How do you top a DIY full send? Make it a competition. Each of these races packs two to four distinct adventure sports into a single, grueling push. Some are sprints鈥攖hink two to three hours of full-on effort. Others require up to 34 hours of unsupported navigation in backcountry terrain. Sound like your cup of tea? Add one of these multisport challenges to your summer bucket list and stay ready for any adventure with the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

Stubborn Mule 国产吃瓜黑料 Race (Wisconsin)

Tackle cycling, orienteering, and paddling challenges in one of Wisconsin鈥檚 gnarliest adventure races. There are five-hour and 12-hour races available, but the 30-hour challenge is the real prize. You鈥檒l bike 鈥嬧��65 to 85 miles, hike up to 25 miles, and paddle up to 25 miles in a single push.

Driftless Flyathon (Iowa)

How do you feel about trail running, fly-fishing, and craft beer? How about all three at the same time? The Driftless Flyathon celebrates the trifecta in a single maxed-out day. You鈥檒l run 4.4 miles, recording your catches at several stops along the way. Then, chug a finish-line beer, participate in a single-fly contest, and try your hand at a pellet-gun beer can shootout.

Island Quest 国产吃瓜黑料 Race (Washington)

Imagine trying to navigate a rugged chain of islands by foot, kayak, and mountain bike. Now imagine having zero course information until right before the starting bell. That鈥檚 the Island Quest 国产吃瓜黑料 Race. You鈥檒l have 12 hours to orienteer through the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 wild coastal islands with only your map, compass, and intuition to guide you. Good luck.

Tuck Fest (North Carolina)

Located amid wooded trails at Charlotte鈥檚 famed Whitewater Center, Tuck Fest offers competitors truly unheard-of variety. Learn to whitewater kayak in the morning, test your climbing stamina in a deep-water soloing competition, then cap it all off with a demanding nighttime 10K trail race.

XRedRocks (Utah)听

This three-day, unsupported hike-and-fly race shows off central Utah鈥檚 most stunning landscapes from a bird鈥檚-eye view. To finish the race, competitors will have to hike, trail run, and paraglide to reach designated checkpoints as quickly as possible.

 

SwimRun Cape Cod (Massachusetts)

Think you鈥檙e tough? Then you haven鈥檛 tried swim-running yet. Cape Cod鈥檚 version of the sport features ten miles of trail running and two miles of swimming. But the transitions are the real kicker: the course is split into nine running sprints between seven distinct bodies of water.

Eastern Mountain Wilderness Challenge (New York)

This 30-hour event challenges competitors to hike and packraft a set course deep in the Adirondacks. The race takes place in October, which means stunning fall color鈥攁nd just enough chill to keep things interesting.

GoPro Mountain Games (Colorado)

Vail鈥檚 GoPro Mountain Games represents four days of nonstop adventure. To maximize the fun, target Saturday鈥攐ne of the fest鈥檚 busiest days. Start with a grueling cross-country mountain bike race, race stand-up paddleboards down Gore Creek, then wrap up the afternoon with a 2.1-mile mud run.

The delivers trail-dominating power, legendary capability and captivating style. Time to make all your off-roading dreams come true.

The post 8 Bucket-List Multisport 国产吃瓜黑料 Races appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It鈥檚 4 A.M. on Thanksgiving weekend and an experiment is taking place.

At a skatepark on the edge of the Pacific port city of Iquique, in northern Chile, fifteen teams of six runners are about to embark on the inaugural edition of (TSP) Atacama, a 300-plus-mile relay race climbing over 11,000 vertical feet through salt flats, canyons, abandoned highways, and active mines, battling extremes of heat and cold, to finish in the desert oasis of San Pedro de Atacama.

The race is invite-only. Each team must be self-sufficient, driving themselves and sleeping when they can. There are no spectators. No cell reception. Few gas stations. No fixed route. No fixed relay hand-off points. No rules on how far each team member must run, or how often they can be subbed back into the race.

In short, there are no rules other than to get to the finish line as quickly as you can.

With the sunrise still two hours off, Nils Arend, a lithe 43-year-old, leads the gathered runners in a expletive-filled call-and-response chant, and with whoops and cheers the runners embark on their pre-planned routes through the sleeping city, and on towards the waiting desert.

A Competition, Loosely Held

Arend, a Hamburg-to-Los Angeles transplant, cofounded The Speed Project with trainer and running legend Blue Benadum in 2013. For that first iteration (and the eight subsequent installments, including one in March of this year), they pioneered a 340-mile route from the Santa Monica pier, through the Antelope Valley, passing Barstow, Baker, and Death Valley National Park, and ending at the Las Vegas welcome sign on Route 160.

The idea was to serve up an antidote to both too-serious ultras and weekend fun runs that encourage participants to don costumes and pound beers along the route. The Speed Project would fall somewhere between the two, attracting the best runners in the world but remaining unsanctioned, with a think-on-your-feet mentality as runners adapt to unexpected changes and innovative shortcuts. Crucially, for all its unpredictability, The Speed Project would be fun.

RELATED: The Speed Project: A Crazy, 340-Mile Desert Relay

鈥淭here鈥檚 real beauty in the idea of traveling somewhere on foot and doing it as part of a like-minded close circle,鈥� says Arend, who became the sole organizer as family commitments took more of Benadum鈥檚 time.

Despite its underground, unsponsored ethos, TSP has grown into a monster. This March, 500 participants grouped into 60-plus teams and gathered to take part in the original race, known as The Speed Project LALV. Atacama would be an opportunity to grow the race internationally while also returning it to its roots.

The idea came about during lockdown, when 鈥楾SP DIY鈥�, a do-it-yourself version of the race, asked remote teams to cover as much distance as they could in 1 day, 7 hours, and 15 minutes (referring to the TSP LALV course record set in 2019).

For Chilean running club Maffetones (MAFFS), it was an opportunity to explore the team鈥檚 backyard, eventually covering 264 miles of the Atacama Desert and placing them in the top ten of more than 160 DIY teams participating around the globe.

鈥淚 think this is going to be a bit rougher than in the States. Everything here is more wild,鈥� says Max Keith, a 34-year-old MAFFS runner who couldn鈥檛 resist the chance to run this year鈥檚 TSP Atacama as one of seven solo runners.

鈥淟A to Las Vegas has its own craziness, but we felt it was time to take the conceptual backbone and offer something a notch up in terms of adventure,鈥� adds Arend. 鈥淭he rawness of the landscapes and our connection with MAFFS led us to choose Chile. Atacama is about dialing up the extremes.鈥�

Racing to Another World

The Atacama desert begins in the lower slopes of the Andes Mountains, stretching westward over 41,000 square miles. Its average annual rainfall is just six tenths of an inch, making it the world鈥檚 driest non-polar desert. Aside from active gold, silver, and copper mines, parts are so bereft of life that they鈥檙e used by NASA to test Mars lander missions.

