Glova-trail competition/experiment

[Jean]

First: glova is a made-up superlative.
I would be very interested in taking part in a walking competition. I would like the rules to be as follows:
You can take as much stuff as you want with you: food, water container, medicine, tent, clothes sleeping bag, etc
At the starting point, you get water, and coordinates to the next control point.
You walk there.
At the next control point, you get water(as much as you want), and coordinates to the next control point.
It goes on until you can no longer walk.
The one that went the furtest wins. There is no timelimit. It goes on until you have no more calories to burn.
You can only refill on water. No food, no gear exchange, you need to be self reliant for everything except water.

Wo would be interested?
What do you think would be the best strategies, regarding what to carry, how fast to walk, etc...

voilà

[Dragline]

The winner might go on for a month or more, or maybe even almost indefinitely if they could obtain food from the environment (knowing the environment in advance would be key). You would want to do your sleeping/resting near the watering holes like the pioneers did.

No, I would not be interested. The probability of sickness or injury for the participants would be high.

[enigmaT120]

I think the fattest rather fit person would win. No thanks.

[Jean]

food from the environment wouldn't be allowed.
What is wrong about being fat?
Why always oppose it to fitness?
Today we think fat as excessive as soon as abs aren't visible anymore. I don't think it's true.

[IlliniDave]

I would not be interested.

Stephen King wrote a book like this, the wrinkle being they shot you when you stopped.

[Dragline]

food from the environment wouldn't be allowed.

Ok, we'll try for the Kobiashi Maru maneuver #2: You could always eat the other competitors since they are not part of the environment. But you might want to catch them early on while they still have some meat on their bones. Otherwise, you'll just be feasting on organs and sucking marrow.

Who put the Hunger in the Hunger Games Marathon? Hoo-hoo-hah-hah-haah!

[James_0011]

What's the point?

[Jean]

I would like to know what the range of a human is.
Also, I think that the ability to walk long distances without assistance is a very important one, and it even might be regarded as the ultimate fitness metric.

[black_son_of_gray]

For some insights, look into "unassisted"/"unsupported"/"self-supported" ultramarathoners. Typically, they push jogging strollers or pull wagons/trailers filled with what they need for the duration of the race, sometimes several hundred miles.

For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badwater_ ... _crossings

Otherwise, you are basically asking for a modern-day version of Oregon Trail, sans mules - right?

[Toska2]

BSOG summerized my intial reaction. There are incredible human beings out there. Races like these entice the insane imo. I compare marathons to biking century races, Ultras to race across states and what you described to Race Across America. People do it, how or why, I do not know, Wheaton levels be damned.

I had the opportunity to listen to Nikki Kimball. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Kimball
Running is a way of life. Early Retirement and it's free time can't give you that.

That said, iI were to do this:
1.Flat ground
a. Items: Modified stroller, 3 liters of water a day, hammock tent, three sets of clothes, 3000 calories of pemmican & fat & dried fruit, salt pills, med kit, knife, rope, pair of headlamps, compass and misc
b. Pace & Weight: whatever I could push or pull @ 2.5 mph. I guessing 150 lbs. (Say 30lbs of gear and the rest food and water, I'm guessing 30 days worth)

Edit: whoops, forgot about water resupply. This dramatically increases my food amount.

[Jean]

I would be interested to see how they look like, thin or fat.
My bet would be to raise to 30% bodyfat.
I'de only carry 7-10 liter of water (as refill would be allowed), sleeping gears, and some clothes.
This would put my bag at 15kg.
I'll simply go without eating.

But I would be very interested to see how the different strategies work.

[jacob]

@Jean - I think the general strategy is to start out semi-chubby(*) and end up with 5% bodyfat despite spending 2 months on a diet of mostly butter and granola. I enjoy reading about such experiences/adventures to appreciate the potential range of human boundaries but I have noted that the lower cutoff often ends with a medevac or at least calling in support with a food drop---and the 3 or 4 sigma event ending up making history. I recall reading a liveblog some years ago from a couple of blokes trying to replicate the Scott expedition. They ended up with a food drop half way back. I tried to google them and instead ended up with these guys:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cas_and_J ... ng_the_Ice

Each year, there are dozens of "expeditions" trying to reach the south pole using various self-imposed constraints. Ray Jardine has done it too btw.

(*) If you're not there already, a lot of these adventures start with "fattening up" first to build up some reserves to draw down on. That makes a lot of sense.

[7Wannabe5]

FINALLY, a contest I could win. (Checks out rear view in mirror. Tosses empty milk jug and giant tube of sunblock in backpack.) Yup. I'm all packed and ready to go. What is the prize?

[OTCW]

I would not be interested.

Stephen King wrote a book like this, the wrinkle being they shot you when you stopped.

Best of his Bachman books IMO.