2023-08-15 09:12:04
Do you know this famous quote from Mark Twain: “They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it”?
In any case, it is certain that the athletes brought together in this article have made this precept a real way of life.
Marathon in less than 2 hours, Ironman chained a hundred times in a row, Mont-Blanc in less than 3 h 33, all have pushed back the limits of the impossible in their field.
A look back at these extreme athletes with superhuman performances.
#1 Philippe Petit: the tightrope walker of the World Trade Center
Philippe Petit was only 18 when he challenged himself to tightrope walker and without insurance the two Twin Towers on a 60 meter cable.
The buildings have not yet emerged from the ground that the young Frenchman throws himself headlong into this challenge dizzymultiplying training and technical scouting.
After six years of preparation, three days of installation and without any authorizationhe soared into the New York sky on the morning of August 7, 1974.
His only accessory: a seven-meter bar to keep his balance.
The deployment of the police and the ballet of the helicopters will eventually make him leave the air following 45 minutes of tightrope walking and no less than eight return trips between the two towers you World Trade Center.
A feat never repeated.
To go further: the documentary Le tightrope walker by James Marsh allows you to relive in detail the backstage of this crazy project. In 2015, director Robert Zemeckis was also inspired by Philippe Petit for his film The Walk – Dreaming further.
#2 Luke Aikins: a 7,600 meter jump without a parachute
In 2014, following a challenge from a friend, American parachutist Luke Aikins embarked on the crazy project of jump from an airplane, without a parachuteat 7,600 meters above sea level.
It must be said that the man is not at his first attempt, since he counts at the time 18,000 jumps to his credit. Notable difference though: none of them were done without equipment.
Before soaring into the air, the record holder first set regarding making the landing device: a double net 30 meters on each side supported by compressed air pistons at the four corners and hoisted 75 meters above the ground. above ground.
On July 30, 2016, Luke Aikins successfully landed in the net, following 2.5 minutes of a dizzying fall at nearly 200 km/h. He thus successfully completes his project “Heaven Sent”, literally “Sent from Heaven”.
#3 Kilian Jornet: to the summit of Mont-Blanc in 3 h 33
In 2013, it took Kilian Jornet only 3h33 to reach the summit of Mont-Blanc from the church in Chamonix via La Jonction and the Grands Mulets (3700m of elevation gain).
Always pushing the limits of the impossible, the trail runner has established himself in recent years as a true legend of the discipline.
In particular, he has won several legendary ultra-trails (the UTMB three times, the Diagonale des fous, the Pierra Menta) and signed some of the most incredible records of recent years (the crossing of the Pyrenees in 113 hours, the GR20 in 32h24, the Vertical Kilometer in 28 min and 48 sec).
Kilian Jornet is also known for having completed a double ascent of Everest in just one week, without oxygen, without ropes and without heavy equipment, all in just 26 hours (starting from 5,100 meters).
In a word: superhuman.
Read also: 7 times Kilian Jornet proved to the world that he was above human nature
#4 Eliud Kipchoge : un Marathon en 1 h 59 min 40 sec
Saturday, October 12, 2019 is a historic date in the marathon world.
That day, the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge went below the reputedly impassable bar of 2 hours.
It must be said that everything had been done to achieve such a feat: an ultra-flat circuit laid out in an Austrian park, 41 leaders chosen from among the best runners in the world, a pace set on an electric car precisely adjusted to 2 min 50 s / km, etc
This crazy project supported with 15 million euros by INEOS left no room for chance.
From the placement of the hares to the aerodynamic shoes, everything had been the subject of extensive testing and research in the laboratory.
Result: a historic time for a record which unfortunately will not have been approved (because of the crucial role of “marginal gains” on the pure performance of the athlete).
But still !
#5 James Lawrence: 101 ironman in 101 consecutive days
Before starting the subject, remember that a single Ironman alone already combines 3.8 km of swimming, 180.2 km of cycling and 42.195 km of running.
This legendary triathlon event is in itself a real feat and still few athletes dare to confront it.
From there, imagine yourself completing 101 Ironman in 101 consecutive days.
Impossible ?
Not for James Lawrence, who completed this crazy bet (qualified by himself as “suicidal”) in 2021, following having already chained 50 Ironman in 50 days in 2015.
The Iron Cowboy riding in a peloton, the record was not approved, but the performance was a milestone.
#6 Eric Barone: at 227.72 km/h on a mountain bike on the snow
Eric Barone, known as “the Red Baron”, was first a tracker in a ski resort, then a fervent downhill mountain biker.
During his youth, he fought for speed records with Christian Taillefer, before falling heavily in 2002 on the slopes of the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua.
It was in 2015 that the Indian returned with a certain desire for revenge.
He beat his own record from the year 2000 on the Chabrières track and his start at 98% (in Vars).
Measured speed: environ 213 km/h. He smashed his own time once more in March 2017 with a speed of 227.72 km/h. He was then 56 years old.
#7 Franz Reichelt: the unfortunate precursor of the wingsuit
In 1912, Franz Reichelt won the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, equipped with a canopy straight out of his imagination.
The ambition of this Austrian tailor, naturalized French: to create a new type of parachute intended for aviators in distress.
His prototype, directly inspired by the wings of bats, then consists of a simple rubber canvas.
After a first test (failed) on a dummy, then a second test (also failed) on his own personhe still decides to continue the experiment, convinced of being able to succeed.
On February 4, there he is, setting off from the Iron Lady to a leap of death that will leave him no chance.
An unfortunate experience that reminds us that pushing the limits of the impossible is never without risk.
Other notable athletes conquering the impossible:
Alain Gerbault: first solo crossing of the Atlantic from east to west (1923) Charles Lindbergh: first aviator to cross the Atlantic (1927) Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal: first ascent over 8,000 meters (1950) Jean -Louis Étienne: first man to reach the North Pole alone (1986) Stéphane Mifsud: 11 minutes and 54 seconds in static apnea (2009) Alex Caizergues: first kitesurfer to exceed 100 km/h (2010) Serge Girard: the tour running around the world (2017) Updated by Quentin on: 08/15/2023
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