The TSP route traces 37 miles of coastline before entering a scenic canyon climb emerging onto a 25-mile stretch of rollercoaster hills leading into a wind-blasted flat. Then, 137 miles in, the route takes an off-road detour before climbing to 9,500 feet above sea level. After the inevitable downhill, there鈥檚 another long, windy stretch before a 25-mile climb to over 11,000 feet. Finally, it鈥檚 a six-mile downhill before a final three-mile ascent to the finish line, signified by a 30-foot white cross on a cliff overlooking the desert tourist town of San Pedro.

Cloaked by the cool of the night, the first two hours out of Iquique passed uneventfully, except for a local street dog nicknamed Diego following runners for some 12 miles before hitching a ride back to town. As the race progressed, packs of free-roaming desert dogs prompted runners to catch short rides in their support cars. This was not unexpected. Runners were advised to carry pepper spray.

The more persistent adversary, however, was the heat. The temperature in Atacama tapped out at a relatively mild 68 degrees Fahrenheit during this year鈥檚 race鈥攍ess than half the maximum temperatures during the summer months of January to March.

鈥淭he sun was something special, I felt like I was going to burst into flames,鈥� says Alex Roudnya, one of five solo runners who traced the same route four days before the relay teams departed. 鈥淚 was lying on the floor in any shade I could find. Emotionally and mentally it felt like I had aged a zillion years.鈥� Roudnya finished in fifth place after five days, 1 hour and 25 minutes of toil.

At night the temperature dropped to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike the LALV race, where teams drive RVs, the inhospitable terrain of the Atacama necessitated ex-mining trucks as the main mode of transport. For Darcy Budworth, 41, an eight-time TSPer and the race director of New York鈥檚 Take the Bridge series, not having a secure and comfortable place to sleep while her teammates were running proved difficult.

鈥淪ome people slept outside, but it was so fucking cold that I just could not do it,鈥� Budworth says of her team, Team No Names, led by LA-native Gordon Clark.

Meanwhile, the thin air at 11,000-feet led to unshakable cramps. With rest proving difficult, Budworth and her teammates decided to be extra loose with their relay segments, starting with three miles per runner before dropping down to a mile each for the majority of the race.

Border Crossings and Drug Trafficking

It wasn鈥檛 just the temperature and local wildlife that proved challenging. After sunset on the second night, solo runner Lucy Scholz decided to make the most of the no-fixed route rule and took a shortcut by the customs border at Quillagua, where Iquique Province meets Tocopilla Province.

She soon found herself caught among high cliffs. She could see the border crossing below, but getting down to it would mean backtracking for miles. She pushed on, finding a mining trail that led her down through a ravine where customs officials met her in a blaze of torchlights. Scholz had inadvertently stumbled onto a drug-trafficking route.

鈥淭here was a language barrier, and the customs officer was pretty mad,鈥� says Scholz, 34, from New Orleans . 鈥淚t was a total accident. We didn’t intend to skip customs.鈥�

Scholz and her two crew members, Claire and Caleb, managed to pull up The Speed Project鈥檚 Instagram page and eventually convinced the officer of what they were doing.

鈥淚 showed him my watch and he started laughing,鈥� says Scholz. 鈥淗e couldn鈥檛 believe I鈥檇 been running for 40-plus hours. It ended up being fine, but it was a scary moment. We thought we were going to go to jail.鈥�

Crisis averted, Scholz pushed on, finishing third place in the solo race, in 4 days, 9 hours, and 45 minutes.

The Speed Project: Never a Dull Moment

When it comes to The Speed Project, it is these moments that don鈥檛 quite go to plan that are exactly the point.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen the LALV race evolve over time and the shortcuts are some of the most exciting parts, so I鈥檓 excited to see the evolution of this race as teams get to know which routes are safe to take,鈥� says Budworth. 鈥淧art of competing in this first version [of Speed Project Atacama] is knowing that you鈥檙e a guinea pig.鈥�

Team No Names stopped the clock in 39 hours and 7 minutes, to finish in fourth place鈥攆ive hours behind the Belgrade Urban Running Team, which won in 34 hours and 55 minutes. In total, 12 teams crossed the finish line.

For others, the police patrols, running injuries, trucks barrelling past at over 80 miles per hour and encountering a fatal civilian motorcycle accident near Mar铆a Elena proved too much.

鈥淐ops pulled us over on the first highway,鈥� explains Dan Marrett, a 42-year-old Canadian runner with Team Escape. 鈥淚t was a good cop/bad cop situation, asking what we were doing on the highway.鈥� After being let go with a warning, Team Escape turned onto a rural road. But the cops pursued. Not wanting to get pulled over again, they decided to skip the segment entirely.

RELATED: Running the Nakasendo, an Ancient Postal Route Across the Japanese Alps

Later, they took a shortcut with the aim of cutting seven miles from the total distance. After a while they were stopped by mining security, who informed them that they were on private property and that the road was unsafe due to heavy machinery usage. Threatening to call the cops, security escorted them back to the highway.

Having now driven 12 miles of the route and learning that other runners were having similar trouble with border guards at the Quillagua, Marrett and team decided to not officially finish the race, driving the rest of the distance and symbolically running over the finish line. They were one of three teams to do so, along with the Brooklyn Track Club and Team ADHD.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a failure,鈥� Marrett says. 鈥淚t was just a different interpretation of the experience. But there is a feeling of unfinished business.鈥�

Beyond the Finish Line

Whatever happens on the trails, for many runners, the social side of TSP Atacama was the real prize.

鈥淚t felt like a giant family holiday,鈥� enthuses Marrett. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly challenging but that鈥檚 the beauty of it. This is one of a kind. I have no regrets.鈥�

鈥淭his version of TSP was particularly special,鈥� adds Beba Guzm谩n from Team 261, the only all-Mexican, all-women team. They finished in 46 hours and 41 minutes for tenth place. 鈥淭here were only a few teams, so everything was much more intimate,鈥� she There wasn鈥檛 a competitive feeling; everybody rooted for everybody.鈥�

For Esteban Morales Sing Long, a 33-year-old Santiago native and leader of second-place MAFFS (35 hours and 50 minutes), inviting the world鈥檚 best runners to Chile was something special.

鈥淚t’s a dream to have people from other countries come and run in the world’s driest desert and share the experience,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a magical place.鈥�

His former teammate Keith finished his solo run fourth in four days, 17 hours and 51 minutes after a final 24-hour push with little to no sleep.

