Television production company Pilgrim Studios is looking for participants for an upcoming reality show that sounds a bit like a made-for-television adventure race. The new series in entitled Unbreakable and will send contestants out on a three day long "outdoor obstacle course" that will feature "barriers to climb at night, trenches to swim during the day and brain-teasing puzzles striking when you least expect them."
To launch the new show, Pilgrim has teamed with the organizers of the Spartan Death Race, which is a notoriously grueling two-day event that tests endurance athletes both physically and mentally. They're looking for contestants from all walks of life and it doesn't matter if you have any experience in adventure racing or not.
To apply, simply send your name, location, phone number, and a recent photo of yourself to UnbreakableCasting@gmail.com. Be sure to also include a brief explanation why you should be included in the competition as well.
For more information on the show and the eligibility requirements, click here.
Looking for a new challenge for 2012? Then look no further than the UTi Rhodes Run, a grueling 52km (32.3 mile) race through the beautiful Drakensberg mountains of South Africa. This year's race will take place on July 14, in the heart of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and as always, the course will wander through rough terrain that offers the potential for encounters with wild animals.
This will be the 24th edition of the Rhodes Run, and over the years, it has earned a reputation for being quite the challenge for long distance runners. As a result, the race sells out very quickly. But runners who are looking to take part in the event, but weren't able to get their application in on time, still have some hope. Athletic footwear company Inov-8 is giving away a "Wild Card" entry to the race and accommodations in the race village for the weekend of the run.
To enter the contest, all you have to do is send a photo of yourself, wearing Inov-8 shoes of course, to facebook@rebel-inc.co.za. They'll choose a winner from the entries, which will earn one lucky endurance runner a free-entry into this iconic South African race.
Find out more details on the Inov-8 Facebook page and good luck!
For the past couple of years we've been following endurance runner Jesper Olsen on his World Run II, which began back 2008, when Jesper set out from the northernmost point in Norway and started running south. He ran across Europe and into Africa, crossing more than a dozen countries in the process. And when he hit South Africa, and ran out of land, he simply hopped across the Atlantic to South America, and started running north instead.
After running through Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, Jesper is now preparing to leave South America behind and enter the next, and final, leg of his epic 40,000km (24,854 mile) run. According to his last report, he has been waiting in Bogota for a visa for the past week so that he can start the North American leg of the run. If all goes according to plan, he should have boarded a plane for Miami yesterday, which is where he'll start running once again.
According to the World Run II website, Jesper will resume running in Key West, Florida and hopes to reach the Canadian border by mid-April. After a short break, he'll then run New Foundland, reaching the end point sometime around early July. The total distance for the North American section, a mere 5600km (3479 miles). When he's done, Olsen will have completed the longest fully documented, and GPS tracked, run in history, which follows-up his World Run I, which saw him covering 25,000km (15,534 miles) as he circumnavigated the globe.
Entering North America is a major milestone for an excursion like this one. While the physical demands won't necessarily get any easier, the infrastructure is much improved, allowing athletes like Jesper to follow clearly marked routes, find food and accommodations much more easily, and generally proceed at a better pace. While he isn't quite done yet, it does appear that Jesper is about to start the home stretch of his expedition.
Thanks to Darrell for keeping me in the loop with Jesper's progress.
This past September, the Gold Rush Mother Lode Adventure Race took place in California. Over the course of three days, some of the best teams in North America challenged one another in an epic clash on foot, mountain bike, and kayak. What exactly did that race look like? Check out the excellent video below for an idea. It'll also serve as a nice sneak peak for the race, which will return in August of 2012.
I mentioned the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge last week when it got underway, but I completely forgot to update the final standings yesterday. The five-day event, which was a stage-based adventure race through the wilds of Tasmania, covered more than 350km (217 miles) and featured plenty of trekking, mountain biking, and paddling with some climbing, navigation, and other challenges sprinkled in for good measure.
The fifth, and final stage, took place on Sunday, with the teams crossing the finish line in Hobart. Local boys Mark Padgett and Mark Hinder, collectively known as Team Iron House, claimed first place in the Van Diemen Cup - Elite category, with a commanding lead over the competition. Behind them in second was Team Tasmania, consisting of Guy Andrews and Darren Clarke, while Team Pure Tasmania, made up of Emma Weitnauer and Jarad Kohlar, took third. The Enthusiast category, which is made up of mere mortal athletes like you and me, was won by Team Xtech (Tim Robinson/Dean Hemborrow). The complete results for the event can be found by clicking here.
