The 10 Most Demanding Extreme Sports

You don't play sports if you don't wanna sweat, but everyone can agree that badminton and rugby are two different...ballgames. Extreme sports up the ante, and if you're gonna suit up, you better know what you're getting yourself into.

1. Rugby

Rugby's got 40 minute halves, with no stoppages in play -- except in between scoring and kickoff, which amounts to about 30 seconds. You have to run, break tackles, pass, tackle, ruck, scrum down, and lift/jump for line-outs.

2. Wrestling

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Wrestling takes incredible focus, skill, and the ability to repeatedly bone crushing hits for minutes on end.

3. Ultramarathon

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An ultramarathon (also called ultra distance) is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of 26.2188, but most ultramarathons can be anywhere from 31 to 100 miles.

4. Water polo

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Water polo players need to be all-around well-conditioned, meaning endless time training in the water, track, and weight room. During games, players constantly swim, tread water while passing a ball around, attempting to score.

5. Soccer

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Sure, soccer not technically categorized as "extreme" but can you argue against it being a truly exhausting sport? Not if you've played it. Running back and forth on a long field is no small feat and soccer players are in top shape.

6. Windsurfing

Not only are they balancing on a surfboard, but windsurfers also have to grapple with unpredictable winds and the heft of the sail.

7. Mountaineering

Fighting altitude, fatigue and gravity, mountain climbers are constantly scrambling to find their next step.

8. Cross-country skiing

Skiing anywhere in frigid temperatures would take a lot out of you. But skiing extra long distances and not down an incline: that's cross-country skiing.

9. Bossaball

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Bossaball may have been invented in 2005, but it mixes volleyball, soccer, gymnastics and capoeira so it has to be extremely exhausting.

10. Roller derby

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Typically 2-3 hours of non-stop action, roller derby games involve brutal defense and speed trials.