What is extreme running and how to prepare for difficult distances, athletes' recommendations

Many of us love running because we can do it for fun: build a scenic route, play our favorite playlist, find our pace. But even such a comfortable plan can sooner or later get boring – that’s when the urge to experiment awakens. For example, to extreme.

So, on May 22 in the city of Tchaikovsky in the Perm region, almost a thousand professional athletes and amateurs decided to test their strength and conquer the distance of 400 meters at the Red Bull 400 race. However, they had to run not on a flat surface, but on a real ski jump. We were so impressed by the courage of these guys that we decided to dive into the topic of extreme races and tell you how to prepare for them, so that you don’t get off the track in the middle.

What is extreme running and what is it like?

Speaking about extreme distances, it is worth immediately forget about such a concept as flat asphalt. Extreme running is always about the ability to overcome various obstacles on the way: from natural to artificially created. In the first case we can talk about:

trailrunning – running on any rugged terrain, be it taiga forests, jungles or deserts;
mountain running – a discipline in which the trailsrun exclusively in mountainous terrain;
skyrunning – a fast ascent to the finish line or so-called high-altitude running, which emerged on the edge of mountaineering. And so on.

The second is about team obstacle races, during which you can feel like you’re in the army. Or about distances in unnatural but very interesting conditions. These include a race on a ski jump.

By the way, quite often in extreme running difficult natural conditions are combined with hellishly long distances, and sometimes with extraordinary rules. For example, participants of the northernmost ultra-run in the world must overcome 560 kilometers along the route from the Yukon (Canada) to the coast of the Arctic Ocean, crossing the Arctic Circle. And all the equipment and food must be dragged behind them on sleds – special sleds strapped to their belts. It is not surprising that for 14 years of the competition’s existence only 37 people could reach the finish line, although all athletes were strictly selected.

An Austrian track and field athlete got bored with the usual distances and came up with the Red Bull 400

This extreme race is called “the most difficult 400 meters in life”, and it was invented by 13-time Austrian sprint champion Andreas Berger. One day he saw a ski jump and decided to look at it from a different angle: what if it was possible not only to descend from it, but also to run to the top? That’s how the idea for a series of extreme races on big jumps around the world came about.

This year the Red Bull 400 event was held for the seventh time in Russia – on the HS-140 ski jump with a slope of 35 degrees, which is located in the city of Chaykovsky. To give you an idea of the scale of this mountain, let’s say that its height is 130 meters – a whole 60-storey building! And the finishing point rises 173 meters above sea level. The best participants have to overcome the track twice: in the qualifying race and in the final race.

Besides our country, such competitions have already been hosted by Austria, Japan, France, England, Norway, USA, Canada, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

The main thing is the right preparation, willpower and… the ability to catch the moment

It is difficult to stay on such a distance, even if it is short. It is even more difficult to overcome it first. We talked to the winners of the Red Bull 400 in men’s and women’s competitions – Alexander Antonov (3:44.20) and Anastasia Ursegova (5:01.36) – and asked what it takes to reach the cherished finish line.

Alexander’s athletic career has spanned 18 years. During this time he has tried a variety of disciplines: triathlon, biathlon, cross-country skiing, orienteering, athletics in all its forms, mountaineering… But, according to Alexander, even with such experience, it is necessary to prepare for each extreme distance in a special way, based on the duration of the race and the areas in which you will have to work. “Train like with like” is the main principle that guides the athlete. That is, if you want to run on a ski jump, you should start by working your leg muscles and include anaerobic exercise, fast acceleration, and running uphill in your plan. And also be sure to stretch well before the start and try to enjoy it!

Alexander Antonov

winner of the Red Bull 400 in 2021

The peculiarity of this course is that it is very short – we run faster than four minutes. But it is very demanding in terms of functional readiness. It’s incredibly difficult for someone who hasn’t run to explain how you feel at the finish line. Because the muscles get hammered very quickly, about halfway through the race, but you are not allowed to slow down – you can only add, add, add. And at the finish line you just fall down and can get up on your shaky legs only after 5 minutes. That is, it seems to be only 4 minutes of running, but you put 146 percent into it.

Anastasia has been involved in track and field athletics since childhood, but she likes running just “in a straight line” less than trying her hand at extreme distances. The girl prepares for each of them in a different way, working out absolutely all muscle groups, and always does it together with a coach. In her opinion, it is very hard to prepare for difficult starts on your own, and the instructor will regulate the load and motivate you to observe discipline.

One more flyhack from athletes – you don’t need to rush headlong into the race and rush forward from the first second. It is better to start the distance calmly, take a certain pace and try to keep it, waiting for the best moment for acceleration.

In addition to physical preparation, the winners of the race recommend to pay attention to psychological preparation. After all, on such difficult tracks you have to work to the limit, and the moments when you can be overtaken by a rival are given with difficulty.

Anastasia Ursegova

winner of the Red Bull 400 in 2021

It’s one thing when you can be physically prepared, but morally you also need to prepare for it. You need to realize that it will definitely not be easy, that you will have to be patient at times, to the end, to force yourself. I think that moral and psychological preparation is very important and it is about willpower. Because there are moments when it really hits you. It seems that everything is over, it’s the end, your body can’t take it anymore. This is the moment when you need to endure it. Then it seems that the body is capable of anything.

Still, if you suddenly decide to conquer a ski jump or start any other unusual race, and your goals do not include the point “I want to win!”, then try to just catch the moment and overcome the distance in a comfortable atmosphere.