The 8 Most Extreme Athletic Competitions in America

Rockford Ninja Warrior is a competition that's not for the faint of heart, which led us to wonder "What are the absolute craziest, most intense athletic competitions in the US?" We did our homework and we've compiled a list:

1. IRONMAN World Championship
   
   
   The IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii is the world's premier sports competition. The most renown triathletes, Olympians, professional cyclists and runners take part to see if they can finish within the stringent time constraints. Participants must swim 2.4 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes, bike 112 miles in 10 hours 30 minutes and run 26.2 miles in 4 hours 10 minutes. The course runs through the black lava fields of Hawaii, which typically generate 45 mph crosswinds and temperatures around 95 degrees.
   
   
   
2. The Race Across America
   
   
   Going from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast, The Race Across America covers 3,000 miles in just 12 days. Participants can race it as a 1-person, 2-person, 4-person or 8-person team. To finish, solo riders must be on their bikes for more than 20 hours a day and can end up sleeping for as little as an hour and a half each day. Severe sleep deprivation threatens riders with hallucinations and injury, resulting in the need for 24-hour monitoring during the race.
   
   
   
3. The Badwater Ultramarathon
   
   
   The 135 mile course for The Badwater Ultramarathon takes runners from 280 feet below sea level in Death Valley to 3,800 feet above sea level at the Mount Whitney trailhead. The competition is held in the middle of the summer, which usually results in temperatures around 130 degrees. These extreme air temperatures hot enough for the asphalt road to reach a surface temperature of 200 degrees, which will melt the runners' shoes if they stray from the painted white road lines. In fact, it's so hot that the support staff have to douse each competitor in ice water every 15 minutes to keep them from overheating.
   
   
   
4. Iditarod
   
   
   The Iditarod takes place in Alaska in February and requires that participants find their way across 1,000 miles of snowy terrain in 30 days or less. Racers must carry their own supplies for the trip on dog sleds and take serious precautions to avoid frostbite in temperatures that can drop as low as 50 degrees below zero.
   
   
   
5. American Ninja Warrior - Mount Midoriyama
   
   
   In a competition that challenges upper body strength and grip strength like nothing else on TV, American Ninja Warrior requires the perfect combination of explosive speed, precise technique, balance and focus to dominate the course. However, while the American Ninja Warrior competition has seen thousands of hopefuls in its 6 seasons, there has never been a victor. Our American Ninja Warrior friends will vouch for the fact that although the level of talent continues to rise substantially every year, unfortunately no one has ever finished all 4 stages of Mount Midoriyama on US soil. That fact is what landed it on our most extreme list.
   
   
   
6. Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational
   
   
   This competition is totally unique in that there is not a set date for it and each year there is no guarantee that it will actually happen. From December to February experts monitor the conditions on the North Shore of Oahu and the world's best surfers await a call to let them know if the competition will even occur. The reason for this is that the competition will not take place unless the face height of the waves is measured at over 40 feet. Since 1984 the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational has only happened 8 times.
   
   
   
7. Lumberjack World Championships
   
   
   The Lumberjack World Championships feature 21 competitions that test burly feats of strength like the springboard chop and a 90 ft timed tree climb. Dubbed "The Olympics of the Forest" competitors come from all over the world to show off their upper body strength and pay homage to a centuries old form of competition and way of life.
   
   
   
8. Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
   
   
   The Escape from Alcatraz is a triathlon, which makes it pale in comparison to the length of some of the other competitions on this list. However, Escape from Alcatraz is no ordinary triathlon. The 1.5 miles from the island to the shore is in frigid waters (which requires that swimmers wear heavy wetsuits to stave off hypothermia) with incredibly strong current. In fact, the current is so strong that participants often end up swimming around twice that length so that as they swim the waves won't drag them past the beach where they need to start the next leg of the race. The swimmers often attract sea lions and, subsequently, the sharks preying on them that are looking for a nice meal. Once on shore, there's an 18 mile bicycle ride on hilly terrain and an 8 mile run on sand and up steep sand-filled steps dubbed "the sand ladder", which have claimed many competitors over the years.
   

If you've ever competed in any of these, we want to take the time to say... "You've got to be crazy!" Okay, just kidding. We want to congratulate you.

If you've ever been a spectator at one of these, let us know what you enjoyed most about the event in the comments below!