鈥淚 was completely out of it,鈥� Keith says. 鈥淚 have never been even close to feeling like that in any other race.鈥�

As the pain faded and exhausted minds recovered, the runners recalled the beauty in those lonely moments running: sand reflecting the pink light of sunsets, salt flats that resemble snow, Martian-esque rock formations, a Milky Way threaded with stars, the pure silence of being alone among it all.

鈥淣ow, I just feel extremely happy to have helped make this project happen, and to have helped others enjoy this place,鈥� says Keith.

Arend is currently planning the future of the series. For him, the most important aspect is delivering on the trust shared with him by the TSP community.

鈥淭his will not be the last race outside of the U.S.,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be uncomfortable and to keep pushing forward, toward the unknown.鈥�

鈥淲here Nils goes, I鈥檒l follow,鈥� adds Clark, who has completed four TSPs as a runner and crewed two more. 鈥淗e knows how to bring us all together, those who are eager for life experiences over accolades. I鈥檝e made lifelong friends through this. We鈥檙e trauma-bonded. And we鈥檒l do it again next year. It鈥檚 always better next year.鈥�

The post A Race Across the Driest Place on Earth appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I live just south of Fairbanks in a little town called Salcha. My parents have been mushers my whole life, but my听dog team is super young. This will be our rookie year in the Iditarod.

On February 3rd, we went out for a normal training run, on a trail we鈥檝e been on all winter, and encountered a very large moose. He was a long ways away. We would go for five minutes and I would see him on the trail, and then he would go away, and then I鈥檇 see him again. One time I came around a corner and he was at 150 yards. I thought, Man, he鈥檚 a little closer than I like.听

I got my gun and walked to the front of my team. The moose looked at me, and we looked at him. He wasn鈥檛 angry or agitated at that point. He actually walked off around the corner. But he wasn鈥檛 gone for 30 seconds before he came back, charging me and the team at full speed. He had his head down and his eyes directly on us.听听

I had to steady myself because I had a very small gun, a 380 handgun. It was more of a deterrent, not something to stop a charging animal. Rifles are too big to go in a sled, and mushers don鈥檛 typically carry weapons to kill animals, because that鈥檚 never our intention. Usually you can deter them, or use a flare gun, but very rarely are people carrying ammunition that can put an animal down. So when he was charging at me, I knew I was not going to stop him. But hopefully I could deter him.

I told myself, Breathe. I blew out. I took my gloves off. I waited until I knew he was close enough. I was trying to shoot him in the chest, but since he was running so fast, I actually hit him in the face. I got a few shots off and then my gun jammed.

It probably saved my life that the gun jammed, because at that point he was right in front of me鈥�one stride in front of me. If the gun had worked, I would have stayed and shot and probably been trampled, but instead, I turned and ran. I could hear him directly behind me. I thought he was going to come over the top of me, but he got tangled in my dog team.

I had a snow machine behind me with a dog team on it鈥攎y friend and handler Jennifer Nelson was driving鈥攁nd I retreated to the side of the snow machine and tried to unjam my gun. I told Jennifer, 鈥�Just watch the moose, watch the moose. Don鈥檛 take your eyes off him!” Because I had to look down, and the last thing you want is to look down and not see what鈥檚 coming at you. So she was watching, and I was trying to get the gun unjammed, and I cut my hand. I was bleeding everywhere. At that point the moose, my dog team, myself, and the snowmachine were all within an eight-foot span.听

I got the gun unjammed, and fired the rest of my bullets, and he never moved. Then he charged right at me and stopped again at the skis of the snow machine. I thought, We have no plan B. I鈥檓 out of bullets.

I had a big knife on my side, and I pulled it out.听I thought, If he comes over me I鈥檓 gonna stab him in the neck, or anywhere I can get, but it鈥檚 probably not going to do it. He鈥檚 going to trample us.

I told Jennifer, 鈥�Don鈥檛 get off the trail鈥攊f you get off the trail he鈥檚 going to听get on top of you, and you鈥檙e gonna sink.鈥� The moose was looking at us, and every time we tried to move, or do anything, he would get angrier and charge at us. I unzipped my jacket quietly and pulled out my Garmin. I had one hand on my SOS button and the knife in my other hand.听

I still had six dogs attached to the snow machine, and I knew if I didn鈥檛 get them loose, he would kill them. So I crouched down and crawled slyly toward the moose. Then I cut the gangline in half, right at the snowmachine, and the dogs took off together in the opposite direction.

After being cut loose, the dogs left and came back, again and again. They kept coming back; it was incredible. So then we had dogs running around. My main lead dog from that team鈥攈er name is Razz鈥攏ever left my side.听Every time I moved, she was there, looking up at me, like 鈥淲hat is going on?鈥� Most people wouldn鈥檛 understand how emotional it was, just to see that. She never left me.

We started learning about the moose. He would get this look in his eye, and tilt his head. He was tilting his head so he could turn his eyeballs down and see the dogs. And every time he did that, he would attack them. He retreated away from us and went back to the team that was attached to my sled. And then he stood over them for the next 40 minutes. And just鈥� over and over鈥�

Sled dogs want to kill moose. They鈥檙e crazy when they see them. When the moose first came at us, the dogs were in attack mode. By the end they were huddled down and none of them were moving. They kept looking at me, and I told them 鈥淒on鈥檛 move. You鈥檙e okay. I鈥檓 right here.鈥� If any of them would whine or cry or bark the moose would trample them. To see another animal being hurt like that, and you can do nothing鈥攊t was gut wrenching. I screamed, 鈥淛UST STOP! NO!鈥� with all my being. And it didn鈥檛 matter. It just didn鈥檛 matter.

My sled had flipped on its side, and the moose鈥檚 feet kept getting tangled in my sled bag and stanchions. That helped save the dogs, because a lot of his blows were deflected. He would trip, then get up and stand over them and huff at them again. It just went on and on and on. I thought, This is not survivable.

There was literally nothing I could do. I didn鈥檛 even have my axe, which was in my sled. Some people ask why I didn’t run him over with my snow machine. And I鈥檓 like, have you seen a moose? This was a full grown bull moose. If I ran into him, he could fall on top and kill me too.

I had one bar of cell phone service, and I was able to text a guy named Chris who lives down the river, whose house we normally turn around at. I told him 鈥淗elp, help, moose is killing us. I need a gun. Come help please.鈥� And I sent out mass texts to everybody in our area. Jennifer called the troopers on her phone and told them, 鈥淲e got this moose, he鈥檚 killing us.鈥澨�

Chris arrived on a snowmachine. When he came around the corner, he saw a moose and a dog team and our snowmachine and all the loose dogs that were running back and forth. And then the troopers arrived, and they said, “Shoot! You have permission! Shoot!” But we were in Chris’s line of fire, because he鈥檇 come from the other direction. So we took off running down the trail, and we jumped over a berm, and I hit the ground and lay on my belly and covered my head. Razz ran with me and she lay down at my side. The moose trampled one more time before Chris shot him and dropped him dead, right at the dogs.

