The Toughest Triathlons

I thought it only fitting that I follow up my Color Run post with a list of the hardest triathlons in the world.  It’s not my compilation, but I have included my version of the toughest triathlons I’ve ever completed at the bottom of this list.

Top 7 Toughest Triathlons – According to Wegner (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife)

1.  Savage Man – Deep Creek Lake, Maryland
2.  Ironman Norseman – Norway
3.  Altriman – France (I think)
4.  Ironman World Championship – Hawaii
5.  Aurlandsfjellet Xtreme – Norway
6.  Ironman 70.3 Silverman – Mojave Desert
7.  Escape from Alcatraz – San Francisco, CA

As I look through this list one really jumps out at me and it’s Ironman Norsman, namely because of this photo:Everything about that shot has me riveted!  The font on the ship, the four meter plunge, the hazy mountains in the background, the darkness, the feel of cold.  The website describes the water as cold, clean, and lightly salted.  And the kicker is, they only let 200 people in this bad boy.  I can dream.

There’s something ridiculously compelling about these kinds of races, which is kind of ironic because I rarely even want to test my will on a bike trainer half the time.  I would really like to hear what your toughest race was.

My Top 7 Toughest Triathlons (which are also the only ones I’ve done)

1.  Ironman Wisconsin – Choppy swim, relentless hills, body hurt every step of the run
2.  Goosepond 1/2 Triathlon – Anxiety riddled swim, cooked bike, tough run
3.  Nashvegas Olympic – Almost drowned, twice, extreme panic
4.  Rev 3 Olympic – Knoxville – Brutal cold, constant rain, challenging bike
5.  Ironman Muncie 70.3 – Technical swim, bumpy bike, burning feet
6.  ADPi Sprint – Murfreesboro – Cold, rainy, lots of sorority girls
7.  Music City Sprint – My first tri, perfect weather, home turf