How about running 100km over mountainous terrain with around 4700m of climbing and descending?
How about all of that on what could be the hottest day on record in Wanaka?
This is what faced the 55 competitors who took part in the Ultra Easy 100km Sky Run based out of Luggate on Saturday, a day-long race in temperatures exceeding 35degC.
Organiser Terry Davis summed it up perfectly at the prizegiving yesterday.
"I am absolutely stoked that nobody died yesterday.
"In the days before the race I was very very concerned about the heat. Had I listened to my feelings I would have cancelled the race."
In preparation, Davis said he made sure extra medics and aid stations were placed around the course, with 70 bags of ice and ice blocks provided to competitors throughout the day.
The Ultra Easy run, which started at 3am and included ascents of Roys Peak (1578m), Mt Alpha (1630m), Little Criffel (1341m) and Mt Pisa (1963m), was won by Blake Turner, of Sydney, in 12hr 35min, followed by Ian Evans, of Wanaka, and Tom Brazier, of Canberra.
It was the first 100km run for both Turner and Evans, and the first in two years for Brazier. Turner said he had a few issues during the race.
"This is my first 100km [race], so I had no idea [how to pace myself] — I made it up as I went. It got slower as the day went on obviously, much, much slower."
The three men said it had been important to get as far through the race as possible while temperatures were cool.
"We’d done at least half the race by 9am," Evans said.
But they agreed it got very challenging in the second half of the race once it had heated up.
"The first half was really exciting, but then the second half I was getting tired and the course got boring. There was no variation; it was just trails with no shade, which made it really mind-numbing," Brazier said.
"Everything is sore, your body is just telling you to try and hang on," Evans said.
Despite the pain and suffering, all three are competing in other races soon.
Turner is heading back to Australia to race in the 75km Buffalo Stampede in the Australian Alps in April, Brazier is competing in GODZone in Fiordland in March, while Evans is considering taking part in Northburn in Cromwell in March.
