March 3rd, 2010 by admin

Update: Didn’t notice before, but the contest rules say that you must be a resident of the Providence of Ontario, Canada to be eligible to win. Bummer for those of us who don’t live up that way. Sorry folks!

So you’ve heard about this sport called adventure racing. You know that it is a bit like a triathlon, but involves trail running, mountain biking, and paddling, with something called “orienteering” mixed in for good measure. You’ve even heard that the races can last as long as 24-48 hours, and possibly even something about an “expedition length” race, what ever that is. You might even think this sounds like something you’d enjoy, but where do you begin?

If that sounds a bit like you, then I’ve got a contest you might be interested in. The Phat Chicks are working in conjunction with Race Day Rush to launch the Become An Adventure Racer contest, with the winners getting everything they need to join the sport of AR. Simply put, they say “All you need is determination. We’ll help you with the rest.”

The winners of the contest will receive coaching and skills training courtesy of the Phat Chikcs and Race Day Rush. In fact, they’ll get a 12-week training program that will offer tips on endurance running, nutrition, and more, while building mountain biking, paddling, and orienteering skills as well. Ultimately, that training will lead to two spots on Team RaceDayRush when they compete at the Saucony RockstAR Adventure Race set to run on July 24th 2010. The winners will also get plenty of good gear to help them compete in the race, or at the very least look like they belong there.

Other sponsors of the contest include Suunto Watches, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Get Out There Magazine and Adventure World Magazine, who tipped me off to the contest in the first place.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to be an adventure racer, here’s your chance. But hurry, the deadline for entry is March 7th. For more details click here.

February 27th, 2010 by admin

It has been a more than a month since we checked in with Jake Stachovak and his Portage to Portage Expedition. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll probably remember that Jake is making a journey around the entire Eastern United States, completely by Kayak, beginning and ending in Portage, Wisconsin. He had already paddled down the length of the Mississippi River, and when we last checked in, he was heading out onto the Gulf of Mexico.

It took Jake 37 days to paddle the length of the Gulf Coast, including 30 days in the cockpit and seven days off for bad weather. Now he has turned his kayak north and is beginning to paddle up the Eastern Shore Board. According to his blog, he is currently in the Miami area, where he’s been enjoying some rest and relaxation, while he gears up for the next leg of the journey. He’s also headed over to the Sweetwater Kayaks Symposium being held in St. Petersburg this weekend, which gives him a good excuse to stay on dry land for a bit longer.

The rest of the journey will see him paddling up the East Coast of the U.S. to New York City, where he’ll navigate through canals into Lake Ontario. From there, he’ll paddle across the Great Lakes, to the Fox river, which will allow him to paddle upstream, back to Wisconsin, where he started the entire journey from.

Below, is a video of Jake as he officially leaves the Gulf of Mexico behind, paddling under the Highway 1 bridge in Florida, and entering into the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. He pauses long enough to share some thoughts on the journey thus far, but the hilarious captions that his home team put into the video before posting are what really makes it all work. Good stuff and a very cool adventure.

February 25th, 2010 by admin

Solo kayaker Hayley Shepard arrived at South Georgia Island yesterday, and according to her blog, the waters are as wild and challenging as she expected. Hayley reports that there are plenty of ice bergs off the shore of the island which sits in the Southern Ocean, not far from Antarctica, and the legendary weather systems are already playing havoc with her plans, as high winds have prevented her support boat from reaching safe anchorage at Eleshul Bay. She and the crew were hoping to reach that place today.

The arrival of her boat at South Georgia followed a week of travel from the Falklands across very rough seas. She’ll now spend a few days getting her gear together, and prepping her kayak, to begin her attempt to become the first person to make a solo kayaking expedition around that remote place.

Hayley mentions in her latest blog post that she is over joyed to finally be at the place that has been her goal for so long. She’s been plotting this expedition for more than five years, and is even self-funding it, just to see her dream come true. She mentions that the mountains, beaches, and the wildlife all feel more dramatic and welcoming than she had ever imagined, and now she’s more eager than ever to head out on the water.

While the entire paddle is “just” 375 miles in length, it will be extremely challenging none the less. The waters are beyond cold, and the weather is unpredictable and dangerous. Still, that’s the reason we visit these remote places right? And after a couple of starts and stops, and years of preparation, it seems that at long last Hayley will be getting underway soon. Expect updates on her progress in the days ahead.

February 17th, 2010 by admin

Last week I posted an update on Hayley Shepard, the woman who was preparing to make the first solo kayaking expedition around South Georgia Island in the Southern Ocean. When we last checked in, the expedition was in a bit of jeopardy due to the crew of her support vessel being down one member after Greg Landreth, the captain of the boat, was injured while making a rough crossing of the Drake Passage. Without a full crew, the Northanger wouldn’t be able to perform her duties adequately, which could have forced Hayley to make a journey around the Falklands instead. A noble venture to say the least, but not what she had originally intended to set out to do.