Then I had the worst feeling in the world. Now that the horror was over, what was I about to see?

I ran back to the dogs. They were all huddled, lying down, and some of them had their eyes closed. I thought: Oh my god, they鈥檙e dead. I picked their heads up one at a time, thinking, Open your eyes. Look at me. And they all opened their eyes.

Then I got my knife and started cutting everyone loose, because they were tangled. There was blood everywhere. I was bleeding, they were bleeding, there was blood from the moose鈥攊t was everywhere.听

I鈥檓 an ER nurse, and my professional training kicked in. It was like a mass casualty training, like we do with humans. One dog, Bill, had a broken leg. So I got my parka and wrapped him up and put him in my torn-up sled bag so he couldn鈥檛 move. I was like, “We can鈥檛 deal with him. He鈥檚 alive; we have to move on. There鈥檚 other dogs we have to figure out.”

Once I figured out who was bad and who was okay, I began to wonder how we would get them out. All of the dogs had survived, but now I鈥檇 cut every line we had. So I started tying everything back together again. My dad taught me survival skills my whole life, and that knowledge is legit when you need it in the moment: being able to tie all that stuff together so it holds.

I had six dogs who were ready to run, who hadn鈥檛 been trampled on. They were going berserk, ready to roll. Then there were ten dogs that were like, What just happened? And my sled wasn鈥檛 drivable. The moose broke my handlebar, my stanchions, and my brake. So I had to put all the dogs on the snow machine and tie them all together.听

Chris drove me and two of the sickest dogs, and I had Jennifer start running the other ones back. At that point, people had started coming out on the trail to help us. They had pull-behind sleds and dog kennels, and they were able to start hauling dogs out for me. But now there were only fifteen dogs. We were missing somebody.

I figured out who was missing, and it was my sickest dog, who had a head injury. He’d gotten hit in the face and he was really hurt. I asked myself: Do I stay here and look for one dog, or do I try to save fifteen? It was a day of impossible choices.

I said, “We have to go.” I knew one dog had internal injuries and might bleed to death. We didn鈥檛 even go home; we went to the closest road. My husband came with the truck. We had just loaded up all the dogs that had gotten back, and then a guy on a snowmachine showed up with the missing dog in his lap. We had them all!

Then we got to the vet, and we had the most amazing trauma team care I鈥檝e ever seen in my life. They had a vet and a vet tech and ancillary staff for every dog. There were meds already drawn up. I can鈥檛 even describe it鈥擨鈥檝e never seen anything like that. So the dogs were in surgery very quickly.听

The next 48 hours were hard, because there were dogs in and out of surgery. My dog who had the head injury had as bad of a time as a dog can have without being put down. But he鈥檚 done amazingly well. We鈥檝e done everything we can do, and he鈥檚 making small improvements every day.

We鈥檝e learned that during the week of the attack, there were five moose who were killed by wolves within a five-mile radius of our location. There鈥檚 no doubt in my mind that this moose had already been hunted, and he thought the dogs were a pack of wolves hunting him. It鈥檚 really terrible; you feel terrible. Killing an animal, that鈥檚 not what mushing is about. It鈥檚 not what we do.

Now, people ask me, “Will you carry a bigger gun?” Well, of course I have a bigger gun! I鈥檓 not going to let it happen again. But it鈥檚 not about the gun. As mushers, we鈥檙e not out there to kill these animals. At least the meat from this moose went to people, families, who were in need. That鈥檚 the only good out of it.

I won鈥檛 lie: going out again has been terrible. I鈥檝e never had any type of traumatic experience like that, and you don鈥檛 know what the triggers will be. You just have to make small obstacles and hurdles, and you overcome them every time. Moose tracks鈥攖hat was the first thing that was really hard for me to see. The last time I lost it, it was over bunny tracks. I thought they were moose tracks, but they were just bunny tracks. You don鈥檛 know what’s going to make you start hyperventilating.听

We knew we were going to have to pass the moose kill site again. That wasn鈥檛 easy. But the dogs seemed completely unfazed. They kind of sniffed, a couple of them, but they never broke stride. Me, on the other hand, I thought I was going to vomit. But we got by it. And we鈥檝e seen moose on the trail since then, like we do all the time. One just sat there and looked at us and didn鈥檛 bother us, but still, the amount of anxiety that causes… I鈥檝e never been afraid out there, ever. And now I鈥檓 terrified. But so far, I鈥檝e been able to overcome each serious anxiety-causing event.

We鈥檝e been doing super easy runs, just out and back, keeping things fun and happy. The dogs want to go. I want us to finish Iditarod and be happy out there. I want to remember that this is fun, and we do this because we choose to. I want to turn around and look at Rainy Pass after we go through it. I want to look at the northern lights. I want to see the coast. We have to enjoy these moments. As long as the dogs want to go, I鈥檒l take them.听

The post A Moose Trampled My Sled Dogs Just Weeks Before the Iditarod appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

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Endurance cyclist has set the fastest known time (FKT) when crossing Iceland in fewer than 24 hours on his bike.

On Saturday, September 11, the 28-year-old who is based in Durango, Colorado set out from Akureyri, a city on Iceland鈥檚 northern coast, and arrived in V铆k, the country鈥檚 southernmost coastal town in 19 hours and 45 minutes. The journey was rugged, remote, and made challenging by turbulent weather.

The north-to-south speed crossing was the brainchild of McElveen and adventure athlete and photographer Chris Burkard. McElveen said that while a fast ride was part of the goal, moreso was his desire to pedal into a personal challenge and to become intimate with the country he was traveling through.

鈥淭he competitor in me will always enjoy racing to throw down a fast time, but this project was less about an FKT effort and more about just seeing if it was possible to ride across the whole country in less than a day,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ver since the success of the White Rim FKT in 2019, I鈥檝e been thinking about other geographically focused routes to do a big effort on. To me, those are the challenges that inspire me most these days. Start at one landmark and ride as fast as you can until you literally run out of road or trail. In this case that was hitting the ocean on the southside of the country.鈥�

McElveen鈥檚 ride took him on a 257-mile trek through Iceland鈥檚 highlands, a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the country鈥檚 interior. His route through the mostly uninhabited and sparsely vegetated volcanic desert utilized 鈥淔鈥� roads, rugged, minimally maintained doubletrack suitable only for high clearance overland vehicles. About 139 miles of the total 257-mile route was unpaved. With no refuel points along the route, McElveen started with over 7,000 calories of food to fuel the journey.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CT7K4jwlcX6/

McElveen鈥檚 accomplishment represents both a physical feat and something more akin to an expedition.

