Spartathlon
Distance: 153 miles
Dreamt up by members of the RAF to see if was physically possible to cover the 153 mile distance between Athens and Sparta in Greece in the 36 hours it took Athenian messenger Pheidippides to make the journey asking for help in the battle of Marathon (where the 26.2 miler got it’s name). Apparently it is possible and each September racers cover the pleasant terrain under a deeply unpleasant time limit. Nobody mentions the fact the Pheidippides died shortly after making the run himself.