It's fueled by Cramer's determination to find out just exactly why people are crazy enough to run the obstacle course in pursuit of the nation's highest office.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The perennial idea of a transatlantic free-trade area sounds better but may well run into the obstacle of American domestic politics: with free-trade-sceptical Democrats taking over Congress, it is not an auspicious time for clinching trade deals.

ECONOMIST: Germany's role in Europe is changing

Even the best positioned deals involving the healthiest companies must inevitably run a contentious legal obstacle course.

FORBES: Buy Me, Sell Me, Sue Me

Unlike marathons and triathlons run on roads and trails, obstacle races cover far shorter distances but ask participants to do far crazier things.

WSJ: Office Workers Run Extreme Obstacle Courses

But the governor's main obstacle to re-election, if she chooses to run in 2008, will be the way she entered office in 2004.

ECONOMIST: Washington's governor: Recovering from a bitter victory | The

The biggest obstacle to shareholder activism is the fact that most big fund managers also run money on behalf of companies in the form of 401(k) plans and pension funds.

ECONOMIST: Shareholder activism