If somebody challenged you to run 400 metres, you’d most likely have no trouble – but what if those 400 metres were up a ski jump? Yep, us neither.
That's the challenge on offer at the Red Bull 400, quite possibly the toughest 400m race in existence, now in its seventh year.
The Red Bull 400 series tours 17 ski jumps across Europe, Asia and North America – including four new ones this season – welcoming entrants to take on the ultimate test of endurance and strength. The tour started in Lahti in Finland on May 12, then visits venues including the jump used for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Courchevel, France (July 21), before culminating in Engelberg, Switlzerand, on October 20.
Following a successful launch last year, the second Red Bull 400 World Championships will be held on August 25 in Bischofshofen, Austria. More than 1,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete for the title.
Red Bull reporter Dominique Granger took on the race in Titisee-Neustadt in 2015, competing against a line-up of 200 racers. She documented her attempt on film, showing just how challenging it really is – we see her scrambling up the grass slope, which has a gradient of 32 degrees, and huffing and puffing across the finish line after completing what she describes as the toughest 400m of her life.
“I had the feeling my lungs were going to burst, that my heart was pounding so hard I thought we would hear it on the camera, and calf muscles so tight I was wondering if they would ever relax again,” said Dominique.
The ski jump used for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia is also on the tour, on October 7, as is the ski jump at Park City in Utah. All the sweating, scrambling and insanity will be available to stream via Red Bull.
In 2016 a new Red Bull 400 record was set by 17-year-old Kieran Lumb from Vancouver at the Whistler heat, who ran the race up an incline of 37 degrees in three minutes and 48 seconds – we’re tired just thinking about it.
How do you succeed in this type of race and who does it suit, apart from the insanely-fit-push-yourself-to-the-limit types? Endurance, huge lung capacity and steely determination are of course essential.
Dominique adds: “I think one of the strategies would have been to train, and then to have really long legs – but unfortunately I didn’t bring my pair of long legs. The girl who won, she’s got those.”
If you’re up for a challenge and fancy taking on the Red Bull 400, the events are open to entries from the public, with solo and relay options available. Good luck! You’re braver than us...