# What are some human endurance feats not get accomplished **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183 "2017-04-25T03:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/1 "2017-04-25T03:13:47Z")
What are some human endurance feats not yet accomplished but possible? Swimming across the Atlantic ? Swimming across the Pacific ? Crossing the Sahara desert on foot? Crossing Australia in the long axis by foot ? By bicycle? Any others? ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/2 "2017-04-25T03:16:36Z")
Both the Sahara and Australia have been crossed by foot so rule those out. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/3 "2017-04-25T03:42:37Z")
So has [swimming the Atlantic.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beno%C3%AEt_Lecomte) ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/4 "2017-04-25T03:56:31Z")
Longest continuous time spent reading the dope… ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/5 "2017-04-25T04:00:40Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > So has [swimming the Atlantic.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beno%C3%AEt_Lecomte) Not to minimize his achievements but resting each night on a boat and using the Gulf current to assist his progress sort of dulls the achievement. Still an impressive feat:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/6 "2017-04-25T04:23:12Z")
> [@ssgenius](#): > > Not to minimize his achievements but resting each night on a boat and using the Gulf current to assist his progress sort of dulls the achievement. > > Still an impressive feat:eek: If swimming across the Atlantic without stopping daily to rest is on the table as something considered possible then I nominate summitting Everest on a unicycle ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/7 "2017-04-25T05:14:17Z")
Yep. With 7 billion people on the planet, with good incentive to find and nurture their talents, the set of feats not yet accomplished is going to be dominated by: 1. Things the human body can’t do 2. Things specific enough no one has thought of them yet e.g. running 100 meters in under 20 seconds while balancing a ketchup bottle on your buttocks ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/8 "2017-04-25T05:43:13Z")
> [@ssgenius](#): > > Not to minimize his achievements but resting each night on a boat and using the Gulf current to assist his progress sort of dulls the achievement. > > Still an impressive feat:eek: Wait, how exactly do you want someone to swim the Atlantic then? Sleep with buoyancy life preservers to keep afloat? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/9 "2017-04-25T08:28:38Z")
I don’t think it would be possible to swim the Atlantic continuously - human skin starts to break down after a few days of continuous immersion. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/10 "2017-04-25T09:15:19Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Wait, how exactly do you want someone to swim the Atlantic then? **Sleep with buoyancy life preservers to keep afloat**? Luxury. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/11 "2017-04-25T10:11:28Z")
_It’s impossible…to stick a Cadillac up your nose, it’s just impossible…_ ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/12 "2017-04-25T16:58:48Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > If swimming across the Atlantic without stopping daily to rest is on the table as something considered possible then I nominate summitting Everest on a unicycle It’s probably impossible to swim the Atlantic without resting but if someone did it without getting out of the water and only resting/sleeping by floating or treading water… that’d be damn impressive. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/13 "2017-04-25T17:26:58Z")
I’d nominate the sub-2:00 marathon as maybe possible. [There will be another attempt](http://www.runnersworld.com/2-hour-marathon/nikes-sub-2-hour-marathon-attempt-will-be-run-in-early-may) at it this May. There are some physiological reasons to argue it won’t ever happen, but’s it tough to say never. I think it will be a while, and will probably involve technology improvements (shoes, running surface, doping) if it does. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/14 "2017-04-25T18:01:20Z")
Funny, but just the other day in my town I saw a sign about an attempt to break a world record. Googling, it appears 2 guys are going to try to break the record of 7500 pullups in 24 hrs. One of them already broke the record of 10,000 burpees. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/15 "2017-04-25T18:54:41Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > 1. Things specific enough no one has thought of them yet e.g. running 100 meters in under 20 seconds while balancing a ketchup bottle on your buttocks Looks like there’s a 50-mile record for [joggling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joggling). Anybody want to try for 100? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/16 "2017-04-25T19:01:01Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > _It’s impossible…to stick a Cadillac up your nose, it’s just impossible…_ Yes but it’s possible to [eat a Cessna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito). ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/17 "2017-04-25T19:26:36Z")
> [@ssgenius](#): > > sort of dulls the achievement. Considering most of us would probably drown, even with those things, i disagree. A human being can not swim for 24 hours / 73 days straight. You will eventually drown from one cause or another, physical exhaustion, falling asleep, hypothermia, etc And then there will be no achievement. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/18 "2017-04-25T20:13:28Z")
I think the point is that of course nobody can swim the entire Atlantic all in one go, it’s impossible and won’t ever be done. But swimming the Atlantic all in one go is still the challenge, it’s still what people think when they hear “swim the Atlantic”. Just as when I hear people talk about swimming the English channel I assume they mean they swam the bloody channel, they didn’t stop halfway and take a few days rest to prepare for the 2nd half. The guy in question traveled across the Atlantic and covered a lot of the ground by swimming, but he didn’t swim the Atlantic. He did 73 individual swims over a few months, I don’t believe it is the same thing. If I ran 5k, then took an hours rest, and did that 9 times have I ran a marathon? Or have I just covered 45k? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/19 "2017-04-25T20:30:01Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > If I ran 5k, then took an hours rest, and did that 9 times have I ran a marathon? Or have I just covered 45k? You’d have run a marathon, with a particularly slow time. People stop at aid stations for varying periods of time, you’re just extending those times a bit. 🙂 Rest during a marathon doesn’t invalidate the race, as long as you travel everywhere on foot. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/20 "2017-04-25T20:51:45Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You’d have run a marathon, with a particularly slow time. People stop at aid stations for varying periods of time, you’re just extending those times a bit. 🙂 Rest during a marathon doesn’t invalidate the race, as long as you travel everywhere on foot. But when Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 days, he _didn’t_ run one 1310 mile race. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183.md?page=2)