Men's Health - UK (2019-07)

MEN’S HEALTH 49

11-14

Ta ke o n

the World’s

Toughest

Ultra-

marathons

Britain’s Marathon

des Sables

record-holder

Tom Evans runs

you through the

most gruelling

foot races

“The Marathon

des Sables takes

place over six

days in the Sahara.

This legendary

self-supported

race merits its rep

as the toughest

on Earth.”

“If you really want

to hit the wall,

try theSelf-

Transcendence

3,100-mile race,

the longest foot

race in the world.

Runners have

52 days to loop

a half-mile track

5,649 times – or

96km per day.”

“Badwater 135

is great if you

want something

gruelling. Hosted

in California’s

Death Valley in

July, the weather

is extreme –

temperatures

can reach 54°C.”

“The Barkley

Marathons are

iconic. Take your

pick from 60 or

100 miles and

race through the

Frozen Head State

Park in Tennessee

within 60 hours.”

15-16

Get to Pole

Position in

Antarctica

For one of Earth’s last

untouched vistas, you’ll have

to head down – all the way

down. On this 15-day round

trip, you’ll cruise around the

Antarctic Circle, stopping off

to break the ice with penguins

and follow in the footsteps of

legendary explorers, crossing

the Drake Passage and

squeezing through the Lemaire

Channel. As well as some of the

most stunning scenery in the

world, you’ll spot minke whales,

leopard seals, humpbacks

and orcas. Cool stuff.

globaljourneys.com

Like that? Offering a different

vantage point on Antarctica,

this skydive allows you to drop

over the Ellsworth Mountains

from 4km up, in temperatures

at a crisp -35°C.

swoop-antarctica.com

17-18

Go Deep in

Utah’s Gorges

The Grand Canyon is for

tourists. Utah is the must-stop

state on any US road trip, with

hidden sandstone gorges

littering the landscape. Vertical

escarpments will take you

among millennia-old rock,

offering more than you’ll ever

have time to explore. Book

a trip through Capitol Reef

National Park to avoid any

127 Hours-type scenarios.

redrockadventureguides.com

Like that? You don’t need to

cross the Atlantic to get your

fill. With guided canyoning

and river boarding across

the Pyrenees, you can find a

tailor-made trip that won’t leave

you with a mountain of debt.

adventurecreators.com

50 Greatest Adventures

07-08

Dive to a Polish

Ship Graveyard

Poland is a country rich with history, much of which is

located 90m beneath the Baltic Sea in the Gulf of Gdańsk.

Dive in and you’ll discover vessels struck down by stormy

seas, German U-boats and even ships dating back to the

17th century. The sea’s low salinity make them among

the best preserved wrecks in the world. balticquest.pl

Like that? Charter the 20-person yacht Infinity and

use it as your base from which to snorkel the Galapagos

Islands, next to sea lions, turtles and iguanas. Don’t

know one from the other? Happily, your yacht comes

equipped with two naturalist guides.

naturalworldsafaris.com

09-10

Blaze a Trail

in Cambodia

Go one better than
a #blessed Angkor Wat
Instagram post. Bring a rush
of adrenalin to this holy site
by racing the Temple Run,
a half-marathon dreamed
up by the Anantara Angkor
Resort in Siem Reap. Starting
at the temple, you’ll take in
21km of wild-forest running
track. In case you run out of
steam halfway through, you’ll

have your own personal

tuk-tuk, loaded with water

and healthy snacks. All of

which should help you on

your way to runners’ nirvana.

anantara.com

Like that? From the forest

floors of Asia to the forest

canopies of Africa: One&Only

Nyungwe House in Rwanda

offers the only experience

of its kind in East Africa. Its

suspended walkway hangs

60m above the ground,

giving you a safari that is

a cut above the rest.

oneandonlyresorts.com