5 km
The starter distance for runners.
Part III · Go and do
The 60 MONS endurance challenges
Training builds the body. A challenge gives it somewhere to go.
Run. Swim. Ride. Combine them. Each one is a distance the world already knows and a day you decide to go and do.
Every challenge stands on the ones before it.
Each rail is a way of moving. Height is the size of the day, and it means the same on every rail. Combined challenges pull from two or three rails at once.
Pick any challenge to see what it is built on — every rung between here and there, in the order a body collects them.
11 challenges
Running
From the first 5 km to the hundred miles. Road distances and ultras people have chosen for generations.
10 km
One of the most common road races.
10 mile
A traditional 10 mile road race.
Half Marathon
The first step into the marathon distances.
25 km
A 25 kilometre road race. Once a championship distance.
20 mile
The common peak training run before the marathon.
Marathon
The legendary running distance, inspired by a Greek legend.Read the study→
50 km
Just beyond the marathon.
50 mile
The first real ultramarathon.
100 km
A 100 kilometre ultramarathon.
100 mile
The longest one-day race.
10 challenges
Swimming
Named by the pool, triathlon, and open water. The 10 km marathon swim is the far shore.
500 m
The first open-water marker.
1000 m
The first open water kilometre.
1500 m
The Olympic triathlon swim.
1900 m
The Ironman 70.3 swim.
2500 m
A real open-water middle distance.
3000 m
Three kilometres in open water.
3800 m
The Ironman swim.
5000 m
A World Aquatics open water distance.
7500 m
The uncommon step between 5000 m and 10 km.
10 km
The Olympic marathon swim.
14 challenges
Cycling
Time trials, metric centuries, and the full hundred miles. Distance makes the day.
10 mile
A solo race against the clock.
20 km
The sprint triathlon bike.
30 km
A common short gravel and MTB distance.
40 km
The Olympic triathlon bike.
50 km
A standard first gravel or MTB race.
80 km
Fifty miles on the bike.
90 km
The half-distance triathlon ride.
100 km
100 kilometres. A metric century.
120 km
A long-course ride distance.
Century
100 miles in one ride.
180 km
The full-distance triathlon ride.
200 km
The first official brevet.
300 km
The second classic brevet distance.
400 km
The overnight brevet.
25 challenges
Combined
Swimrun, brick, and triathlon. More than one way of moving, held in one day.
1000 m swim / 5 km run
A short swimrun. 1000 m swim, 5 km run.
3000 m swim / 10 km run
A swimrun. 3000 m swim, 10 km run.
3000 m swim / 15 km run
Three kilometres of water, then 15 km on foot.
4000 m swim / 20 km run
Four kilometres of water, then 20 km on foot.
5000 m swim / half marathon run
A long swimrun. 5000 m swim, half marathon run.
10 km swim / marathon run
A marathon swim, then a marathon run.
20 km ride / 5 km run
A sprint brick. 20 km ride, 5 km run.
40 km ride / 5 km run
An Olympic brick. 40 km ride, 5 km run.
40 km ride / 10 km run
The full Olympic-distance brick.
80 km ride / 10 km run
A long ride with a real run off it.
90 km ride / half marathon run
A 70.3 brick. 90 km ride, half marathon run.
120 km ride / 30 km run
A long-course brick before full distance.
180 km ride / marathon run
An Ironman brick. 180 km ride, marathon run.
750 m swim / 20 km ride
The sprint Aquabike distance.
1500 m swim / 40 km ride
The standard Aquabike distance.
1900 m swim / 90 km ride
The half-iron Aquabike distance.
3000 m swim / 120 km ride
The long-course Aquabike distance.
3800 m swim / 180 km ride
The full-distance Aquabike.
400 m swim / 10 km ride / 2.5 km run
The super-sprint triathlon distance.
750 m swim / 20 km ride / 5 km run
The sprint triathlon distance.
1500 m swim / 40 km ride / 10 km run
The Olympic triathlon distance.
2500 m swim / 80 km ride / 20 km run
The middle-distance triathlon.
1900 m swim / 90 km ride / half marathon run
The Ironman 70.3 distance.
3000 m swim / 120 km ride / 30 km run
The long-distance triathlon.
3800 m swim / 180 km ride / marathon run
The Ironman distance.
Why it is worth doing
The distance is the occasion. The body is the point.
MONS builds endurance, strength, and movement quality together, so the next challenge is something your body can absorb, not just finish.