Featured Image Credit: Magnus Midtbø/YouTube
If you thought that running a marathon was hard enough on its own then this YouTuber has something to show you, as not only did they attempt it with no prior training, but they also decided to do it in what many consider to be the 'hottest place on Earth'.
YouTube is packed full of bizarre challenges that seemingly no sane person would even think to attempt. From running 5 kilometers every day for a month as a total beginner to walking 250,000 steps in just a week, these creators put their bodies to the test (and on the line) for our entertainment - and for science too, of course.
Things might just have been taken up a notch by Magnus Midtbø however, as he has decided to try running an entire marathon in the 'hottest place on Earth', all without any prior training.
Advert
"So this is maybe the most stupid idea ever," declares Magnus at the start of the video, admitting that they only conceived the notion of this challenge a few days ago after a couple of drinks - the source of only the best ideas.
The host of this challenge is Death Valley, California - a barren, dry, and unbelievably hot stretch of the Mojave Desert that is around 282 feet below sea level and reaches temperatures of up to 134⁰F (56.6⁰C) at the hottest points of the year.
At the time of recording Death Valley actually reached a record-breaking temperature of 127⁰F in September, so perhaps not the best time to try this out.
Starting off on the right foot, they reveal that "apparently heat stroke is a real thing," and its certainly something that Magnus and his running partner Oswaldo will have to deal with quickly as they start their journey.
The heat isn't the only hazard they have to deal with as they run either, as there is a chance of encountering dangerous animals like poisonous snakes or mountain lions across Death Valley. At least that might make you run a bit faster!
When detailing the feeling of the heat, Magnus explains that "it's so dry it feels like your sweat just evaporates, which is why I had to soak myself in water to cool down."
They contemplated calling it quits at the halfway point, but decided to keep going as far as they could before it got dark. The heat was so much at one point that the empty water bottles in the back of his truck has completely melted away too.
Thankfully when the sun started to fade it began to get a lot cooler, but with several hours of heat on your back it's hard to really recover and push yourself towards the finish line.
He finally made it in the pitch black of night though, collapsing upon reaching the end. He describes that he expected to feel happy upon completion, but all he felt as pain and soreness.
The final completion time was around 8 hours and 34 minutes, which while slow relative to the average marathon finish time, to do it all at all in such extreme heat is an achievement that many couldn't match - let alone with no prior training.
