Fitness
Fitness
What happens when fitness creators take on the world’s hardest 400m?
Red Bull 400 is the world’s toughest 400m – so these creators had to find out if they could survive an amped up version of it.
At the first-ever Red Bull 400 Team Ascent challenge in Sapporo, Japan, 28 of the world’s fittest creators from 20 countries took on one of the most brutal climbs on the planet – charging up the legendary Okurayama Ski Jump against gradients as steep as 37 degrees and 130 metres of relentless vertical ascent.
The classic Red Bull 400 format – which pits participants against a 400m uphill course on a ski jump slope – was given a new twist as contestants had to work as a team of four to overcome additional tests of speed, strength and cooperation devised by professional athletes to be crowned winners of the inaugural event.
But what does it take to finish a gruelling take on the world’s hardest 400m event? From hybrid training to next-level teamwork, here’s how the world’s fittest creators overcame their own Everests.
TikTok sensation Emily Grosser feels the burn
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
The Red Bull 400 Team Ascent was unlike anything I’ve ever done before
01
Hybrid engine required
The creators faced three unique challenges as part of the Team Ascent take on the Red Bull 400. As well as trying to get to the top of the hill fastest, each heat would test their agility, endurance and communication skills.
The first challenge was devised by ultrarunner Ruy Ueda and was a standard Red Bull 400 race, albeit with a team’s points based on the finishing position of each member. The second was created by 2024 HYROX Elite 15 World Champion Alexander Rončević and required the team to carry a combined 40kg during an ascent.
28 content creators from around the world tackled the slope
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
The top three teams from the first two heats qualified for the final, which saw a pair from each team start with a three-legged race for the first 200m. The baton was then passed to a third team member who would tackle 100m of the strength challenge, before the final team member would finish with a 100m sprint to the summit.
The multidiscipline nature of the challenge meant it favoured the hybrid athletes in the pack. “My training prepared me for this challenge, because I do a lot of work in the gym – a lot of weight training but also a lot of strength and endurance, for example doing heavy squats and then jumping on the treadmill and doing a run,” explained winning team captain Imke Salander.
02
Breaking it down
Even with their superior strength and athleticism, the Red Bull 400 Team Ascent posed serious difficulties for the assembled creators and was no walk in the park.
To overcome the mental and physical challenge when faced with a seemingly insurmountable hill, the best tactic was to break it down rather than tackle it in one hit.
Breaking the race down into sections was key
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
“All you can think about is one foot in front of the other,” said fitness filmmaker and YouTuber Heber Cannon. “When you think about it as a whole, it gets too daunting and too big to accomplish. You just worry about the five metres in front of you, and whatever you do, don’t quit.
"Your body can do amazing things if you stick your mind to it, and it’s just one foot in front of the other. Eventually you find yourself at the top.”
Pacing – and not going out too fast – is also key, added fellow Buttery Bros creator Marston Sawyers. “You can definitely send it really fast, but the second you get to metre 200, things are kicking in – your body is reacting in ways you’ve never experienced before, muscles are shutting down, and you somehow have to still stay in the fight.”
03
Teamwork makes the dream work
A unique aspect of the Red Bull 400 Team Ascent was the team nature of the challenge, which posed a new difficulty for those creators coming from an individual sport, meaning egos had to be put to one side for the best of the team.
Stronger together - Max Hoonhout and Marco Tomasin
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
A helping hand goes a long way in this event
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
Team Orange tackle the world's toughest 400m race together
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
One final climb… onto the podium
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
“Coming into a team environment, you have to rely on other people and find ways to communicate to keep things smooth,” said Cannon. “We had our legs tied together. We had never done that – we just met yesterday. But somehow we had to pretend that we were joined at the hip for a good 15 minutes getting up that hill.”
“Teamwork definitely helped to overcome all of the weaknesses we had because we had a good vibe in the team and we were never angry when somebody was honest about a weakness they had,” added Salander. “That’s very important – it’s just communication.”
