LIFESTYLE
Originally published on Monday, 23 June 2008
There’s nothing quite as empowering as overcoming a decent challenge – and not counting the pub kind. If you’re craving some real excitement and a bit of personal growth, here are our picks for your physical, mental and sexual betterment. On second thoughts, we’ll leave that last one down to you.
Physical
Nothing like a bit of huffing and puffing to make you feel like you’ve achieved something. The British 10k London run kicks off on the 6th July against a backdrop of the city’s most famous landmarks, whilst the Bikeathon on the 13th offers three routes – ‘city’, ‘scenic’ and ‘challenge’.
Mental
Anyone ever tell you they thought you might be a little ‘special’ when you were at school? Why not go and find out, as Mensa hold their supervised IQ tests in the capital on the 19th and 22nd of July. Those in the top two percentile will be invited into the club that claims to “identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity.”
Spiritual
If you find being alone with your own thoughts for too long intolerable, this might be a bit of a challenge: 26 days at Wat Ram Poeng on the outskirts of Chiang Mai in Thailand, with up to 20 hours of meditation per day and a 72 hour no-sleep finale. Ouch.
Record Breaking
And should you find yourself with a whole day to waste, why not try and break the Tube Challenge by visiting all the underground stations in the shortest time possible. The current record stands at 18 hours, 20 minutes and 26 seconds. Apply online.