak wildflower season.
Most competitors will see the sun rise twice; the winner will finish in about 24 hours.
Entry is difficult requiring qualification and a lottery selection.
#10: The Jungle Marathon
While the other ultramarathons offer extremely dangerous terrain and weather, the Jungle Marathon offers the threat of life-threatening wildlife. Indeed, some dub it the most “terrifying adventure in the world.”
The 200+ km race includes swamps, snakes, mosquitos, leeches, crocodiles, jaguars, howler monkeys, spiders, scorpions, wasps, and other typically unwanted wildlife.
Runners have six days to battle through the inhospitable jungle terrain, on paths only penetrable by boat.
The heat and humidity are oppressive and it is a self-sufficient race, so no supplies are provided.
Bites from ants or other creatures at night are commonplace.
But the Jungle Marathon is also beautiful.
Taking place in Manu National Park and ending at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, runners experience the breathtaking cloud forest running from the Andes mountains to the Madre de Dios River.
They stand above the clouds (in air so thin that it is difficult to breathe), peering down a massive valley into a sea of green trees.
Which of these races sounds hardest to you?
If you’re interested in conquering the ultramarathon distance, check out our ultramarathon training plans.
What about Kullumannen!!!