r/interestingasfuck • u/StemCellPirate • 9h ago

The Dead Sea Marathon is the lowest race on Earth, held annually at approximately 430 meters below sea level.

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512 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

81 comments sorted by

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u/Fucky0uthatswhy 8h ago

Is that easier? Like how high elevation is harder?

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u/ChrisTheWeak 8h ago

Higher elevations have lower atmospheric pressure, which means lower oxygen partial pressure, which results in decreases of efficiency breathing. Its probably not significant for small changes in altitude, but 430 meters is a good distance.

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u/Gymdoctor 8h ago

So to piggy back off of that, the answer is yes. Yes it does the opposite effect in the opposite direction, however, the benefits (feeling easier to breath) will be smaller comparatively. The effect on your breathing amps up with increased atm pressure

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u/dirty_hooker 4h ago

After a couple years of living ~5k feet above sea level I took a trip to the ocean. I thought for sure that living at altitude would give me super human lungs. About three quick steps later I realized the humidity made the air too thick to breathe.

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u/Fredd500 8h ago

And temperature. I really doubt it’s a cold climate race.

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u/Redylittle 6h ago

It's run in winter so when it starts in the morning it is pretty cool 10-15c would be common

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u/Hurtfulbirch 3h ago

Running on sand probably cancels both those factors out.

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u/Redylittle 3h ago

It's not run on sand. It's hard packed dirt and gravel roads

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u/[deleted] 8h ago

[deleted]

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u/NoodlelyTrees 7h ago

That isn't how that works whatsoever, the oxygen still makes up 21% of the air at altitude there's just less oxygen atoms available to breathe because the air is more spread out, the percentage doesn't actually change though

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u/Automatic-Term-3997 7h ago

You’re wrong, but I’m not taking the time to correct you. Use the google machine, figure out why you’re wrong, then come delete your comment. Remember: we”re talking about effective, altitude-equivalent figure for medical purposes.

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u/Bears___ 7h ago

I googled it and you are the one that is wrong. It stays at roughly 21% oxygen all the way to 100km. The other dude is right lol. So maybe you should delete your comment

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u/Automatic-Term-3997 7h ago

Now google again and learn how partial pressure works, because when it comes to effective, altitude-equivalent figures (you know, the thing I directly said in my comment…), I’m correct and you’re just too dumb to figure it out yet. Go back to school.

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u/Bears___ 7h ago

Brother altitude equivalent does not change the actual PERCENTAGE of oxygen holy shit. You don't need to get so upset you can just say you're wrong.

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u/Automatic-Term-3997 7h ago

That’s not what I said dummy. Again, go learn about partial pressure and altitude equivalence.

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u/waterfucker_ 6h ago

fake it till you make it.

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u/NoodlelyTrees 6h ago

You said the saturation of your room air is 16% which is just factually wrong. It's equivalent to 16% because of the air being thinner but there is still 21% oxygen

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u/NoodlelyTrees 6h ago

You didn't say jack shit about equivalent, your comment is still visible to everyone, you forgot to delete or edit it

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u/TXOgre09 6h ago

You’re right when you use the terms “altitude equivalent” and “partial pressure.” But your initial term of “oxygen saturation of room air” doesn’t make any sense and is where the confusion is coming from.

Air cannot have an oxygen “saturation” level, that would imply the air is holding all the oxygen it can. You can have 100% oxygen gas composition. And using that phrase could reasonably be inferred as stating the actual % composition of the O2 and N2 is shifting with altitude, which I don’t think is what you meant but what folks are arguing against.

The lower pressure from the altitude results in oxygen mass availability equivalent to breathing a 16% oxygen composition at sea level pressure. So if you breathe in 1L of air at sea level you get 0.91g of N2 and 0.28g O2, and at 6500 ft you get 0.72g N2 and 0.22g O2. You have 21% less pressure and 21% less O2 mass, but same ratio.

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u/ArtistPonyAuthor 8h ago

Is a dude with a stick involved?

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u/Amon_The_Silent 7h ago

Wrong sea

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u/BoldlyGettingThere 7h ago

Does rhyme though

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u/DefinitelyNotShazbot 5h ago

It was Red and now it’s Dead, looking for some Redemption

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u/TryndMusic 8h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/12Wn7ox4gWevAs

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u/EntangledPhoton82 7h ago

Ok, everyone follow that Moses guy. Don’t lag too far behind. Not making it to the checkpoint in time is bad for your health.

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u/lady_haumea 6h ago

I feel bad for her, too, parting the red sea and all that

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u/PiratesOfTheArctic 6h ago

Is that Tommy from rugrats?!

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u/Quigleythegreat 5h ago

They did a Passover episode apparently

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u/raccooninthegarage22 1h ago

The pickles were very Jewish

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u/Rexxhunt 52m ago

Oy vey

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u/TryndMusic 1h ago

Great episode

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u/Beneficial_Bug_9793 8h ago

The organiser is called Moses.....