By all accounts, this was a fantastic event, which was revitalized thanks to adventure racing fan and F1 driver Mark Webber himself. The race has signed a three year contract, which means it is likely to be around for the next few years and anchor down the end of the adventure racing calendar in 2012 and 2013 as well.
Congrats to the winners and everyone who took part in the race.
2013 may sound like a long way off at this point, but lets face it, 2011 is all but over and 2012 will come and go before we know it too. With that in mind, its never too early to start planning for a big adventure the year after next. And if your dream has always been to compete in an incredibly tough rowing race, I've got just the event for you.
The GB Row Challenge is gearing up to return in 2013, and teams will want to start planning and preparing now. The 2000-mile lone race begins and ends at the Tower Bridge in London and consists of a non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of Great Britain. The teams of four rowers will face harsh winds, rough seas, crowded shipping lanes, and unexpected storms, as they attempt to join the very exclusive club of people who have finished this race. To date, only eight have done so.
The 2013 edition of the race will begin on June 1st and will pit teams against one another in three categories: pairs, fours, and eights. The entry fee is set at £4,000 (roughly $6250), with a prize of £15,000 ($23,466) going to the winners. Cash prizes are also awarded to the second and third place teams as well, and a special bounty of £30,000 ($46,960) will be paid out to any team that sets a new speed record in the race as well.
So just how long will it take to complete the GB Row Challenge? The current record for a men's team is 26 days, 21 hours, and 14 minutes. The ladies have taken a bit longer to row around Great Britain, covering the same distance in 51 days, 16 hours, 42 minutes. Remember, those are the record times. Be prepared for it to take longer.
So, if you're up for a little fun on the water in 2013, and have a penchant for punishment, you may want to consider entering this race. All you'll need is a little determination, some physical preparation, and a good boat!
One of the last big adventure races on the calendar for 2011 got underway today in Australia, where the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge is taking place. The 350km (217 mile) stage-based event will run for the next five days, culminating with a final leg to crown the champion on Sunday.
As the name implies, the race will take place in the wilds of Tasmania, one of the more remote and untamed places on the planet. Each of the five stages will feature mountain biking, trekking, and paddling sections that will challenge the competitors in new and unique ways each and every day. And at the end of the stage, the teams will return to a pre-set base camp, where they'll have the opportunity to rest and prepare for another grueling challenge the next day.
The first stage of the event, which took place today, with racers starting with an early morning kayak leg before transitioning to a trek that took them to the summit of Mt. Amos. That was followed with a 50 meter rappel back down the sheer cliff face, before continuing on a bush trail that would eventually lead to the first mountain bike section. For video highlights from the opening stage, check out the video below.
At the end of the day, Team Iron House, consisting of Mark Padgett and Mark Hinder, were out in front, with Team Pure Tasmania and Team Tasmania in second and third respectively.
It looks like this should be a fun and competitive event over the next few days, and a great way to wind down what has been a very active adventure racing season. Follow the Tasmanian Challenge on the official website by clicking here.
While I was away playing in the Caribbean over the past few days, the youth ambassadors from impossible2Possible were finishing up their seven day run across India. The expedition, which was a big success, came to an end today when the four runners completed their 270km (167 mile) journey across Rajasthan and the arid Thar Desert.
As is always the case with any i2P project, the goal is to use adventure to help inspire and educate students in classrooms all over the world, and the India Youth Expedition was no exception. The focus this time out was to demonstrate the importance of exercise for our overall health, but also how it can impact non-communicable diseases such as Type II diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. According to a 2002 report from the World Health Organization, about 50% of the world's disease burden is now from non-communicable diseases, which is a radical shift away from infectious diseases like malaria or yellow fever.
The message that the youth ambassadors and the i2P crew were hoping to convey is that exercise and a good diet can help alleviate the dangers of non-communicable diseases, keeping us healthier and happier for longer. That is an important thing to impart on young students, who can start to learn about leading a healthier lifestyle now and incorporating that as they get older.
Congrats to the four runners, Emma Cook-Clarke, Jessica Kenny, Harshveer Sign Saluja, and Patrick Doughty, for completing this impressive run. Well done!
