What's the most impressive (non-sexual) physical feat you've ever accomplished?

[Hawki97]

Something where at the end of it you said - "I can't believe I just did that." OPs mom doesn't count.

For me, it was probably running a marathon in my 40's. I don't really like running that much but wanted to tick the box. Loads of training, a crazy time commitment to something I don't really like, and a brutal race day 22+ miles in...but I felt pretty accomplished after I crossed the finish line.

What's yours?

 

[artradley]

I ran the NYC marathon at 52. Though it’s using the term “run” loosely. In training I discovered my knees couldn’t handle more than ten miles without at least a one week recovery. So I had a total of four training runs in excess of 15 miles, and the longest was 20. The entire last half I was in excruciating pain, and I hobbled to the finish line.

Other than that, for a brief period of time I held the world record for “coin snatching” by placing 50 quarters on my elbow then grabbing them with same hand.

Edit: one cool thing on the marathon was my wife volunteers for the NYC and she was the one who draped the medal around my neck.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Physical feats are not my forte. Getting up in the morning feels like a physical feat to me.

All I've got is small short moments of not sucking at sports.

 

[WisestIowan]

One dick push up.

 

[ThorneStockton]

Hmm hard to say. I do remember in high school doing the squat portion of Iowa football's infamous workout that resulted in rhabdo for several players. I did 10x10 squat at 250.

Couldn't walk right for a couple days and stairs were difficult.

 

[jasonrann]

For a guy that is 48, I can still pump some iron. In my earlier days, I could dunk pretty well for a guy that's white and only 6'1'', on a regulation hoop even. That's all I got. CSB.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

For a guy that is 48, I can still pump some iron. In my earlier days, I could dunk pretty well for a guy that's white and only 6'1'', on a regulation hoop even. That's all I got. CSB.

I could up until about 35 y/o. I'm 5'10 and white. The rim was basically at my top knuckle, and I'd slap it as I threw the ball down, but still good hops. I made sure to get photographic evidence when I was 33.

 

[Mattski]

Carried a 90 lb lab on my shoulders 3 miles out of the northwoods on a grouse hunt. My back has never been the same. In laws dog and apparently she simply had enough. It was just me and my then 8 year old son which was lucky for her... otherwise there's a good chance she'd have not made it out of the woods that day.

 

[jasonrann]

I could up until about 35 y/o. I'm 5'10 and white. The rim was basically at my top knuckle, and I'd slap it as I threw the ball down, but still good hops. I made sure to get photographic evidence when I was 33.

That is DAMN impressive, man. I couldn't jump for shit off one leg, but I could take one step and go off both and have both hands above the rim. I played competitive sand volleyball up until a few years ago and could hit with the best of them. Now, I need to drop 25 lbs. before I would even think about that. I'm pretty sure my knees would explode.

 

[Rudolph]

I won the 3-point shooting contest at a summer juco recruiting event in Vincennes, IN. Championship round… Five racks, five balls each rack, made every ball. I only needed 18 to win, last rack I arrogantly (hard to fathom, I'm sure) kept backing up with each shot, was off the court (baseline) for the last shot.

 

[hawkeyekid]

I successfully bunted a runner from 1st over to 2nd base in a high school game. He was stranded on 3rd later in the inning, so yeah, I guess you could say I was a pretty good athlete.

 

[h-hawk]

One time coordination - as a kid a friend and I were bouncing a mini super ball and I joked I wonder if I can hit the mourning dove sitting on the telephone wire. My friend said go for it - I lofted it perfectly and it bounced of the bird that gave us a dirty look and flew off.

Fast forward to 20 years later, my wife and I are walking along. I see mourning doves on the wires and tell her the story. She looks at me like I am full of it. So against all odds, I pick up a pine cone with enough weight to toss, and arch it through the air the 20 or 30 feet to the bird. It boinks the bird which again gives us a dirty look and flies off. I have no idea how I could do it twice, especially the second time to prove a point. (My wife may have started believing more of my childhood stories after that.)

 

[stillh8unlv]

This one time in little league baseball I batted 1.000 for the first half of the season. Cooled off the second half and finished with around a .700 avg. Was probably 10 or 11 years old - it was darn cool at the time!