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u/MongolianCluster 8h ago

The low point of my career.

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u/DaStoicSavage 8h ago

That has to be great oxygen down there

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u/modiddly 5h ago

Place looks like it’s out of a science fiction movie. Beautiful

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u/Narf234 7h ago

Imagine training for something like the Leadville race in CO and then doing this. I bet they would feel great.

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u/hraun 7h ago

I wonder if it feels easier because there'd be a higher oxygen concentration in the air.

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u/MrX101 2h ago

Looks like 2m above sea lvl in the pic lol

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u/lazyfacejerk 6h ago

This doesn't seem right. I thought bad water basin was the lowest land on earth at something like 230 feet (or 70ish meters) below sea level. 

Is the marathon held in a tunnel or something?

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u/xrelaht 6h ago

As of 2025, the lake's surface is 439.78 metres (1,443 ft) below sea level,[4] making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth.

Badwater is the lowest point in N America.

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u/citizen42069101 5h ago

Wild it hasn't filled with water.

That's a long way below well a lot of shit

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u/kapitaalH 1h ago

It does but it is incredibly dry, so not a lot of water to start with. The evaporation is very high and the rivers is irrigated to death. Also close to the sea so not a huge drainage basin

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u/Otto_the_Autopilot 6h ago

I'll be honest, I didn't believe it either.  I looked it up and yea it's actually that far below sea level.  Pretty nuts to think about since it's only 50 miles from the Mediterranean Sea.

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u/Less_Likely 2h ago

Dead Sea (lowest point in world) is way lower than Bad Water Basin (lowest point in US)

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u/champythebuttbutt 8h ago

They're above the sea....

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u/cynical_contempt 6h ago

They're above the dead sea level but under sea level. The dead sea bassin is very low

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u/champythebuttbutt 6h ago

It's the sea. They're above it.

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u/blither86 5h ago

It's not the sea, it's a lake.

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u/shozlamen 6h ago

The Dead Sea is a lake, not an actual Sea

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u/[deleted] 5h ago

[deleted]

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u/HarryPottersTaint 4h ago

You have a remarkably poor understanding of geography

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u/ZuluIsNumberOne 5h ago

that horizon is Jordan

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u/NakedIanMalcolm 9h ago

Where at?

Why the lame fake AI photo?

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u/ForrestGump6531 8h ago

Ein Bokek, Israel

I googled more photos of it and there more pictures similar to this

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u/NakedIanMalcolm 8h ago

Am not joking and am just wondering but how old are you?

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u/ForrestGump6531 8h ago

What?

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u/NakedIanMalcolm 8h ago

Like your age. How old are you?

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u/ForrestGump6531 8h ago

The fuck all does that have to do with anything lmao

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u/Chickenjon 8h ago

He's a predator, just wanna make sure you're under 16 so you're not wasting his time.

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u/NakedIanMalcolm 8h ago

I know lol, but just curious

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u/Norollin 8h ago

That is not a question you should just randomly ask people on the internet. At least give a reason.

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u/NakedIanMalcolm 8h ago

You provided another fake doctored photo. The actual race doesn’t look anything like that. It’s just below sea level if so. Am safe to guess you’re younger?

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u/Gold-Eye-2623 8h ago

Do you think sea level means the surface of the water of whatever sea you're closest to? How old are you?

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u/Norollin 8h ago

Im not the person you were replying to. I was just amused by the situation.

He provided an article with the link above that proves its not doctored. You can tap it with your fingers. Also what does age have to do with any of this ?!?!?!?

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u/ForrestGump6531 8h ago

I’m 69 or 420, take your pick.

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u/PunfullyObvious 7h ago

I was thinking more like 67

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u/Burnyburner3rd 7h ago

Sea level is a reference to the oceans. So this entire body of water sits below sea level. Even though it itself is called a sea. Hope that clears that up for anyone confused

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u/Busy_Toaster 8h ago

What's with the arrogance, leave the poor bloke alone. Younger people would be better at differentiating AI anyway

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u/upvoter222 7h ago

The Dead Sea Marathon takes place at the Dead Sea.

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u/MisterFistYourSister 8h ago edited 8h ago

It's not AI. it actually looks like that. How old are you?

https://youtu.be/cFedGedzLSo?si=rkZBSuL275XXEIEc

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u/czechancestry 8h ago

Wtf looked at this area on Google maps. Why build all those stupid little land bridges? They look totally useless

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u/Silver_Tradition6313 7h ago

"Why build all those stupid little land bridges? They look totally useless"

The Dead Sea contains a lot of salts , potash, and minerals which are mined/extracted by a large industrial company. I think that the "bridges" are built to function as dams, to create specific sized pools of water for the industrial processes.

https://www.icl-group.com/blog/icl-dead-sea-sustainable-minerals/

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u/irishorion 8h ago

So people can race across them