The Team GearJunkie adventure racing stable grew in size yesterday when it was announced that GearJunkie.com was joining forces with veteran adventure racing squad Team WEDALI for the 2012 season. The newly renamed group will go by the moniker of Team GearJunkie/WEDALI and will join Team GearJunkie/YogaSlackers under the GJ adventure racing umbrella.
Minneapolis based WEDALI, which stands for We Eat Dirt And Like It, did everything but eat dirt in 2011. The team was amongst the top AR units in North America, claiming victory at the 2011 Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship and finishing high in a number of other races as well. Additionally, the team took first place at the 2010 United States Adventure Racing National Championship as well.
In addition to being a great site for gear news and reviews, GearJunkie.com has also been a great advocate for the sport of adventure racing. Now with two teams in the fold, site founder Stephen Regenold, who is also based out of Minneapolis, has really shown his commitment and love for the sport.
Both teams will have a full schedule of races in 2012, starting with the YogaSlackers returning to Patagonia for the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. Because these two teams are amongst the best in North America, it is also likely they'll be competing head-to-head in a few races as well. I have no doubt there will be a good spirited rivalry between the GearJunkie teams.
Adventure racing and endurance sports website No Boundaries launched a new feature a few weeks back, introducing a list of AR Power Rankings for the first time. The rankings will be a monthly feature moving forward, and for now they are focused on the best teams in America, although I'm told they are pondering adding Canada soon and international teams possibly in the future.
So what teams made the No Boundaries list? Topping the rankings, at least for now, is Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic, who definitely had a great year in 2011. They're followed closely by Dart-nuun and Wedali in second and third place respectively, with Team Bones and GearJunkie/YogaSlackers rounding out the top five. Team SOG earned a sixth place ranking, with Odyssey Adventure Racing/ ImONPoint.org taking seventh. CheckPointZero/Tech4o, Alpine Shop, and Bushwhacker finish off this list of strong teams.
The panel of AR experts who selected this inaugural power ranking line-up have posted their thoughts for each team as well. If you're a fan of the sport, particularly here in North America, you'll want to head over and read their justifications for picking the teams, and ranking them where they did. There are also a group of very good teams who earned "honorable mention" status as well.
This is an interesting list with the top teams well represented. What do you think? Did they get the rankings right?
I was so busy last week trying to catch-up on work that it completely slipped my mind that the Adventure Racing World Championships got underway in Tasmania. The race actually started last Wednesday and will continue through Thursday of this week, and while a lot of teams remain out on the course, the three podium finishers have crossed the finish line. The winners of this year's ARWC is the very talented Thule Adventure Team, with Team Silva and Seagate taking second and third respectively. As of this writing, they are the only three teams to complete the full course.
Apparently, Team Seagate dominated much of the race and were in front most of the time, but they suffered a four hour penalty for leaving the SPOT tracker behind at one of the checkpoints. As a result, they had to sit out that penalty, which ultimately led to the other two teams passing them by. Indications are that they could have won the race going away if it weren't for the penalty, which seems like a very stiff one.
The race began with 79 of the best AR teams from around the globe, although six of those were forced to retire and another 11 are currently proceeding as unranked. The teams have been racing non-stop since the middle of last week across a very tough course that is more than 700km (435 miles) in length and offering them plenty of trekking, mountain biking, and paddling. More teams will continue to straggle across the finish line in the next few days before the event officially wraps up.
The 2011 edition of the ARWC seems like it was another great event and a great way to cap what has been an excellent year for the sport of adventure racing. While there are still a few good races on the schedule, lets hope 2012 continues the trend of great events.
The 2011-2012 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will get underway this Friday, when six teams will hit the high seas on a round the world yacht race that pits some of the best racers in the world against one another. The event takes place once every three years and is a test of both stamina and skill. This latest edition will require approximately nine months to complete, with the ships covering 72,000km (39,000 nautical miles).
At the moment, the crew of the six ships are hurriedly putting the final touches on their preparation for their voyages. On Friday, they'll set sail from Alicante, Spain for their first port of call, Cape Town, South Africa. From there, it is on to Abu Dhabi; Sanya, China; Auckland, New Zealand; Itajai, Brazil; Miami, USA; Lisbon, Portugal; Lorient, France and finally Galway, Ireland. The first ships are expected to arrive in that port city sometime next July.
