Top 5 Toughest Marathons in the World

Top 5 Toughest Marathons in the World

Hello, this is Running Hae Young <span>#RunningHaeYoung</span>, sharing running information. Today, I'm going to tell you about five of the world's toughest marathons. <b>This is based on the scope of the competition, the active environment, terrain, distance,</b> and <b>feedback from participants.</b> They are known for their extreme environment, terrain, and distance. Why do I want to run them myself, though? Haha?

(The content will be gradually revised as more data is added.)

Marathon in the Desert (Sahara Desert, Morocco)

Marathon des Sables

The 39th marathon will be held from April 4th to 14th, 2025.

North Pole Marathon

North Pole Marathon

<b>The northernmost marathon in the world</b>, the North Pole Marathon, is a classic 42.195km marathon held in the Arctic, running across ice and snow. It's recognized by Guinness World Records as the northernmost marathon on Earth. The organizers of the North Pole Marathon first organized the South Pole Marathon and completed it, and in April of that year, they went to the North Pole and completed the marathon distance for the first time.

Despite the South Pole Marathon being held first, the North Pole Marathon was selected because the wind was stronger in the Arctic, there were small ice hills, and the environment was more isolated... haha. (However, it's said that running is much easier in the Arctic than in Antarctica. The Arctic is at sea level, while Antarctica is at 3,658 meters.) + You can also join the Marathon Grand Slam Club, which consists of those who have completed the North Pole Marathon, held in various regions of the seven continents and the Arctic Ocean. The World Marathon Challenge® is a marathon that runs seven marathons on seven continents in seven days or 168 hours. The first marathon in 2025 (January/February) will start in Novo (Antarctica), followed by Cape Town (Africa), Perth (Australia), Dubai (Asia), Madrid (Europe), Fortaleza (South America), and Miami (North America).

Everest Marathon

Everest Marathon

This is the highest marathon in the world, held annually in May. The 2025 race will be the 20th. It consists of a half marathon, a full marathon, and an ultra marathon (70km).

Badwater Ultramarathon (Death Valley, USA)

Badwater Ultramarathon

Also called Badwater 135, this ultramarathon describes itself as the world's toughest running race. Held in California's Death Valley, it starts in mid-July at Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America. This is the hottest time of year in the region, and runners have to cross three mountain ranges, climbing a total of 4,450 meters in altitude.

Barkley Marathons (Tennessee, USA)

Barkley Marathons

The Barkley Marathons is known as the world's most notoriously difficult and unusual marathon. The idea for the race came from a prison escape incident, and it was featured on Netflix in 2014. In 2024, the first woman completed the Barkley Marathons, climbing and descending the equivalent of twice the height of Mount Everest, covering approximately 160km in 60 hours. It's known for its difficulty, with only about 20 finishers, making it an extreme challenge with a 1% completion rate. Haha!