Going extreme for cosmosis: from ecosophical play to ascetological pain

This essay advances a philosophical concept of cosmic sport, understood as auto-agonistic physical activity striving for harmony with the natural elements and the environment. The emphasis is on the importance of hefty psycho-physical challenges, such as endurance sports, notably long trail-running. In times of climate change and mass extinction, pushing our limits leads to a positive recalibration with our living environment, I argue. The higher the effort, the closer the connection with and the sense of responsibility towards nature. To lay a foundation, two views on homo movens and sustainability will be discussed. First, the grasshopper-like, broadly oriented, hilarious ecosophical-playful perspective. And, second, the monomaniac, ant-like, titillating ascetological-painful perspective, referring to human beings as natural-born exercise addicts, ever longing for vertical challenges. To materialize my preference for the latter view, a specific sport will be put to the test: extreme trail-running. These in-vogue hour- or even day-long challenging trials off the beaten track have special benefits when it comes to taking us back where we evolutionary come from, and in terms of sustainability, as far as possible should return to. That is, the life of the long-distance running hunter, the industrious worker ant with a low ecological footprint. Well-performed deep immersion in extreme ascetic practices results in truly sustainable, cosmic sport.