During an —such as the legendary boxing war between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, or the rowing tragedy of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where rower Jasmin Duehring (then Mrachna) finished on broken pedals—the body enters a state of "central fatigue."

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The painful duel is not a spectacle for the faint of heart. To the casual fan, it looks like two people hitting a ball or throwing punches. But to those who have stood in the arena, it is a philosophical event. It asks the question: What are you made of when everything that makes you human—your comfort, your safety, your sanity—is stripped away?