RickMcCharles.com

Expedition Idaho Trailer, just released.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Expedition Idaho 2011 was a 6 day, 500mi adventure race hosted by Dave Adlard.

Legendary Randy Ericksen will be releasing the full official video early in the new year.

ExpId winners Thule went on to win the World Championships in Tasmania.

… primitive thatch hut with cold water shower BUT with wireless internet.

details

Nelson is one of the best places to live in the world, I think, a “mountain sports hotbed”.

My family had a summer house nearby for 30yrs.

I’ve always loved Nelson.

In town for a Gymnastics clinic, I finally got the chance to kayak the beautiful river. Under the famed bridge.

That’s my host, Steve.

This photo brought back memories of the one time moiself and the Shews rented kayaks at Deep Cove near Vancouver.

I assisted Marceline at the Cirque du Soleil auditions in Kamloops recently. She and I were together at the NCAA Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Championships in Florida this Spring, too.

What is Adventure Racing, anyway?

I put together a 2.5min video with a few clips from the 25 races at Adventure Sports Week 2009.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Just started to upload my best photos of our big Adventure Race Week event in Idaho.

see more on flickr

Good FUN so far. Not much sleep.

I was a “leader” for a kid’s Adventure Race, Saturday. My team was the youngest. We finished LAST after 4.5hrs.

Though my little guys made it around the very difficult course safely, they both fell off their bikes on the last couple of hundred metres to the finish line.

Oops.

My big AR event is right around the corner – Adventure Sports Week . Contact me if you can come down with me.

May 24, 2009

For Immediate Release…

Danelle Ballangee is scheduled to compete in the “Crux and the Crucible” at Adventure Sports Week 2009!

Adventure Sports Week is a 10 day long festival of 24 outdoor races, contests, clinics and social events taking place at Farragut State Park, 30 miles north of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, June 5—14, 2009.

One of the racing world’s greatest stars and most inspirational stories is coming to compete at Adventure Sports Week in Coeur d’ Alene, June 12—14.

Danelle Ballangee is perhaps the World’s most decorated female Adventure Racer, having won Primal Quest, the Raid, the Adventure Racing World Championships, as well as dozens of other equally impressive competitions. She has also been named “US Athlete of the Year” an unprecedented six times in four different sports.

Despite her impressive resume, it was an unlikely slip that has Danelle—Nellie—to national prominence.

In December of 2006, while on a routine training run with her dog Taz, she slipped on some black ice and fell nearly 60 feet down the cliffs at Hurrah Pass, Utah, near Moab, breaking her pelvis completely in half, and leaving her bleeding internally and unable to walk. She managed to crawl over a quarter of a mile to a puddle where she could drink, and she spent over 50 hours in sub- freezing temperatures as her dog tried to keep her warm. On the third day, Taz left her, eventually making his way to the trailhead, where he was seen by the search and rescue team, who followed him back to Danelle.

After major surgery, where she received a titanium plate to hold her pelvis together, she was in a wheelchair for several months, and doctors speculated she would be unable to walk for as long as a year.

As a tribute to her strength and tenacity, Danelle competed in a solo 12 hour adven- ture race less than 6 months after her fall, finishing as top female.

Danelle will be competing at ASW representing Project Athena— www.projectathena.org – whose mission is to help women with breast cancer and other medical traumatic setbacks live their athletic and adventurous dreams by providing coaching, equipment, travel, entry fees and encouragement.

She will also be teaching part of the Adventure Racing Clinic, along with other super- stars such as Mike Kloser, captain of Team Nike, and AR World Champion.

source – Mind Over Mountain

I’ll be Adventure Racing and part of the organizing committee at Adventure Week 2009 in Idaho.

Our official website – AdventureWeek2009.com

Let me know if you want to join in the fun.

Dave Adlard, master organizer of big events, is boldly planning June 5-14th in North Idaho one of the biggest Adventure Racing events anywhere.

Our Adventure Racing Team — the Fast Farts — are part of his support team.

I’m editor of the official website:

North Idaho will play host to “adventure week 2009,” a series of “outdoor” races and events at Farragut State Park near Coeur d’Alene. (Of the famed Ironman competition.)

Click through if you know anyone who might be interested in coming down for the Adventure Week 2009.

I’m recommending to Dave that he include a surprise high speed kayak challenge, like this one …

I was relegated (by illness) to photographer / support team for the Funtastics Adventure Racing Team in Half Moon Bay.

The FARTs completed their longest race to date — Ocean Blue — in 8hrs, 40min. The rest of us FARTs were “proud and inspired”.

Morgen, Dave, Andy, Jeni

Many more experienced teams did not finish the harsh ocean kayaking, mountain biking and trail running course.

The night after the race we drove to Napa Valley, hosted for a gourmet dinner by friends of Dave and Lisa.

Napa valley grapes

We finished in gorgeous Lake Taho, there to cycle with the Big Blue race organizer.

Last morning: run on the Rubicon Trail.

See all the photos from this road trip on flickr.

The next race for the FARTs is longer and tougher, Big Blue, Lake Tahoe, September 20, 2008.

Funtastics Adventure Racing Team – official website

Here’s a video and slideshow highlight reel of the race and road trip. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.