The race is broken into nine different stages, with the crews racing day and night for up to 20 days at a time on some of those stages. The ships carry 11 crew members, many of whom hold multiple roles. For example, they each must be a trained sailor, but the ship must also have at least two medics, an engineer, a sailmaker, and so on. Over the course of their journey, these men and women will be put to the test as they endure extremes in temperatures, unexpected storms, and days at sea without rest.
To follow the race, keep an eye on the official website, which will offer all kinds of updates and live tracking as the event gets underway.
This past weekend one of the top adventure races in North America took place at the Land Between The Lakes in Kentucky, where the Checkpoint Tracker Championship went down. The 24-hour event featured a tough course that was more than 100 miles in length and offered a great mix of trekking, mountain biking and paddling.
More than 60 of the best adventure racing teams in the U.S. were on hand to compete, and in the end it was Team WEDALI (We Eat Dust And Like It) that took home the crown. From the sounds of things, they didn't just win the race however, they completely obliterated the competition and tore up a course that left other teams dazed and confused.
The Checkpoint Tracker blog promises more details on the race soon, including photos and video, but for now, I simply want to offer a big congratulations to WEDALI on a job well done.
If you're a fan of adventure racing, or have always wondered what the sport is all about, then I have great news for you. The full version of the film The Last Wild Race is now available for streaming online, giving you the opportunity to watch this year's Patagonian Expedition Race in all of its glory.
My friend Brian Leitten, who made the documentary, sent me the following information about how you can not only watch this great film, but win some swag in the process:
The film, which highlights the struggles and successes of extreme endurance athletes as they traverse some of the harshest terrain in the world, has won four awards:
Best Environmental Film - Yosemite Film Festival
Best Adventure Sport Film - Killarney Adventure Film Festival
Best Film - Vanka Regule Adventure Film Festival
Best Environmental Film - Colorado Film Festival
Over the summer it aired around the world on Outside Television, Fox Sports Network and NHK.
The film will be available to rent for 60 days. If you act quickly, the first day (Thursday, October 13) rental fee is $4, after that the film will cost $8.
For your movie rental, you not only get the film, you are entered into a special giveaway. Anyone who rents the film from October 13-17 can qualify by submitting their rental receipt to info@patagonianexpeditionrace.com. Please include your name, phone number and email address. The prizes include 5 gift packs of race memorabilia, 25 official race patches.
I had the opportunity to watch this film a couple of months back and really enjoyed it. The scenery is spectacular and the race is filled with plenty of drama. Everything you would expect from one of the toughest adventure races on the planet.
The 2012 edition of the Sahara Race is scheduled to get underway this Sunday, when 160 runners from 40 different countries will set off on a week-long race through the hottest desert on Earth. The course, which is 250km (155 miles) in length, will take them directly into the heart of the Sahara in Egypt, where daytime temperatures are expected to hit roughly 50°C / 122°F.
This is the seventh running of the event, which is part of the 4 Deserts series of ultra-runs. The format for this race is well established, with the runners, who are completely self supported except for water stations, setting out on a stage of the race each day. Most of those stages are 40km (24.8 miles) in length, although Stage 5, commonly known as "The Long March," doubles that distance. The final stage, which is next weekend, is just 10km (6.2 miles) in length and finishes in the shadow of the Great Pyramids in Giza.
As usual, you'll be able to follow the event at the official website, with daily updates to standings and news from the course. Most of the runners are already in Egypt and are preparing to get underway on Sunday in what is sure to be a grueling test of endurance, through an amazingly beautiful setting.
Over the weekend the Gold Rush Mother Lode Adventure Race came to a close with Team Tecnu Extreme - Staphaseptic taking the win. The team, which consists of racers Liza Pye, Brian Schmitz, Kyle Peter, and Marco Rossini, finished more than four hours ahead of second place Team Gearjunkie.com/YogaSlackers and Dart-Nuun, who took third place.
The four-day long event was conducted on a 307 mile (494 km) course through the Sierra Mountains in California that provided plenty of challenges to go along with the breathtaking scenery. The coed teams of four hiked, mountain biked, and paddled, while their navigational skills were put to the test. They even faced a 600-foot rappel along the way as well.