鈥淢ore than just an athletic achievement, Payson鈥檚 ride pays homage to thousands of years of overland travel through this wild country and in many ways is impossible to truly describe to anyone who hasn鈥檛 sunk their tires deep into it鈥檚 remote and endless gravel roads,鈥� Burkard said. 鈥淗aving personally ridden through it, around and across it, slogging thousands of miles of Icelandic gravel 鈥� I know a thing or two about Iceland鈥檚 terrain by bike, and this achievement can only be compared to a near-mythical achievement. Fitting for Iceland, to say the least.鈥�

The weather on the day was characteristically unsettled 鈥� McElveen rode into a headwind for much of the day, sloshed through over seven hours of rain, and dealt with temperatures as low as 31潞F (-1C掳). He cautioned future riders of the route to take timing into consideration.

鈥淚t鈥檚 funny how our 鈥榳eather window鈥� would qualify as the worst riding weather you鈥檇 probably have all year elsewhere,鈥� McElveen said. 鈥淚celand鈥檚 weather is some of the most dynamic in the world, especially in September. I would strongly recommend riding in the warmer, dryer months of the summer, and take more clothing and food than you think you need.鈥�

鈥淚celand is the most beautiful country I have ever been to, but with volcanoes, glaciers, desert, and weather that will make you feel extremely small and vulnerable. After this ride, I have a full appreciation for giving this wild country the respect and admiration it deserves.鈥�

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This article was first published by .

Six former Rampage winners and two rookies are among the 15 athletes invited to this year鈥檚 Red Bull Rampage event, the premier big-mountain freeride competition in mountain biking. The world鈥檚 best riders will descend on a brand-new venue in southwestern Utah in celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the competition. The event is scheduled for October 15, and tickets will go on sale to public on Friday, August 20 at 9 A.M. PT/12 P.M. ET at.

鈥淎fter a short hiatus, it鈥檚 exciting to see Red Bull Rampage return this year, especially since it鈥檚 the 20-year anniversary,鈥� said defending Red Bull Rampage champion Brandon Semenuk. 鈥淲hile we missed the 2020 event, I know myself and the rest of the riders are looking forward to getting back out to Utah. A new venue means open doors for creativity, but also a big build to have our lines ready for finals. Looking forward to getting the shovels in the dirt.鈥嬧�嬧��

The top ten riders from the 2019 competition were automatically pre-qualified into this year鈥檚 event, while the other five wildcards and five alternates were selected by a committee of former Rampage competitors, pro athletes, judges, and industry experts based on competition results and video submissions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous honor to be invited to Red Bull Rampage for the first time,鈥� said Jaxson Riddle. 鈥淚鈥檓 ready to compete on the biggest stage in the sport. I grew up just miles down the road watching this contest so to be among my idols and compete alongside them is going to be such a huge accomplishment.鈥�

All invited athletes must confirm their attendance by September 27, at which point anyone who drops out or is unable to attend would be replaced by an event alternate and the competition roster will be set.

2021 Red Bull Rampage Invited Athletes

Pre-Qualified Athletes:

• Brendan Fairclough GBR
• Szymon Godziek POL
• Tyler McCaul USA
• Ethan Nell USA
• Brett Rheeder CAN
• Brandon Semenuk CAN
• Carson Storch USA
• Kyle Strait USA
• Vincent Tupin FRA
• Tom Van Steenbergen CAN

Wildcard Invites:

• Andreu Lacondeguy听 ES-CT
• Jaxson Riddle听 USA
• Kurt Sorge听 CAN
• Brage Vestavik听 NOR
• Cam Zink听 USA

Alternates:

• Thomas Genon听 BEL
• Emil Johansson听 SWE
• Reed Boggs听 USA
• DJ Brandt听 USA
• Antoine Bizet听 FRA

The inaugural Red Bull Rampage was held in 2001, and since then, 14 different events and nine different winners have earmarked their place in the history books. For the 20th anniversary, Rampage will look back at some of the best moments and stories from over the years, as well as highlight the progression, tricks, and technology that have shaped the contest throughout the years.

The competition format will remain the same, with an elite group of riders carving their ultimate lines into the side of near-vertical sandstone ridges with the help of their two-person build crews. In advance of the competition, riders and their support crew will spend four days building their lines, followed by a rest day, and then four practice days. All the preparation will end in an epic showdown in the desert, where only one will ride away as the champion of the 2021 Red Bull Rampage.

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There鈥檚 never been a greater time to see the wonders of the great outdoors from the comfort of your own home. Ever since the meteoric rise of reality television in the late 1990s, couch potatoes around the world have been obsessed with seeing the lives and behaviors of people who were just like them, rather than the Hollywood stars who occupied scripted series.

The stories we鈥檝e seen across decades of reality television have shown the triumph of the human spirit against some of the most arduous circumstances. And nowhere is that more apparent than in outdoor reality shows, which pit humans against nature to see if they have what it takes to survive. We鈥檝e picked ten of the greatest outdoor reality shows over the years, taking us from the blistering tropics to the freezing tundra and everywhere in between.

鈥楽urvivor鈥� (2000鈥揚resent)

Of course we have to start with one of the biggest shows in modern reality television: . The series takes a group of strangers from different walks of life and strands them in the wilderness with only the clothes on their backs and some meager supplies. Their goal: build a functioning society, eliminating their fellow contestants along the way. When the show debuted in 2000, millions of viewers were hooked by the participants鈥� strong personalities and their battling of the elements. Over its 40-plus seasons, with a new one premiering this fall, the CBS juggernaut has shown contestants doing everything from eating rats for nutrition to facing off with lions in the middle of Kenya.

Watch it on CBS or stream it on or .

鈥楨co-Challenge鈥� (1995鈥�2002, 2019)

Before 眉ber-producer Mark Burnett became famous for Survivor, he created Eco-Challenge. The documentary series, considered a forerunner of modern reality television, took teams of four or five adventurous people and gave them a not-so-simple goal: traverse a 300-mile course by hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and even scuba diving. The groups raced 24 hours a day to reach the end first. Eco-Challenge popularized the sport of adventure racing and even garnered a revival season that ran in 2020 on .

Watch the latest season on .

鈥楢lone鈥� (2015鈥揚resent)

If you were left in the wilderness by yourself, with few supplies, as temperatures began to drop, how long do you think you would survive? It鈥檚 a question that鈥檚 been answered for dozens of people on the History Channel series . The series has a simple concept: get dropped off in the middle of nowhere and see if you can stick it out. Most seasons last as long as contestants can bear it before 鈥渢apping out鈥� along the way due to injury or mental fatigue. With some journeys lasting as long as 100 days, Alone shows how the real danger may not be what鈥檚 out there, but what鈥檚 in your head.

