By Ryan Ernst
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Iditarod: The trail this year is 800 miles, across the Alaska wilderness. No musher has died in the race's history. But braving blizzards, crashing through ice, keeping a sled pulled by dogs upright on the trail and keeping a watch for wild animals isn't exactly the idea of living for most.

Swimming the English Channel: The channel is 16.5 miles at its narrowest point. It is busy with commercial ship and ferry movement. The temperature dips to 40 degrees. And winds and tides make the swim seem much longer than it really is. Many swimmers suffer from hypothermia and lose up to 25 pounds while making the effort.

Lumberjack sports: No pads, no safety nets, no harnesses. Just ax-throwing, boom-running, log-rolling, tree-climbing, chainsaw-revving, plaid-wearing, flapjack-eating fun. At last year's Great Outdoor Games, competitor Dustin Beckwith, the defending 90-foot tree climb champion, came into the competition with an injured wrist and left it with a broken leg.

The Eco-Challenge: This "expedition race" pits teams of four against one another in an around-the)clock race through the wilderness. It involves mountain biking, river rafting, horseback riding, mountaineering and kayaking. If a team loses a member from injury, sickness or in-fighting, it is disqualified. It's kind of like Real World, in the seventh ring of Hell.

Climbing Mount Everest: Before 1973, the number of people to reach the summit was equal to the number of fatalities on the mountain, 28. Recent advances in equipment have led to a higher percentage of success. Five people died on the mountain in 2001; 182 reached the top.

The Running of the bulls: This nearly 300-year-old tradition in Pamplona, Spain, takes place during the San Fermin Festival. "San Fermin" is Spanish for "watch the tourists get trampled and gored." At last year's festival, 206 people were injured during the eight-day celebration. An estimated 13 people have died during the annual frantic scramble for life. The most recent fatality came in 1995 when an angry bull skewered a young American, uh, tourist.

The Ironman: It's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, a 26.2-mile run and an endless supply of pain. They must be "iron," because competitors face muscle cramps, blisters and road rash from bike crashes.