endurance sports

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Woman Sets New Speed Record on Appalachian Trail

Tara Dower took 13 hours off fastest known time

(Newser) - The average thru-hiker takes around six months to complete the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail. Endurance athlete Tara Dower did it in less than six weeks. The 31-year-old endurance athlete set a new FKT—Fastest Known Time—record just before midnight Saturday when she reached the trail's southern terminus in...

He Has Braved 'Forbidding Waters.' The Hudson Is Next

The 'NYT' previews Lewis Pugh's 315-mile attempt

(Newser) - He has braved "some of the most forbidding waters on the planet," as the Guardian puts it, and British endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh plans to next brave New York's 315-mile Hudson River. In a preview of his monthlong swim, the New York Times reports Pugh—who has...

This Type of Athlete Wows at Conquering Pain
This Type of Athlete
Wows at Conquering Pain
NEW STUDY
Oct 22, 2020 1:57 PM CDT

This Type of Athlete Wows at Conquering Pain

High-level endurance athletes beat soccer players in pain tolerance, thresholds

(Newser) - Want to fell less pain? You may want to try long-distance running. Research published in July comparing pain perception in endurance athletes, soccer players, and nonathletes suggests elite athletes overall have increased pain tolerance, higher pain thresholds, and lower pain intensity—but also that endurance athletes manage the best. In...

He Created the Death Race. Now, a New Extreme Offering

Meet Andy Weinberg, founder of the Endurance Society

(Newser) - More than 1 million people clamor their way through a Spartan obstacle race each year. Andy Weinberg has moved on to a more extreme kind of challenge. He's the co-founder of Spartan but no longer a part of it following a legal battle between him and co-founder Joe De...

Sure, Guys, You're Fast and Strong. But Women Outlast You
Men Are Faster, but
They Tire Faster, Too
NEW STUDY
Aug 24, 2017 7:02 AM CDT

Men Are Faster, but They Tire Faster, Too

Scientists say women 'can outlast men by a wide margin'

(Newser) - Guys might be good at carrying heavy furniture but they tire faster than their female counterparts, new research out of the University of British Columbia shows. "We've known for some time that women are less fatigable than men during isometric muscle tests—static exercises where joints don't...

Nyad Begins 'Magical' 48-Hour Swim for Sandy

'I'm going to feel the solidarity' with swimmers including Ryan Lochte, Richard Simmons

(Newser) - The 64-year-old woman who swam from Cuba to Florida is attempting to swim in a pool in midtown Manhattan for 48 straight hours to benefit victims of Superstorm Sandy. Wearing a pink swim cap, Diana Nyad dove into the 40-yard pool set up in Herald Square and began doing laps...

Nyad Defends Swim: I Had Right to Set Ground Rules

And it was a 'squeaky-clean'

(Newser) - Cuba-to-Florida swimmer Diana Nyad answered skeptics quite literally last night, in a lengthy conference call between the new record holder and about a dozen members of the marathon swimming community. To the purists who questioned her gear, Nyad claimed the right to set the ground rules, noting the sport awards...

Skeptics: Nyad's Swim Was a Little Too Fast

Think she had help from her boat; team says only boost was from currents

(Newser) - Is there something fishy about Diana Nyad's record-breaking Cuba to Florida swim ? The world of marathon swimming is rife with rumors that the 64-year-old may have had some help from her accompanying boat during the 110-mile swim, which her team says she was the first to complete without...

She Did It! Nyad Finishes Epic Cuba-Fla. Swim

Swimmer completes 110-mile journey on 5th, final try in 35 years

(Newser) - The fifth try was indeed the charm: Diana Nyad has completed her 35-year-old odyssey to become the first swimmer to cross the Florida Straits Cuba without a shark cage. She was in the water roughly 53 hours, reports CNN . Nyad's team posted this message earlier on her website : "...

