single greatest physical feat in recorded human history?

Ryun running 3:24 for 1500m

asdfsdf wrote:

Or it could be Katie Couric when she kept a straight face during her interview of Joe Biden, wherein Biden said that FDR went on national televsion to reassure us during the stock market crash of 1929.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnKcRo8DNYY

Excellent call!

On the 1924 Everest expedition, Edward Felix Norton reached a confirmed height of 28,126 ft (8572m) on the north face without supplementary oxygen.

It would be 54 years (1978) before anyone climbed higher without oxygen assistance.

Given the state of equipment and training in 1924 (and given the requirement to trek 400 miles from Darjeeling just to start the climb), I'd go with Norton over Meissner.

Molasses runs faster than me wrote:

Simo Hayha from Finland, nicknamed "the white death". During the 'Winter War' against Russia he had 505 confirmed sniper kills in just 100 days. He would often lie camouflaged covered in snow for long periods of time in -40c temps. Had his jaw shot off and the bullet exited his head and he still survived.

That's only 5 shots a day, and every Finn can lay around in the snow without freezing. It's clever sniping but not a great physical feat.

And how is it a great feat to survive if the bullet exits your head? Not having the bullet in your head anymore is a good thing. Lots of people have survived a bullet exiting their head.

I like Phillipe Petit's walk between the twin towers. It was illegal and one mistake would have meant instant death.

The thing you guys are forgetting about Messner is that he climbed alpine style which means he carried all of his own gear and did not set up multiple different camp locations to push higher and higher from. He just climbed the tallest mountain in the world by himself with no bottled oxygen. Winner.

This is pretty crazy. A half-marathon barefoot on snow and ice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=madoDvtKEes

Mile world record of 3:43

Consider how many have trained and tried.

High Wire wrote:

THIS would cause Messner's (and almost any other climber's) altitude proven balls to beat a hasty retreat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdbjp_xiLQ

Yeah, or just going without the chute:

Terry Fox's attempt to run canada with cancer and a fake leg

Bonds 2001-2004

i got it!!!! wrote:

13:55 in trainers

DING DING DING!! We have a winner!!!

Bob Lanier size 22 basketball shoe

the rocket. wrote:

Jesus Christ saving the world through His death on the cross and His third-day resurrection!

I covered that one already.

Shackleton was a series of incredible feats as opposed to the single greatest feat.

might be wejo wrote:

Clearly: Fast Guy, 100 beers, 100 miles, 79h 44m 26s

Bullseye.

Alex Honnold, 2000-foot vertical climbs at 5.11+ without a rope. The mental fortitude he possesses is astounding.

The conception AND birth of Jesus. Imagine how pissed off Joseph was when he found out his virgin wife was pregnant...

"Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results."-Ernest Shackleton

The saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas "defined heroism. Behold...the gentleman whose exploits crushed the last vestiges of manhood from my fragile psyche. Stranded for over a year in the most inhospitable climate on the face of the Earth, literally one tiny step away from complete disaster due to starvation, extreme weather or the ice flows on which his crew lived.

In an astonishing feat of navigation he and a crew of 5 sailed over 700 miles in an 18-foot skif through the South Georgia Sea, using their sextant only three times (due to cloud cover), and returninf a year later to rescue the rest of his crew.

The story was not widely known at the time due to the onset of WWI.

The Original "Endurance" wrote:

"Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results."-Ernest Shackleton

The saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas "defined heroism. Behold...the gentleman whose exploits crushed the last vestiges of manhood from my fragile psyche. Stranded for over a year in the most inhospitable climate on the face of the Earth, literally one tiny step away from complete disaster due to starvation, extreme weather or the ice flows on which his crew lived.

In an astonishing feat of navigation he and a crew of 5 sailed over 700 miles in an 18-foot skif through the South Georgia Sea, using their sextant only three times (due to cloud cover), and returninf a year later to rescue the rest of his crew.

The story was not widely known at the time due to the onset of WWI.

The book Endurance is great. Intense stuff.