44

44 is the number of people who have completed the Vendee Globe and it's predecessor the Golden Globe. This tiny number puts the scale of the feat in context. It's called the sailor's Everest but over 1,000 people have climbed Everest. In the first race, 40 years ago, only one person of the nine who started completed the race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. The first race took nearly a year. Nowadays they sail 4 times faster. Just think about it, really hard -  90 days non-stop, half of which is in the Southern Ocean. Ugh! I am going back to bed! There is a great post on the BBC site today about the race and the racers. Watch the video interview with Mike Golding, he really brings the feat to life.