Sometimes we travel to attend a big event, like a rock concert, festival or football game, and by the time the we get back to the hotel, we wonder what the fuss was all about. Unfortunately, some events are more enjoyable on television, from the comfort of our own couch. Take the Super Bowl for example. Sold out every year of course but more hype surrounds the television advertisements than the actual game, which usually turns out to be a dud from a pure football vantage point. Rather than fans of the game, the seats are full of corporate fatcats who seldom have any allegiance to either team.
Thankfully, there are some events well worth the price of admission. Best of all, several require no payment at all. You simply have to show up and applaud from the sidelines. Without further ado, we present the Top 10 Races in the World.
10. The Great Tibetan Marathon
Remote? Yes. Good chance of high altitude sickness? Yes. Unparalleled beauty amid a dense backdrop of spirituality? Indeed.
The Great Tibetan Marathon presents unique challenges to runners more familiar with the urban confines of London and New York City. Smack in the middle of the Himalayas in the area famous as the “Top of the World”, the marathon takes participants through scenery heavy with natural splendor and spiritual import unlike anywhere around the globe. The ancient Tibetan Buddhist monuments and monastic shrines that line the route within the Indus Valley lend a quality of mysticism to this annual race. Runners must contend with incredible distractions here. For one, the view. On the one hand, the Himalayas loom large in the distance. That alone is cause to lose focus. The lack of oxygen however, reminds the athletes that the conditions can be deadly. The Indus Valley on the other hand, is one of the most pristine in the world. No wonder that the gurus of yore found enlightenment here and chose the location for their precious monuments.
The region of Bordeaux in France evokes one image and one image only: wine. In a quest to consummate a most unholy marriage, somebody in 1984, perhaps after a blow to the head, thought it would be fun to combine the heritage of Bordeaux with a marathon. Thus, the Médoc Marathon was born.
With a limit of 8,500 participants, the convivial race is a conventional marathon in every sense except one. The route runs past some of the most famous Châteaux in France, with names that drip from the mouths of wine connoisseurs. As such, participants who want to make the most of the event slake their thirst not with water, but much more importantly, with wine. A lot of wine. Hardcore veterans of the event measure success at Médoc with how drunk they are at the finish. The revelry that surrounds the marathon is legendary, with elements of Mardi Gras and Halloween that together, make for one raucous weekend in Bordeaux. Definitely one for both Dionysus and Pheidippides to enjoy.
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A rare event where the mantra “only the strong survive” is not hyperbole, the Dakar Rally is thrill ride of epic proportions. The annual off-road race, whose organizers - the Amaury Sport Organisation - also put together the Tour de France, epitomizes the word endurance. Participants race for pride, as Dakar is seen by enthusiasts as the most brutal rally test in the world. For the teams that invest in Dakar, a win here is the ultimate ego boost.
The terrain is the problem. Whether the race starts in Paris or Lisbon, it ends past the Sahara and in Dakar, Senegal. As such, teams have to supply drivers with mechanical support the likes of which do not exist in conventional rally events. Vehicles typically drive up to 900 km a day through treacherous sand dunes, camel grass and desert erg. Death is almost inevitable for some, which makes the race even better from a bloodlust tourism standpoint.
Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
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