Forget blue skies and 4,000 m cloudbases, the Red Bull X-Alps is about bleeding feet, blisters, buckled knees and rain. Are you tough enough? Ed Ewing spoke to some of the athletes to find out what it takes to keep running…

What’s it like to compete in the Red Bull X-Alps, the greatest adventure paragliding race on the planet? Ed Ewing asks the people who know – the athletes