Did you know that Wim Hof, among his daredevil exploits, is running an Arctic marathon at minus 20°F or -29°C (20 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 29 degrees Celsius) while shirtless?

Certain humans have been able to perform some astounding feats that people thought exist only in Hollywood make-belief movies. But scientists have always argued that bursts of adrenaline during stressful situations give people somewhat paranormal, superhuman abilities, also referred to as hysterical strength; while others suspect that humans are always capable of these great feats - it just takes a crisis for them to actually perform them.

Nicknamed the "Iceman," Wim Hof, a Dutch adventurer, is one of such humans with extraordinary abilities developed overtime. Born 20 April 1959, Hof attributes his feats to his Wim Hof Method (WHM), a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation. Hof's method has been the subject of several scientific studies, with mixed results.

In 2007, he was able to survive for 72 minutes outdoors at the North Pole while wearing nothing but shorts. Hof says that he is able to control his body temperature by using the Tantric practice of Tummo, which is practiced by Yogi monks in Tibet, and involves the practice of focusing on the body’s energies turning them into heat.

Hof hold the record for the fastest half marathon run while barefoot on ice or snow is 2 hr 16 min 34 sec by Hof near Oulu, Finland, on 26 January 2007. Done for the Discovery Channel program 'Real Super-humans and the Quest for the Future Fantastic', it is the only current Guinness record in Hof's name.

On 16 March 2000, Hof set the Guinness World Record for farthest swim under ice on his second attempt, with a distance of 57.5 metres (188.6 feet). Hof's first attempt the day before failed when he began his swim without goggles and his corneas froze solid and blinded him. A rescue diver pulled him to the surface after he passed out. The record has been broken several times since and is 265 feet (81 m) as of 2022.

Hof has set the world record for longest time in direct, full-body contact with ice, 44 minutes in January 2010. This record has been broken several times and as of 2021 it stands at 3 hours, 28 seconds.

In 2007, Hof climbed to an altitude of 7,400 metres (24,300 ft) on Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts and shoes, but aborted the attempt due to a recurring foot injury. He managed to climb from base camp to about 6,700 metres (22,000 ft) wearing just shorts and sandals, but after that he wore boots, saying he needed to affix crampons at that point.

In 2016, Hof reached Gilman's Point on Mount Kilimanjaro with journalist Scott Carney in 28 hours, an event later documented in the book 'What Doesn't Kill Us'.

A number of documentary films have been made on the life and teachings of Wim Hof. In 2017, Vice magazine produced a documentary The Super Human World of Wim Hof: The Iceman. In 2020, the YouTube channel 'Yes Theory' published a short film about their experiences with Hof, titled 'Becoming Superhuman with Ice Man'.

Hof markets a regimen called the Wim Hof Method (WHM), which involves willpower, exposure to cold water, and breathing techniques. While he claims his method has beneficial effects on various conditions, there is little scientific basis for these claims. Wim's identical twin brother Andre has a similar tolerance for cold, despite living a different lifestyle, suggesting that much, if not all of Hof's abilities, are innate.

Unfortunately, four practitioners drowned in 2015 and 2016, leading to a $67 million lawsuit filed against Innerfire and Wim Hof in 2022 with the plaintiff seeking an injunction against Hof and Innerfire teaching the method in the United States again. In 2021, a Singaporean man drowned in a condominium pool when attempting the method. Meanwhile, Hof claims to have attained 26 world records, though no systematic accounting of those records exists.

Sources: Live Science | Wikipedia

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