Watch it on the or .

鈥楴aked and Afraid鈥� (2013鈥揚resent)

It鈥檚 definitely the most ridiculous concept on this list. Two strangers are tasked with staying alive in the wilderness for 21 days. Oh, and they have no clothes on. Now in its 12th season, the skin-showing survival series has sent its contestants all around the world for this unique three-week experiment. While the conceit of the series sounds like a parody, is alarmingly serious. If you can look past the blurs, you鈥檒l see not only a test of survival skills but also partnership and camaraderie between two complete strangers.

Watch it on the or stream it on Discovery+.

鈥楢laska: The Last Frontier鈥� (2011鈥揚resent)

All the previous shows on this list pit people against the elements in pursuit of an ultimate prize. But there are many noncompetitive series, like , that are just as compelling. The Discovery Channel show depicts the lives of the Kilcher family as they try to build a life off the grid without the use of any modern amenities. Now going ten years strong, the series is equal parts survival show and family drama, as the clan consistently works against the clock to prepare themselves for what is always a long and harsh winter.

Watch it on the or stream it on Discovery+.

鈥楳an, Woman, Wild鈥� (2010鈥�2012)

Something as simple as building Ikea furniture can be stressful enough to tear apart even the strongest relationships. Now imagine doing that with your life on the line. That鈥檚 the concept of , in which former U.S. Army Special Forces survival expert Mykel Hawke and his television journalist wife, Ruth England, are dropped off in inhospitable settings, such as the caves of Croatia or the Amazon rainforest. In each episode, Mykel teaches his wife鈥攁nd the audience by proxy鈥攕everal survival techniques, as the pair attempt to last half a week in the wilderness. The interpersonal dynamics heighten the stakes, showing how tense a situation can get even when you鈥檙e alongside your best friend.

Stream it on .

鈥楧ual Survival鈥� (2010鈥�2016)

is another show that鈥檚 compelling for both the survival tips and the dynamic between the hosts. In this case, it鈥檚 naturalist Cody Lundin and military survival expert Dave Canterbury. The guys get stranded in various scenarios and have to survive with minimal gear. The fun comes from the two鈥檚 interactions and how their survival methods contrast, with Canterbury鈥檚 by-the-book nature bristling against Lundin鈥檚 free spirit. Even after the original two hosts had moved on, Dual Survival brought in eight others during its run, a sign of a true winning formula.

Watch it on the or stream it on Discovery+.

鈥楲ife Below Zero鈥� (2013鈥揚resent)

Like Alaska: The Last Frontier, this series takes place in remote areas of the 49th state. But instead of focusing on one group, National Geographic鈥檚 takes a look at various people across Alaska who are attempting to live off the land. The series is most successful because of its characters; though they all share the same goal鈥攖o survive off the grid by any means possible鈥攖hey are all strikingly different people. From the Hailstone family of nine to Jessie Holmes, who lives with his 40 sled dogs, each person鈥檚 backstory is gripping.

Watch it on or stream it on .

鈥楽urvivorman鈥� (2005鈥�2016)

We finish with some survivalist show stars who have become household names. In this case, it鈥檚 the titular 鈥渟urvivorman,鈥� Canadian filmmaker and survival expert Les Stroud. In every episode, he goes to a remote location for upwards of a week, equipped with minimal supplies. He鈥檚 then left to himself, filming his own experience as a one-man camera crew. The series put a less polished, more intimate style of outdoor reality show on the map. became such a game changer for the genre that it was even parodied on an episode of The Office.

Watch it on .

鈥楻unning Wild with Bear Grylls鈥� (2014鈥揚resent)

No list of outdoor reality shows is complete without mentioning Bear Grylls. The British adventurer made a name for himself in his long-running Man vs. Wild. But his most entertaining outing comes with , which partners him up with celebrities. In each episode, Grylls and a famous guest traverse the wilderness, and the stars are in for a shock as soon as they step out of Hollywood. From sports stars (Drew Brees, Deion Sanders) to actors (Kate Winslet, Julia Roberts, Terry Crews) to former presidents (Barack Obama), Running Wild shows how much the great outdoors can appeal to all of us鈥攊t鈥檚 why the outdoor reality show genre has been going strong for 25 years and counting.

Watch it on or stream it on .

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Endurance athlete has experienced some of the toughest听events in the adventure world鈥攂ut perhaps none as challenging as becoming a mother. Filmed by and presented by听,听With Spirit听features Magness as she processes听the loss of听one twin during childbirth. She later decides to听compete听in the Patagonian Expedition Race in Chile, where she pushes herself in an attempt听to beat the environment, the competition, and her grief.

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The Wainibokasi River flows languidly past tropical trees and taro fields for about seven miles across Viti Levu, the largest of 贵颈箩颈鈥檚 300-plus islands, before it eases into the Pacific not far from the capital, Suva. On a muggy September morning, I鈥檝e traveled here to watch 264听adventure racers from 30 countries gather near its banks. Overhead, a twin-engine BK 117 helicopter circles and then crabs in low. Bear Grylls, the survivalist and adventure-television icon, leaps out the door and into the sand.

Grylls, 46, carrying a daypack with a big knife strapped to the side, storms up onto a small wooden outdoor stage erected near the river. The racers gather round.

鈥淵ou ready?鈥� Grylls prods them, and the crowd explodes with glee.

Behind Grylls stretches a giant map that shows a cruelly twisted red line traveling across Viti Levu, with loops to outlying islands. It summarizes the suffering in store: the 417-mile-long course of the reborn Eco-Challenge, a race that鈥檚 making its return to television in a ten-episode Amazon Prime series,听,听that premiers on August 14. Each team includes five people鈥攆our racers and a support person鈥攁nd those that make it to the finish will climb 30,000 vertical feet over as many as 11 days. And that鈥檚 if they don鈥檛 really sleep. The winning team will take home a $100,000 cash prize.

Grylls gives the field some racing tips鈥攔espect the wild, embrace the hurt, never leave a team member behind鈥攂efore leading them down to the river, where traditional camakau outrigger canoes wait tethered to the shore. The plan is to paddle downriver and out to the Pacific, where racers will hoist a small sail for a 20-mile open-water push out to the island of Ovalau, which they must then hike around. From there, they鈥檒l sail back toward Viti Levu,听freedive to collect a medallion hidden near a coral reef, then swap the canoes for paddleboards to push into Viti Levu鈥檚 interior. Finally, a grueling 35-mile mountain-bike ride takes them to camp one, which they must reach in three days or be disqualified. That鈥檚 leg one. There are five of these legs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to punch them all in the face,鈥� Grylls told me earlier, when I asked him what he thought of the course. 鈥淚 guarantee not all of them will finish. It鈥檚 possible none of them will.鈥�

After some last-minute futzing, the racers hop into the tippy camakaus and await the signal to begin. A nervous energy crackles in the humidity. A drone buzzes overhead. Lisa Hennessy, an executive producer, approaches Grylls. 鈥淭ime to rock and roll,鈥� she says.