Fortunately, the New Zealander is going to get the opportunity to go after her goal after all. A post to her blog yesterday indicates that she is “South Georgia Bound“, after first mate Keri set down a few ground rules about how the trip would transpire. Basically, they’re going to be very cautious, as Greg’s leadership as the skipper of the boat will be missed immensely. If another crew member goes down, they’re turning back. If weather conditions get too challenging, they’re durning back. Hayley and the boat will stay in constant contact while she is paddling, and they will take their time, not racing a clock, to complete the journey.

At this point Hayley has to be overjoyed. She’s been planning this expedition for years, and is even self-funding the trip, all so she can challenge herself in one of the harshest ocean environments around. The 375 mile paddle isn’t about the distance, it’s about the harsh conditions, which is the appeal to many adventurers that make their way to that part of the world.

So, the expedition is on! We should begin getting updates from South Georgia in a few days time. Good luck to Hayley and the whole crew.

February 13th, 2010 by admin

About a month back I posted a story about Hayley Shepard, who was planning on making a solo kayaking expedition around South Georgia Island, something had never been done before. Today we get an update on her progress, courtesy of ExWeb, and so far, things are not going quite as Hayley had planned.

The New Zealand woman and her support team set out on January 30th, as planned. Everyone was aboard the Northanger, which is the name of the ship that Hayley hired to act as her support vessel and emergency back-up, something that was required by the New Zealand government before she could set out.

For those that don’t know, South Georgia is a very remote island located in the Southern Ocean, not far from Antarctica itself. The weather, as is typical throughout the region, is wild and unpredictable, and simply making the voyage across the Drake Passage to the island can be quite an adventure, even under the best of conditions. Apparently, these weren’t even remotely close to the best of conditions as Hayley wrote on her blog that they experienced four days of incredibly bad storms, which tossed them all about and left Greg Landreth, the owner and skipper of the Northanger injured.

Due to the injuries to the captain, the ship diverted course and traveled to the Falklands Islands, arriving on the 7th of February. Landreth was immediately taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery on his hand, and while he is expected to make a full recovery, his injury leaves the ship down a crew member, which is now threatening the entire expedition.

Fast forward to today, and Hayley and the crew ares till in the Falklands, where they are plotting what to do next. She has posted an ad looking for someone to join the crew in hopes that she can resume her journey to South Georgia, which is where the real adventure was suppose to begin. But she has also not ruled out the possibility of kayaking around the Falklands, something that has never been done by a woman before.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what becomes of the expedition. Hopefully, Hayley will get her shot at South Georgia, something she’s been planning for some time. Keep in mind, she is also self-funding the expedition, and is doing so to raise awareness of the plight of the Albatross and other sea birds.

February 7th, 2010 by admin

The adventure racing community is starting to spring into action for 2010, with races getting set to begin, and teams looking ahead to what appears to be a fairly full, and busy schedule of events. This bodes well for a sport that had a number of high profile races take a hiatus last year, when the economy was in the tank, and sponsorship dollars were at a premium.

The Gear Junkie posted a note to his Daily Dose Blog with information that he would be AWOL for awhile. He’s headed south, to Chile, to take part in one of the first epic races of the year, the Patagonia Expedition Race. This year’s race will push teams to the limit once again, as they deal with the unpredictable weather conditions that are common in the region. The 600km route will run the length of Tierra del Fuego, before sending the athletes out to the Isla Navarino, which lies beyond the world’s most southerly human settlements. As always, this should be an amazing race through amazing scenery. Check out the preview video below for more.

Meanwhile, Wade from Outdoorzy.com has announced that he’ll be headed to Ecuador in a couple of weeks to cover the Huairashinchi adventure race for Adventure World Magazine. The race will run from Feb. 13-15, and is held at altitude in the highlands of Ecuador. It is also part of the Adventure Racing World Championships, giving teams a chance to compete for a spot in that major event later this year.

Speaking of Adventure World Magazine and the ARWC, the website has been running excellent preview articles on the World Series for several weeks now, taking an in depth look at all the events that make up the series, while also touching on the top teams that will be competing, and a whole lot more. You can find Part 1 of the series by clicking here. They’ve already posted four more installments, so that should keep you busy for awhile.

Finally, my friend Dave Poleto is preparing to kick off his Gulf Coast Adventure Racing season, with a whole host of races on the schedule for the year. They’ll get things underway on April 3rd with a pair of adventure races, which will be held in Alexandria, Louisiana. From there, it only gets better, more races being held all the way into November. If you live along the Gulf Coast region, you’ll want to check out the entire schedule, found here, to find an event close to you. They’ve even got a race designed for first timers and families, so if you’ve ever wanted to give adventure racing a try, now is your opportunity.

It’s good to see so many big and small events back for 2010. Looks like it’s going to be a great year for the sport.

January 20th, 2010 by admin

A couple of weeks back I mentioned the Portage to Portage Kayak Expedition, in which paddler Jake Stachovak is attempting to circumnavigate the Eastern U.S. by kayak along an interesting route that begins and ends in Wisconsin. Along the way, he’ll pass along the Mississippi River, into the Gulf of Mexico, up the Atlantic Coast, into the Great Lakes, and finally along a river back to where he started.

