As a tennis fan, Andre Blumberg had always looked forward to watching Grand Slam events on television. But four years ago another slam caught both his attention and his imagination.
This slam, the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, involved completing four of the toughest and most iconic 100-mile (161-kilometre) trail races in the US over 10 weeks, including a total cumulative elevation gain of nearly 80,000 feet (24,380 metres).
He is tough and more mentally strong ... than almost anyone I know
At the time only 200 people had completed the slam since it was established in 1986, and only one of those was based in Asia. "The slam had this aura about it. It was the pinnacle of ultrarunning and I thought it would be great to do it some day," says Blumberg, 43, an IT director and Hong Kong permanent resident.
Two Sundays ago, that day arrived. Blumberg completed the series' final race, the Wasatch Front in Utah, in 34 hours 57 minutes to join the exclusive club of grand slammers, which has a membership of just 254.
Blumberg took a total of 117 hours 19 minutes 29 seconds for the series, which kicked off on June 29 with the Western States 100 in California, followed by the Vermont 100, the Leadville 100 in Colorado and finally the Wasatch Front.