Secret Weapon Buoys Nyad's Final Cuba-Fla. Swim

Swimmer thus far avoiding jellyfish, thanks to special mask

(Newser) - American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is "doing remarkably well" in her fifth attempt in 35 years to become the first person to successfully swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She made it through the first night without any of the jellyfish stings that have...

Jellyfish End Cuba-to-Florida Swim Dream

Chloe McCardel ends marathon swim after 11 hours

(Newser) - An Australian woman had to cut short her Cuba-to-Florida swim attempt yesterday after jellyfish put an end to her effort, reports Australia's ABC . Chloe McCardel, who would have been the first person to swim the 103-mile distance without a shark cage, called it quits after 11 hours and multiple...

Storms Slow Nyad's Cuba-to-Florida Swim
 Nyad Ends 4th 
 Cuba-to-Florida Quest 
UPDATED
Aug 21, 2012 9:22 AM CDT

Nyad Ends 4th Cuba-to-Florida Quest

Swimmer attempted to wait out storms this morning

(Newser) - Diana Nyad was supposed to finish her fourth attempt at the Cuba-to-Florida swim this morning, and she did, in disappointing fashion. ABC News reports that Nyad has been pulled from the water, following jellyfish stings and two days of disagreeable weather. Writing on Nyad's blog , a crew member noted...

Nyad About Halfway Through Epic Swim

Could arrive in Florida tomorrow

(Newser) - Diana Nyad was about halfway through her swim from Cuba to Florida this morning, as her team attempted to get her through a storm. The 62-year-old is safe and still feels good, they say, and yesterday was "awesome" despite the fact that she suffered several jellyfish stings , her operations...

Swimmer Nyad Again Chases Cuba-Fla. Dream

62-year-old making 4th attempt at perilous swim

(Newser) - Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is making her fourth attempt at completing the 103-mile, Cuba-to-Florida marathon swim that has eluded her in her 62 years. Nyad has thus far suffered several jellyfish stings—which ended her previous attempt last fall—but team members tweeted that she was plowing along steadily this...

Diana Nyad, 61, Ditches Cuba-Florida Swim

Strong winds, currents force her to abandon record bid after 29 hours

(Newser) - Some 33 years after huge waves foiled her first attempt, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad has again been forced to abandon a Cuba-to-Florida swim . The 61-year-old athlete, who was attempting to become the first person to complete the 103-mile swim without a shark cage, was pulled from the water after making...

61-Year-Old Begins 103-Mile Swim

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad sets off from Havana for Key West

(Newser) - And she's off: 61-year-old Diana Nyad began her Cuba-to-Florida endurance swim attempt last night, a 103-mile trip that will take an estimated 60 hours. "The adrenaline's flowing now," she said before setting off from Havana, while taking in the still air and flat water. "This...

61-Year-Old to Swim From Cuba to Florida

Diana Nyad aims to make up for incomplete 1978 journey

(Newser) - She managed to swim all the way around Manhattan, but when Diana Nyad tried to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978, she didn’t finish the job. Now, she’s preparing to try again—at age 61, the Washington Post reports. “I have no idea what age I...

Want More Endurance? Try Beetroot Juice

Studies suggest it gives athletes greater endurance

(Newser) - A couple of studies done by Exeter University have shown a 20% increase in endurance by athletes drinking beetroot juice. Average athletes won't turn into an elite ones overnight, but they could see benefits such as being able to exercise longer because of the effect the juice has on muscles....

Pickle Juice Joins Ranks of Odd, Cheap Sports Foods

(Newser) - During a recession, even endurance athletes have to watch their wallets. Increasingly, the Boston Globe reports, marathoners and pro athletes are turning to cheap, readily available means of replacing carbs and electrolytes—even if that means pounding pickle juice. “It’s been a hidden secret,” said the maker...

IOC: Beijing Air Risky for Athletes

Competitors in endurance events

(Newser) - The air quality in Beijing poses a “possible risk” to athletes in endurance events, the International Olympic Committee announced today. After analyzing data collected in Beijing in August, the IOC’s medical commission concluded that most competitors won't be affected by the smog, but it will monitor air quality...

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