‘A whole different wiring system’: the extreme athletes who pushed limits in 2024 – and why they might not be crazy after all

(CNN) — Have you ever dreamed of running the length of Africa? How about summiting Mount Everest three times in less than two weeks?

Endurance athletes often seem like they have “a whole different wiring system,” Outside magazine columnist and ultrarunner Brendan Leonard tells CNN Sport.

“A lot of us go through life being afraid to fail at things, especially as we get older. We don’t want to fail, and we don’t want to be bad at something. And these people, they’re okay with possibly failing, swinging big and maybe missing. But the reason we’re writing stories about them now is because they didn’t miss – they actually did it,” he adds.

The desire to push our limits, no matter the size of the challenge, is one most people can relate to.

Still, not everyone will go on to surf the biggest wave, become the first African cyclist to win a Tour de France stage, or be the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons.

“I think everyone understands the motivation of just finding something that you think can’t be done or a person that you think you can’t beat, and then chasing them,” Leonard, author of “Ultra Something,” explains.

“As to what’s universal about pushing limits, I think we’re all curious, right?”

So without further ado, let’s recap on some of the greatest feats in endurance sport from 2024. Who knows – if you set yourself a challenge – CNN might be writing about you next year.

Russ Cook, who ran the length of Africa

Just before Christmas of 2023, Russ Cook set himself an unthinkable challenge: to run the entire length of Africa.

When he set off, his target was to run 360 marathons in 240 days. 352 days after setting off from South Africa, Cook finally reached the Tunisian coast to bring his epic odyssey to an end.

The endurance athlete, dubbed the ‘Hardest Geezer,’ battled through injury and illness, faced logistical nightmares and overcame getting lost in the jungle to complete his mission, a feat which saw him run over 10,000 miles.

In that time, he was also robbed at gunpoint, got lost in the rainforest and faced various diplomatic issues regarding visas to pass through to Algeria from Mauritania.

Cook’s running journey, like many, started at a self-professed “rock bottom.”

“Trying to improve myself and then putting more positive energy out there, putting the work in, working on myself and and then, slowly but surely, climbing the ladder.”

“When I’m an old man, sitting in my rocking chair, with 18 grandchildren running around, I’ll have a few stories to knock back. So that will be good,” he previously told CNN.

Jasmin Paris, the first woman ever to finish the Barkley Marathons

Jasmin Paris, the first woman ever to finish the 100-plus-mile Barkley Marathons, completed her remarkable feat with a lengthy injury list: tendonitis in one knee, swelling in her feet and a series of itchy cuts criss-crossed over her arms and legs.

“And, obviously, blisters and the toenails are going to come off,” British ultrarunner Paris added, as if that’s a prerequisite for completing one of the most demanding footraces in the world.

The Barkley Marathons, held annually in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park, is notorious within the distance running community, as famous for its punishing terrain and brutal climbs as it is for its quirky course markings and secretive entry system.

Before this year, only 17 men – and no women – had ever completed all five loops of the race, which covers somewhere between 100 and 130 miles and takes in 63,000 feet of elevation – more than twice the height of Mount Everest.

“I’ve never really considered myself any different from a man in terms of what I can achieve,” she told CNN Sport.

“I’m really delighted about the thing of a woman having finished it, but really, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it … And I’ve never felt that being a woman was a barrier to that.”

Lachlan Morton, the fastest person to cycle around Australia

It took 30 days, nine hours and 59 minutes for Lachlan Morton to complete a full lap – just over 8,800 miles or 14,200 kilometers – of his vast country Australia in record time, arriving back in his hometown of Port Macquarie. But you can forgive him for thinking that it was longer.

During his travels, the professional cyclist braved brutal headwinds, extreme temperatures, dangerous traffic and even dusted himself off after a run-in with a kangaroo.

That’s all while cycling an average of 450km (almost 280 miles) a day, spending up to 17 or 18 hours on a bike daily, stopping only to sleep, eat and mentally reset before doing it all again.

Lael Wilcox, fastest woman to cycle around the world

In September, American Lael Wilcox broke the world record for the fastest woman to cycle around the world, traversing 21 countries and 18,125 miles in three-and-a-half months.