The Mother Lode was one of just two North American qualifiers for the Adventure Racing World Championship, which will be held in Tasmania this November. With their win, Tecnu Extreme has earned an automatic entry into that race, which will feature a 700km (435 mile) course and more than a week of racing.
Congrats to Tecnu Extreme on pulling of the win and good luck in the AR World Championship.
Yesterday, the Mother Lode, a 4-day long adventure race, put on by Gold Rush AR, got underway in the Sierra Mountains of California. 16 coed teams set out on the course from Bridgeport and are now racing across more than 275 miles (442.5km) of tough mountainous terrain towards the finish line.
The race is a qualifier for the AR World Championship, which will take place in Tasmania in November, and has 200 points on the line for the Checkpoint Tracker race series as well. The Checkpoint Tracker Championship will take place in Kentucky in October, and a number of teams are still scrambling to qualify for that event as well.
You can track the standings and locations of teams online by clicking here and following updates on both Facebook and Twitter. At the moment, it appears that Dart-Nuun is in the lead, followed by Team Lupus Extreme and Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic in second and third respectively. Racing is expected to continue throughout the weekend, with winners being crowned on Sunday.
This past weekend, the Thunder Rolls 2011 Adventure Race took place in my old stomping grounds, near Oregon, Illinois. The race is a 24-hour, 100 mile event that pulls in good teams from all over the Midwest, and is part of the Checkpoint Tracker Race Series. One of the teams competing in the event was Rock Racing and they've posted a fun race report, including photos and video, sharing details of their experience.
The real fun started Friday evening, when the teams had their pre-race meeting where they received their maps, passports, and instructions. What astounded me from this report was that they were told that there were 55 checkpoints to be located out on the course. That's an incredibly high number of CP's for a 24-hour race. I'm not sure we had that many in either of the two Primal Quest races that I was a part of. Anyone who has competed in an AR event will also tell you that means an awful lot of plotting points on the maps before you even start the race.
The race actually got underway at midnight, with teams rushing off into the dark, moonless night. The race report gives more details on what it was like out on the course, and it is a good read for beginning racers or those thinking about starting up in the sport. The video below also gives you an indication of what it is like to race at the Thunder Rolls, which looks like it is a good regional race and a perfect example of the often grassroots nature of adventure racing.
Adventure racers planning on competing in the Checkpoint Tracker Championship, to be held in western Kentucky this October, may want to get their registrations in today. Not only is the field for the event filling up very quickly, today is the final day to get the early registration discount.
The race is scheduled to take place on October 21 in the Land Between The Lakes and will feature a 100+ mile course designed to challenge the teams with plenty of mountain biking, trekking, paddling, and more. Currently, registration for the event is $250 per person, but after midnight tonight that price goes up to $275. That entry fee includes registration for the Championship, pre and post-race dinners, a limited edition Checkpoint Tracker Championship fleece, a Checkpoint Tracker hat, maps from MyTopo.com, and more.
If your team is looking for a great event to compete in this fall, than you should be strongly considering this race. Not only is the setting going to be a remarkable place to compete, but this will be one of the premiere races in North America for the remainder of the year. Most of the top teams in the country will be on hand, so it is a great place to test your skills, and above all else, it should simply be a fun weekend.
Hurry and register now before the price goes up at the end of the day.
As I mentioned last Friday, this weekend was the annual North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, one of the toughest ultra-marathons in the world. Late Friday, 2300 competitors set out on the 166km (103 miles) course, which circles Mount Blanc, the tallest peak in western Europe, and crosses through Italy, Switzerland, and France in the process. It is a truly spectacular trail with plenty of wonderful scenery and tough challenges.
The race got off to a rocky start when storms delayed the event for more than five hours, and once it was underway, it turned into one of the most challenge UTMB's ever. Rock slides forced the course to be extended to 169km, while rain and snow tested the competitors at every turn. In the end though, it didn't seem to matter, as Kilian Jornet came in first, crossing the finish line in a record time of 20 hours, 36 minutes, 43 seconds. Lizzy Hawker would take first place for the ladies, coming home in 25 hours, 2 minutes even.
So what's it like to run the Ultra Trail do Mont Blanc? Check out the beautiful video below to see for yourself. It is both inspiring and exhausting at the same time. Wow!