鈥淥K!鈥� Grylls shouts. 鈥淔ive! Four! Three! Two! One! Go!鈥�

Airy, mournful notes sound from conch shells being blown, and the river erupts into action. Paddlers dig their blades furiously into the green water. One boat flips, then another. A pileup ensues. With the water听a complete cluster, Grylls faces a camera and beams: 鈥淭he world鈥檚 toughest race is underway!鈥�

If this sounds like a jacked-up version of a reality show you caught decades ago on cable, that鈥檚 because it is. Between 1995 and 2002, Discovery Channel, ESPN, MTV, and USA Network broadcast Eco-Challenge: The Expedition Race, which had teams sprinting across extraordinary听locales, from British Columbia to Borneo to Morocco. Created by former British army paratrooper Mark Burnett, it was the marquee event for the then blossoming adventure-racing scene and a foundational moment for modern reality television. Burnett, who is 60 and now chairman of MGM Worldwide Television, would go on to become the indisputable king of unscripted TV, creating Survivor, The Apprentice, and Shark Tank, among other shows.

For many viewers, Eco-Challenge听was their first glimpse into听the growing world of adventure racing, which saw a surge in interest during the late 1990s and early 2000s as weekend warriors yearned to use their outdoor toys to traverse exotic landscapes with friends. 鈥�Eco-Challenge was the show that put the sport on the map,鈥� says Jason Magness, the navigator for Team Bend Racing, an elite squad听competing here in Fiji.

But then, in 2002, after eight editions, the Eco-Challenge went away. 鈥淓verything has a season,鈥� Burnett shrugs after I spot him observing the race start from under a large party tent and ask him why. But he says he always wanted to revive the brand, and now he has, nearly two decades since the last Eco-Challenge aired (that contest was also in Fiji). In the Netflix era, when so many streaming services are hungry for content, it鈥檚 no surprise that Burnett had an easy time finding a buyer. 鈥淚 knew word would leak about what we were doing,鈥� he听says. 鈥淥nce it did, distributors started calling.鈥�

What sets World鈥檚 Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji听apart from the earlier editions is the supersized scope of the endeavor. The course is bigger and much more demanding. The event and its broadcast budget听are听enormous; nobody will share numbers, but Burnett hints that it ranks somewhere between the Tour de France and , the legendary international off-road race. Amazon alone gave each of the 66 teams $50,000 to buy gear and get to Fiji (the two Fijian teams used their money to fly to California, where they raided multiple REIs and bike shops for socks, hydration packs, and proper mountain bikes). Then there鈥檚 Grylls, who brings star power as an executive producer and a high-octane host. He comforts exhausted racers in one scene and does a backflip out of a helicopter in the next.

But the biggest change of all is the technology behind the show. Each team carries a tracker for safety that also allows Grylls to pop into a race command post to see where everyone is at any given moment. GoPros, drones, and helicopters fitted with gyro-stabilized ultra-high-definition cameras capture the suffering up close. All told, the series will be the distillation of about a million gigabytes of footage. The production crew required is massive鈥攁bout 700 people鈥攁nd it includes indefatigable pros like lensmen Christian Pondella and Corey Rich. The ocean-safety coordinator, Colin Philp, built a boat and sailed it from Fiji to California with no navigational equipment, then sailed it back. Six of the camera operators have summited听Mount Everest.

Having watched early screeners of the first three episodes, I can tell you this: Eco-Challenge is听fun, it鈥檚 gritty, and it makes the Ironman Triathlon look like golf. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the toughest, longest, most extreme, baddest adventure race in human history. Period. Nothing else even comes close,鈥� Grylls tells me. 鈥淲e want to show people how incredible our world is, how beautiful, how extreme. For me, this isn鈥檛 about the winners. It鈥檚 about those who finish against all the odds. Those stories will make you cry.鈥�

That鈥檚 reality TV in a nutshell, of course, but Grylls isn鈥檛 lying. The series鈥� hyperemotional narratives are there to manipulate your sense of belonging鈥攖o a family, to a cause, to a badass group of unstoppable humans. There鈥檚 the tale of Travis Macy, an ultracompetitive runner who forgoes a shot at the听podium听to race, slowly, with his lovable father, , an old-school Eco-Challenge legend who now has early-onset Alzheimer鈥檚. There are wounded veterans who鈥檒l break your heart, and a team of sexagenarians who grapple with the ravages of their years. Then there鈥檚 Coree Aussem-Woltering of Team Onyx, an all-Black team, who packed a different Speedo to wear for each day of the race.

鈥淲hat would not make someone smile other than some random Black dude running around in the woods in a Speedo?鈥� asks Aussem-Woltering听in the first episode.

The big question is whether viewers will binge-watch a series about a niche sport that had its heyday alongside Rollerblading. With millions of people stuck close to听home waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic, the scenery of Fiji will certainly help. And according to media-tracking agency TV[R]EV, viewers have been watching more reality TV since the lockdowns began in March. Then there鈥檚 the fact that sports fans are so hungry for entertainment. With pro ball听teams competing in truncated seasons inside empty stadiums, an all-out coed race in the jungle offers an alluring alternative.

In Fiji, I鈥檓 only allowed to observe the first few days of the race, during which time Amazon handlers whisk me to various checkpoints around Viti Levu, which I accidentally keep calling 鈥渢he set,鈥� making them cringe. Nothing is staged, they insist (OK, maybe that knife Grylls was packing). There are some hiccups. One of the camakaus breaks before the event听even starts. A team gets pinned in a flooding canyon. The biggest surprise for me was learning that the racers must ride in vehicles for a portion of the route, for what my handler called听鈥渓ogistical reasons.鈥澨�(I later learn this isn鈥檛 new鈥攊n the past, such breaks have provided opportunities for, say, a truck sponsorship.)

It鈥檚 anyone鈥檚 guess whether any of this will be enough to spur another race once it鈥檚 safe to stage a mass-participant competition again. But for now, at least, an amped-up remake of an event that lets us vicariously escape into the wild? Pass the popcorn.

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From the parking lot, it looked like a normal morning at Black Mountain. The small New Hampshire ski area was blanketed in sunlight, and guests meandered toward the green, chalet-style lodge, as if the thermometer didn鈥檛 read zero听degrees Fahrenheit.