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

That is DAMN impressive, man. I couldn't jump for shit off one leg, but I could take one step and go off both and have both hands above the rim. I played competitive sand volleyball up until a few years ago and could hit with the best of them. Now, I need to drop 25 lbs. before I would even think about that. I'm pretty sure my knees would explode.

I used to be sent up over the ruck, a la "Air Wegher" when playing rugby in HS (All-State Tournament Team) and for Iowa. But that's nothing: Former Northwestern Wildcat, B1G MVP rugby player, and 5X All-Pro Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker, was 5' 9" and could dunk, hanging on the rim!

 

[Quix0te]

Starting middle linebacker on my HS football team at 127 lbs. Made all-conference honorable mention.

 

[Run&Blade]

Completed a few marathons.

Road my bike 130 miles on a day when it was 90+ degrees and humid, I was alone.

I dropped out of a bike race once that was off road on snow. It was 20 below zero with windchill 30 below zero. I lasted about 7 hours before dropping out. Amazing how quickly things go bad at that temperature, including your mind. Even the simplest of tasks seem to take forever. Another guy that dropped out compared it to being on the moon, I found that to be an intesting thought. I don’t consider it an accomplishment because I quit.

 

[Sooner-Be-Dead]

Summited 48 14k' peaks. ~20 left

 

[BrunoMars420]

A hole in one on a 174 yard par 3

 

[CJ Beat Hard]

Probably peeing and puking in a urinal at the same time and not getting anything on myself or the floor

 

[mthawkeyes]

I kept Andre Woolridge in front of me some of the time in pick up games at the fieldhouse courts.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

I think the moments that stand out for me where I played high school intramurals and I got the ball on a fast break but had a guy defending me pretty good between me and the basket and I was just inside the 3 point line on the left side of the court. I had no one to pass to so I threw up this wild hook shot which I somehow made.

Another time I was playing ultimate in college and I went up against a guy who probably had 3 or 4 inches on me plus a good deal better vertical leap. Frisbee came in for him high we both jumped up and I swear I could see the bottom of his chin but I still managed to poke the frisbee away from him.

Ultimate was actually one of the sports outside of ballroom dance that I actually felt I could hold my own because I was a fairly good defender. I was fairly lousy on offense. I couldn't really add much in terms of catching or throwing if someone was defending me. But something about the simplicty of just having to knock the frisbee to the ground if it came in my area appealed to me. I could do that.

Ballroom dance I was pretty good at but it never felt like much of a feat to me, even when I won a few. Spent so much time practicing and working at it that what I could do felt very natural. Anything I tried to do in competition I have already done like 500 times practicing.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

I successfully bunted a runner from 1st over to 2nd base in a high school game. He was stranded on 3rd later in the inning, so yeah, I guess you could say I was a pretty good athlete.

I assume you predate analytics.......

 

[TailgateTom]

That is DAMN impressive, man. I couldn't jump for shit off one leg, but I could take one step and go off both and have both hands above the rim. I played competitive sand volleyball up until a few years ago and could hit with the best of them. Now, I need to drop 25 lbs. before I would even think about that. I'm pretty sure my knees would explode.

Not me, but my aunt’s husband (step uncle). We were helping them move two summers ago and I witnessed this man, from standing completely still, broad jump from the ground INTO the bed of a half ton Dodge Ram. He easily made it into the bed...didn’t land on the tailgate or anything. He was 58 at the time and wearing knee braces. Still the most impressive thing I think I’ve ever seen.

Edit to add the guy is probably 230 pounds.

 

[Hawki97]

That is DAMN impressive, man. I couldn't jump for shit off one leg, but I could take one step and go off both and have both hands above the rim. I played competitive sand volleyball up until a few years ago and could hit with the best of them. Now, I need to drop 25 lbs. before I would even think about that. I'm pretty sure my knees would explode.

I could dunk a tennis ball in high school...barely. I am the epitome of white men can’t jump. I even bought those “dunk shoes” that were supposed to work your calves and increase your vertical. What an idiot....

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

I shot a 78 putting with a 3 wood the last half of the HS round because ... I may have a temper.

 

[Hawki97]

Completed a few marathons.

Road my bike 130 miles on a day when it was 90+ degrees and humid, I was alone.

I dropped out of a bike race once that was off road on snow. It was 20 below zero with windchill 30 below zero. I lasted about 7 hours before dropping out. Amazing how quickly things go bad at that temperature, including your mind. Even the simplest of tasks seem to take forever. Another guy that dropped out compared it to being on the moon, I found that to be an intesting thought. I don’t consider it an accomplishment because I quit.

