Author(s): Dominic Bliss

Sporting Biography

You're coming to the end of an epic race. Your chest burns as your lungs fight to suck in enough oxygen and your thighs ache as lactic acid courses through your muscles in a final effort to reach the finish. If this sounds like hell, this isn't the book for you, but if you've experienced similar feelings and the subsequent endorphin rush as you cross the line, Up for the Challenge will be right up your street. Sports writer Dominic Bliss has scoured the planet to bring you a selection of some of the most intense, hardcore sporting events around and dares you to have a go yourself. With over 60 challenges covering all four corners of the globe and a range of different disciplines, discover events like the North Pole Marathon where competitors run the 26.4 miles in sub-zero conditions or the Atlantic Challenge, a race that sees you and a rowing boat attempt to cross the world's second largest ocean. Then there's the Simpson Desert Challenge, a five-day bike race across the Australian Outback, or the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile, 24-hour horse ride across California's Sierra Nevada mountains - an event where on average only around half the competitors make it to the finish line. Alongside the event profiles, which are illustrated with spectacular photography are interviews with some of the competitors and organisers, explaining what it's actually like putting yourself through some of the most extreme physical test known to man.