Challenges for runners

Feature Requests
1

Hi, at the moment, as a new runner I can chose between two challenges: ride California for 1283km, and climb mt. Everest for 8848 meters. Both are absolutely daunting for a runner (respect to real-life Everest climbers).

Let’s introduce some more realistic challenges for runners.

Some ideas:

  • Marathon: complete 42(something) km
  • Kennedy march 80 km
  • Eiffel Tower, climb 330 meters
  • Single Duch: 334km, reward orange outfit
  • Lord of the Runs: run for 8 hours 32 minutes (length of lotr movies). Reward hobbit foot shoes.

I think a couple of people can come up with dozens of ideas in an hour or so.
Has to be easy to implement for the Zwift team.

To anyone reading this:
consider yourself challenged to do better than I did :yum:

2

I just signed up for a 50K ruck march on Facebook, something that could be completed within a month or just a season would be cool.

1 Like
3

The most important group of new runners are high school students. These are individuals being trained to work in groups for life long running. The running goals are modest and doable, 3 mile and 5 mile runs. Marathons and UltraMarathons have failed as business models in the real world. These nearly all require fanatical levels of commitment. Beyond 12 miles, or a half marathon in distance, there are serious concerns of atrial fibrillation developing later in life. Evidence based data demonstrates a U-shaped health curve with respect to distance. Developing campus runs would be very enjoyable, running Stanford, UCLA, Georgetown, anywhere you could visit with interesting graphical modeling.

4

Hi Gary, these challenges don’t have to be completed in one go. They are long term achievements. Although for runners it’s more like lifetime achievements at the moment :wink:

That’s why I suggested easier versions.

1 Like
5

Bart,

I think the data on running was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and is fairly conclusive. Maximal fitness in running is achieved through 3 x 3 = 9. That is 3 miles, 3 times a week, at a 9 minute per mile pace, with variation, sometimes run 4 times a week, sometimes run 5 miles, sometimes quicker, sometimes slower, but the key to running, moderation. That is what the science is fairly definitive about. The greatest lifetime achievement I think is living a very long life, in a disease free state, financially secure.

Gary

6

Hi Gary, ok, so an achievement that could be realized in a healthy manner in about a month should be roughly 35 miles.

Thanks for your advice and for caring!