The world's toughest race

Is this the most challenging human endurance competition ever?

Adventure addicts from 10 different countries are due to converge on South Dakota, USA, to take on the 10-day Primal Quest Badlands adventure race in August.

The epic event, in its sixth year, has been dubbed ‘The world’s most challenging human endurance competition’. Competitors have to take part in all of the six stages: trekking/off-road running and orienteering, mountain biking, caving, swimming, kayaking and a fixed-line ropes climbing course.

Mixed teams of four see men and women battling alongside each other, day and night, to cover 600 miles of hostile terrain. The fastest teams should finish after six days and bag their share of the $150,000 prize pot, but half of those enter fail to finish.

Thirty-eight teams from Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, the USA and the Dutch Antilles have signed up so far for this year’s competition, but a British team is yet to make the list.

Primal Quest Badlands runs from August 14th to 23rd and costs $11,500 per team of four to enter. Entries are still open. www.ecoprimalquest.com