But just out of sight, on the far side of the lodge, a group of 61 people stood with their tips pointed uphill. And a tall man in a red North Face expedition suit was pointing a megaphone straight at them.听

鈥淭he whole idea of this event is to push yourself,鈥� Andrew Drummond boomed,听as his Australian shepherd wiggled through the crowd. 鈥淚 think a lot of you will be surprising yourselves today, because this format is meant to really tap into that next level of what鈥檚 possible through pacing. Be responsible, have fun, and thank you for coming to this crazy event.鈥�

This crazy event is called Last Skier Standing, and this is how it works: participants have 60 minutes to ascend and descend Black Mountain, which is roughly a thousand听vertical feet. When those 60 minutes are over, they line up at the start and do it all over again, then again, and听again, until they can鈥檛 do it anymore. One lap per hour, and the last skier standing wins. Everyone else takes a DNF.

While innovative, the concept behind Last Skier Standing was not born at Black Mountain. It was born through ultrarunning, specifically at a race known as Big鈥檚 Backyard in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. At that听race, runners complete a 4.166667-mile trail听once per hour, meaning anyone who makes it 24 hours runs 100 miles. The current record is 68 laps, or听283.335 miles. And ever since that race began, in 2012, its format has been replicated around the world many times over but never on snow鈥攗ntil Last Skier Standing was held on February 15.听

The organizer with the megaphone, Drummond, is听a legend on the East Coast,听well known听for crushing ultramarathons and ski touring on Mount Washington. But perhaps even better known is his brand, , which sells outdoor equipment and hosts weekly ski-mountaineering and running races. Last听July, Drummond held a Big鈥檚 Backyard look-alike contest on his parents鈥� 350-acre property. The race was fairly informal and drew a small crowd, but the feedback was consistently positive:听every lap was a blast.

鈥淥ne of the guys came to me and asked if I鈥檇 thought about doing this for skiing,鈥� said Drummond. 鈥淚 said no鈥攊t seemed totally absurd to me. I didn鈥檛 think anyone would ever want to do that. But I didn鈥檛 dismiss it completely and brought it up with a couple of other friends. They said we should absolutely do it, so we got to work and started planning this thing.鈥�

At the count of ten, the herd of 61 began moving up Black Mountain. Entrants听ranged in age from 18 to 65. Some squeezed into tight skimo race suits. Others wore insulated jackets and heavy backpacks. Their backgrounds and strategies differed greatly, but everyone seemed to share听the same loose-screw mentality. After听the first three laps鈥攖he first three hours and 3,000 vertical feet鈥攁ll 61 racers on Black Mountain remained standing.听

Among the group was Adam Jaber, a 25-year-old skier from West Springfield, Massachusetts, known best within the outdoor industry for his Q-and-A-style podcast,听.听

鈥淚鈥檓 just going to keep it at a conversational pace, literally,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I can鈥檛 keep talking people鈥檚 ears off on the way up, I鈥檒l know I鈥檓 in trouble.鈥�

By the tenth lap鈥攖en hours and 10,000 vertical feet into the event鈥�43 competitors remained. But it was 8 P.M. and cold. Moods seemed a little less happy and a lot more skeptical. And by the 14th听lap, the field had been whittled down to 21.

One of them was听Rick Chalmers, a 58-year-old carpenter from South Portland, Maine. Chalmers had gray hair escaping from his helmet and heavy gear strapped to his feet. On the first handful of laps, he finished dead last and it seemed that, perhaps, the second-oldest man on the hill听would be calling it quits. But it was all part of his strategy.听

鈥淚鈥檓 here to finish. I鈥檝e got notes and everything,鈥� he said matter-of-factly, as he ascended into the night. His notes read:

• Lap 1: 10 a.m. Patience and focus.
• Lap 3: 1 p.m. Remain calm.
• Lap 4: 2 p.m. Eat 3 oysters.
• Lap 6: 4 p.m. Headlamp and CSD skins for night laps.
• Lap 9: 7 p.m. Stromboli.
• Lap 13: 11 p.m. Eat 3 oysters.
• Lap 16: 2 a.m. These next 3 laps will be very difficult.

As the night came and went, the field continued to thin. And by the time the sun rose鈥�21 hours and 21,000 vertical feet on鈥攋ust eight men remained. Day skiers听began arriving at the听lodge again.听

Often leading the pack from the beginning of the race was a 31-year-old chiropractor from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.听Kanoa King听is an avid ultrarunner with results under his belt to show for it. A month before Last Skier Standing, he set a PR听at the Houston Marathon with a time of 2:40:08.听

鈥淵ou鈥檙e at 24 laps, and it dawns on you that if you do five more, you鈥檙e hitting the elevation of Everest at 29,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking to myself, that鈥檚 only five more hours. I already did 24 of these, I could do five more.鈥�

So King did do five more. And so did Chalmers, while the rest of the racers faded away. All of the sudden, the event was no longer about how long these skiers would go听but instead when the hell they鈥檇 stop.听

On the 33rd lap, King bowed out. And that meant Chalmers had one last thing to do: one more lap, all by himself, to truly become the Last Skier Standing.

鈥淚 had my final oysters on the 30th听hour. I didn鈥檛 have any more oysters had it gone to 35 hours,鈥澨齭aid Chalmers, speaking to his oysters-every-five-hours strategy. (Unshucked oysters听because they鈥檙e delicious and salty. And every five hours听so he always had something to look forward to.)听鈥淚 was very cold,听very wet. I was a mess. I could barely function. All I could do was take skins off, put skins on, ski up, ski down, and eat a little.鈥�

All alone, Chalmers crossed the finish line at 7:40 P.M., after 34 hours, 34,000 vertical feet, and not a single wink of sleep. At the base, he was welcomed with open arms by his competitors, the volunteers, and the spectators. And while Last Skier Standing certainly has a nice ring to it, the nickname听Oyster Rick听seemed a lot more fitting.听

鈥淓veryone keeps calling this a sufferfest,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a sufferfest. Maybe it was. But I loved every step. Some of them were hard, sure, but it鈥檚 a joy to be skiing with a headlamp in the middle of the night, looking at the stars. Especially when you鈥檙e delirious.鈥�

Back around the seventh lap of the race, Cody Townsend听stopped by to witness听the delirium of Last Skier Standing in person. The California-based pro skier had just completed a line on nearby Mount Washington for his yearslong film project, .听

鈥淚鈥檝e always wondered why there鈥檚 so much pride with East Coast skiers. I thought it was just shitty skiing, terrible weather, and flat mountains,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 kind of came here to answer that question for myself. And what I鈥檓 learning is that skiing here is about so much more than just skiing.鈥� He gestured toward the racers as they vanished up and over the first pitch, into the darkness.鈥淵ou come here to Black Mountain and it鈥檚 like, oh, this is where the soul of skiing is. It鈥檚 right here.鈥�

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