When checking his progress today, I discovered that he has completed the first leg of that expedition by reaching the Gulf. Considering the cold weather conditions and blizzards that he was dealing with back in December when he first launched, he has to be feeling good about the warmer weather he’s experiencing now. It seems like he’s making good time, but then again, when you watch the video below, you’ll understand why. I found this over at CanoeKayak.com, and while it’s mostly just a view of Jake paddling, and telling a rather silly joke, the subtitles, most likely supplied by his support team are pretty amusing. On top of that, we discover that Jake takes 76 paddle strokes a minute, which is fairly impressive, and helps to explain how he reached the Gulf already.

Of course, he still has a long ways to go, and paddling in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean won’t be nearly as easy as the Mississippi River. But, it seems that Jake his happy with his progress so far, and is determined to paddle all the way home.

January 14th, 2010 by admin

I caught wind of this expedition on the Canoe & Kayak Magazine website, where they have posted an interview with Hayley Shephard, a New Zeland woman who intends to paddle solo around South Georgia Island.

Hayley’s circumnavigation attempt may not sound all that challenging at first. After all, it’s a “mere” 375 miles around South Georgia. But when you take into account that the island is located in a very remote area of the Southern Ocean, some 870 miles from its nearest neighbor, and that the region is legendary for its incredibly bad weather, you start to have an appreciation for what she hopes to accomplish. The coastline is said to be both rugged and beautiful, and there will be few places where Hayley will be able to escape the elements. The place is so remote and foreboding in fact, that no had circumnavigated it by kayak until 2005, when a team led by Andrew McAuley accomplished the feat, and an indicator of how dangerous it can be, is the fact that she’s required by the New Zealand Government to have a support vessel with her at all times.

As you might expect, Hayley will be attempting this epic paddle for cause. She hopes to raise awareness in the general public about the plight of the albatross, a sea bird that she has come to love in her many wanderings at sea. She says that many of the birds, as well as other species, are being killed by outdated fishing techniques used in the commercial fishing industry. She hopes to put pressure on that industry to adopt some new techniques that won’t endanger the birds.

In the C&K interview, Hayley talks about her thoughts on why she wants to make this journey, how she had prepared for it, and why it has been delayed for several years. This year, in order to achieve her dream, she took out a loan, essentially going into debt, to see this expedition through. You have to really admire someone who is willing to self fund their own adventures in order to chase their dreams.

Find out more about Hayley and her expedition at KayakingToSaveAlbatross.com

January 10th, 2010 by admin

Back in early December, paddler Jake Stachovak launched his Portage to Portage Paddling Project that will see him circumnavigate the entire eastern United States by kayak. The 5000 mile journey began in Portage, Wisconsin, and if all goes as planned, will end there too.

Stachovak will paddle down the length of the Mississippi River, then turn east across the Gulf of Mexico. He’ll then travel down the west coast of Florida, before making the turn at the Keys. From there, he’ll go north up the entire east coast of the U.S. to New York City. The 34-year old adventure paddler will then navigate through some canals into Lake Ontario, which will allow him to cross the Great Lakes, returning to Green Bay Wisconsin, where he’ll connect up with the Fox River, and finish his journey back to Portage.

The expedition got underway back on Dec. 6th, but a massive snow storm in the Midwest caused him to abandon the river for a short time. Jake relaunched near St. Louis on the 12th, and has been making progress ever since. You can more about his adventure on the official website and follow along with Jake’s progress on the Trip Blog.

I love that Jake says his inspiration for doing this trip was to show to everyone that adventures still exist, and they can be found right in our own backyard. I never would have thought about a route like this one, but it’s exceptionally cool.

December 19th, 2009 by admin

Check out this great article that was sent my way by the Belgian Adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke . The story is a few years old and comes from Paddler Magazine and lists their picks for the 10 Greatest Sea Kayaking Expeditions of all time.

Obviously the list includes some amazing adventures from all over the planet, including such bold paddling expeditions as Jon Turk’s 2000 mile, 100-day journey from Japan to Alaska, which traveled past the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Siberia, and beyond, all the while dodging ice and treacherous weather conditions. Even more intriguing may be Frank Goodman’s (and company) kayaking journey around Cape Horn, at the Southern Tip of South America. When when it was accomplished back in 1977, was the first successful journey by paddle through those very dangerous waters.

Also making the list is Paul Caffyn’s 1981 circumnavigation of Australia, which was just surpassed by Freya Hoffmeister. Freya became just the second person to finish that journey, and did it in less time, although I’m sure advances in technology and gear over the past 27 years didn’t hurt her cause any.

All in all, a fun list, with some really cool expeditions, some of which I hadn’t heard of before. If you’re a paddler who likes ot spend some time out on the water you might find plenty of inspiration here, although Paddler may want to update it with some of the newer expeditions over the past few years.