One of the Triple D race years up near Dubuque was like that...I think it was 2014ish? Anyway, I limped in on the bike and barely made the cut off. Didn’t thaw out until Tuesday!

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I kept Andre Woolridge in front of me some of the time in pick up games at the fieldhouse courts.

Probably my all-time favorite Hawk guard (I remember BJ Armstrong more with the Bulls' first championship teams). His graduation was about the time I started to care less about Iowa basketball.

 

[Hawki97]

Summited 48 14k' peaks. ~20 left

Knocked out Capitol yet?

 

[Titus Andronicus]

I made it down several of the black runs at Squaw Valley. I have forgotten the names of most of them. I do remember making it down K-2 which was reputed to be the toughest at the time. It was not pretty, but I did it a few different times.

I also ran the San Francisco Bay to Breakers twice. This was a 7.8 mile run from under the Bay Bridge near the waterfront, straight West across the city, and ending at Ocean Beach. I think we had around 50,000 runners each time, but that was 40 years ago.

I thought Army basic was physically tough. We ran five miles a few times in 100 degree weather, in combat boots and carrying M-16's. (Note that Richard Gere in "an Officer and a Gentleman" had it somewhat easier.)

 

[WhiteSoxClone]

When I was 28, two buddies and I doubled Mount Harvard and Mount Columbia from the east side, which required us to essentially climb Harvard again on our way back to our camp. I barely made it back and have never been that physically spent before. A few years ago when I was in my early 40s, I did a century bike ride in 4 hours and 23 minutes. That's a 22.8 mph average. For me that was amazing.

 

[hawkbirch]

I've completed the Century Club twice.

 

[hydro2.0]

I climbed a mountain in Ecuador.

Pinchinca

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

I've completed the Century Club twice.

Only non-sexual feats please

 

[Sooner-Be-Dead]

Knocked out Capitol yet?

Yeah, two summers ago. Did the rest of the top 5 this summer.

 

[ClarindaA's]

Curled 170 4 x with one arm... it was a cable curl, using the preacher curl bench. My left arm only got it 2x

 

[UNIowaHawk]

Free climbed the Otter Cliffs.

Hit a HR (in a wooden bat league) at the Yankees Spring Training Stadium in Tampa.

Walked my kid up and down the stairs 94 times to get her to shut the hell up when she was a baby.

 

[Big_Palooka]

In high school, a bunch of guys on the basketball court were trying to throw a football the full length of the court and make a basket. After several of them were not even close, I started running my mouth about how much they sucked. So, they toss me the ball and sad lets see you do better (or something to that effect). I swished it on my first attempt......and only attempt. They were all trying to get me to do it again; but I was smart enough to know to let my perfect attempt stand.

Other than that I guess best physical feats would include some of my days backpacking the Appalachian trail. There was a day that my son got ill on the trail and we had to stop for the night well short of our planned destination. Unfortunately, there was no water source in the area. The next morning we decided to backtrack to get to a road where we could get picked up. We were already getting low on water from hiking the day before and it was a stretch without any water (springs) for awhile, but the shortest route for extraction. He was losing fluids with diarrhea, so I basically stopped drinking water to save it for him and took most of the weight out of his pack and put into mine. Later in the day, I was awfully close to just dropping the pack and leaving it on the trail I was just spent; but finally made it to a spring and refilled. It made it pretty clear to me how dangerous dehydration can be.

 

[IACub]

I used to pretty good at badminton.

 

[bunsen82]

Shoveled 4 tons of a rock in a day while helping make a foundation and building a house in Mexico.

 

[Hawki97]

Yeah, two summers ago. Did the rest of the top 5 this summer.

Nice. You take knife edges like I do. I leave the dancing around with a GoPro on a stick to others.

What’s your most physically challenging 14er you’ve done so far? For me, it was Longs. Did it all in one day and went up the Chasm Lake / North Face / Cables Route. I’d have to look back to see how long we were out there but I remember getting back to tree line after summiting and being done with it but still had miles on those damn switchbacks to go. Looking back, I should have camped in the boulder field to break it up but I just didn’t have the time that trip. Would have been a lot more enjoyable.