‘A whole different wiring system’: the extreme athletes who pushed limits in 2024 – and why they might not be crazy after all

Have you ever dreamed of running the length of Africa? How about summiting Mount Everest three times in less than two weeks? Here’s a recap of the most incredible extreme sporting achievements of 2024.

Have you ever dreamed of running the length of Africa? How about summiting Mount Everest three times in less than two weeks? Endurance athletes often seem like they have “a whole different wiring system,” Outside magazine columnist and ultrarunner Brendan Leonard tells CNN Sport. “A lot of us go through life being afraid to fail at things, especially as we get older. We don’t want to fail, and we don’t want to be bad at something. And these people, they’re okay with possibly failing, swinging big and maybe missing. But the reason we’re writing stories about them now is because they didn’t miss – they actually did it,” he adds. The desire to push our limits, no matter the size of the challenge, is one most people can relate to. Still, not everyone will go on to surf the biggest wave, become the first African cyclist to win a Tour de France stage, or be the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons. “I think everyone understands the motivation of just finding something that you think can’t be done or a person that you think you can’t beat, and then chasing them,” Leonard, author of “Ultra Something,” explains.