Arriving back in Chicago – 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes after she set off – Wilcox beat the previous best time of 124 days and 11 hours set by Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham in 2018.

“I had so much fun – felt like I could’ve just kept riding forever,” Wilcox said on Instagram following the conclusion of her journey.

For her around-the-world record attempt, Wilcox began in the Windy City before cycling to New York.

Right from the start of her journey, she was battling testing conditions. “On day four, I was throwing up all day, it never stopped raining and I was getting multiple punctures. I still rode 139 miles, but it was a tough one,” she told her sponsor, SRAM, according to Cycling Weekly.

From New York, she flew to Portugal, from which she set off for the Netherlands, eventually coming back down through Germany, the Alps, the Balkans, Turkey and Georgia.

After a flight to Perth in Australia, she cycled along the southern coast to Brisbane before flying to New Zealand, which would be her last stop before returning to North America. From hometown Anchorage, Wilcox cycled south to Los Angeles, before finishing along Route 66 to Chicago.

Kilian Jornet, who ran and/or climbed all 82 Alpine peaks in 19 days

Spanish mountain runner Kilian Jornet climbed all 82 of the Alps’ 4,000-meter peaks in record time, taking just 19 days to complete the remarkable feat.

He did so entirely under his own power, using a combination of mountaineering, climbing, trail running and cycling. Dividing his route into 16 stages, Jornet would travel for as much as 20 hours on some days, before resting for four or five hours and beginning again.

The 37-year-old racked up an extraordinary 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) across more than 267 hours of activity, gaining 75,344 meters of elevation across the 19 days.

“This was, without any doubt, the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life, mentally, physically, and technically, but also maybe the most beautiful,” he wrote on social media. “It’s difficult to process all my emotions just now, but this is a journey that I will never forget.”

Purnima Shrestha, who climbed Everest three times in two weeks

Purnima Shrestha made history this year, breaking a world record by summiting Everest three times in a single season, bagging the summits in a staggering 13 days.

The Nepalese climber and photojournalist made her ascents on May 12, May 19 and May 25.

“My body was drained. I felt like a stupid girl. I often felt like giving up this ambition,” she told CNN Sport, adding that getting up the mountain was a challenge due to lethargy and the huge cost of paying for such an expedition. “But I dreamt and succeeded. I insisted on my dream. Focusing on my dream was the hardest thing.”

She is also the first Nepali woman to climb the seventh tallest mountain Mt. Dhaulagiri, which she did so in 2021 with Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita.

Sebastian Steudtner, who surfed the ‘unsurfable’

German surfer Sebastian Steudtner may have broken his own record for riding the biggest wave in history earlier this year.

The monster wave in the famed surfing spot of Nazaré, Portugal, was provisionally measured at 28.57 meters (93.72 feet), pending ratification.

If confirmed, the wave would eclipse Steudtner’s current record of 26.21 meters (86 feet) set in 2020, also in the fishing village of Nazaré.

“It’s complete chaos and you would think, as an outsider, it’s terrifying,” he told CNN Sport, explaining what surfing a giant wave is like.

“It’s almost like a horrific experience, but it’s so peaceful to me. Everything becomes simple. Life in general, you know, you are consistently dealing with a hundred different things and fighting problems and challenges and you’re moving really quick.

“Being exposed to this radical, physical, ginormous energy, and being humbled by it makes me really peaceful.”

Biniam Girmay, the Black African cyclist making history wherever he rides

Biniam Girmay made history at this year’s Tour de France, becoming the first Black African rider ever to win a Tour de France stage.⁠ He then went on to win another two stages.

The Eritrean Intermarche-Wanty rider, who previously became the first Black African to win a stage at the Giro d’Italia, now wants other Black riders to excel in the sport.

“It’s really good for the impact, a good vision for young talent, because if you work on that, especially in the European teams, if they invest a lot in African cycling for sure we can have a more global sport. And that’s always nice to see,” he told Eurosport during this year’s Tour de France.

“This year, I’m the only Black rider in the peloton, it’s not nice, to be honest, so I wish there were more Black riders in the peloton.”

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