Competition

 The Nautica New York City Triathlon is an Olympic Distance race consisting of a 1500m swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run.
Each year over 3000 athletes brave the waters of the mighty Hudson River before biking along Manhattan's West Side highway. Finally, athletes put on their running shoes for a run through New York's famed Central Park.
http://www.nyctri.com/Home_Page.htm

2009 Central Park Underwear Run
The Central Park Underwear Run is a 1.7 mile fun run that takes place every year on the Friday before the New York City Triathlon. No transitions, no timing chips, no expensive race gear, just 500 strangers running around in their underwear. Another typical summer evening in New York City!
http://www.nyctri.com/Central_Park_Underwear_Run.htm
 

A true "challenge of the champions"
Badwater Ultramarathon  Recognized globally as "the world's toughest foot race," this legendary event pits the world's toughest athletes - runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers - against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.

The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280' (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360' (2533m). The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000' (3962m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700' (1433m) of cumulative descent. Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Competitors travel through places and landmarks including Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil's Cornfield, Devil's Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Keeler and Lone Pine.
 

Okay.....I now know just how those prisoners who tried to escape from the infamous Alcatraz prison felt.....I think, if it were not for my wetsuit I wouldn't have escaped either!!!!!