For centuries we have been hung up about distance. We measured in yards and furlongs; then we went the way of miles and kilometres. Historically, the longest distance recorded for running was the marathon, which is derived from its Greek namesake.
Our language patterns are littered with terminology like: the long haul, in the short run, going the distance, in the run up, running tab, run for our life, go far in life, trade long/short, etc.
The short distance format of triathlons is known as sprints; the longer ones are called ultra-distances.
One runner I know will be doing 250 marathons this year for charity. To date, he has completed nearly 70. Ultra-distance running goes beyond the 42km, and extends from 52.5km to 218km in total distance. A popular international format is the 100-miler; we featured Alan Giraldi of San Francisco last year who completed the Badwater 100-Miler. Dr Kua Harn Wei regularly competes and completes 10 Ironmans over 10 days, which makes the Deca-Ironman triathlon one of the longest endurance events in the world. Tobias Frenz covered several days of running over the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. It takes a day or two to make the pilgrimage to some of these exotic locations around the world, just to race these unique endurance races.
Each race and format engages different beliefs, values, cognition, instincts, perceptions, and behaviors. Each participant who competes and completes is a leader in his/her way.
That’s about the long and short of it.
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