ESPN Profiles World Tri-Athlete Charlie Wittmack

Remember Charlie Wittmack? He was the guy we were following since last summer when he set out on his World Tri, an expedition that included a swim across the English Channel, a bike-ride across Europe and Asia, and a climb to the summit of Everest. I wrote about his progress a few times along the way, but after he was struck by a car in Kazakhstan, and returned home for a bit, it was difficult to get updates on his progress. The last I had heard, he had returned to Nepal and was on his way to Everest, but dispatches were few and far between after that.

Now, more than a year after he set out on his World Tri, Charlie is getting mainstream coverage in the form of a major article on ESPN.com. The article they've posted there is quite extensive, and seamlessly meshes both video and text to tell Charlie's story, and what a story it is. As you can imagine, it gets into far more detail than we were able to find before, and Charlie openly discusses his obsession with completing his epic "triathlon." The story also talks about the severe ups and downs he suffered while on the road as well, missing his family, suffering injuries, and eventually going home for awhile due to severe health problems.

The story isn't just about Charlie's drive to complete his expedition. On the contrary, it's also about love, family, and chasing your dreams, no matter where they take you. The journey was not an easy one for Charlie, or his wife Cate, but in the end, he came out a different person, with a changed perspective on what is important in life. It's a great story and definitely worth the read.

It is always great to see the mainstream press pick up a story like this and ESPN does a good job of getting to the heart of it. Read the whole story by clicking here.

World Tri Update: Charlie Is On Foot, Headed Toward Everest

I've posted updates on the World Tri a couple of times in the past, but it has been awhile since I checked in on the progress of Charlie Wittmack, the man who kicked off this adventure last summer. The World Tri is exactly that, a massive triathlon that began when Charlie swam across the English Channel last August. From there, he got on his bike and rode from France to India, which he completed a few months back, before flying home to enjoy some down time, and much needed recovering, before returning to India to complete the final leg of his triathlon on foot.

In late January, Charlie did indeed return and he is now somewhere out on the road, traveling alone, as he works on completing the final leg of the journey, which will eventually see him attempting to climb Everest this spring. The finish line for the World Tri is on the summit, and he hopes to successfully top out on that mountain for a second time in his life. Unfortunately, there haven't been any updates to his blog since he started the next phase of his journey, so hopefully all is well and Charlie is making the progress he expects.

That blog has revealed that this has not been an easy journey for Wittmack however. In one entry, he talks about lying in bed in Tibet, completely exhausted mentally, physically, and financially. He says that he had suffered cerebral edema a few days prior, and had lost the sight in his right eye, which put him at the end of his rope. At that point, he just wanted to be home, and thankfully he was not long after.

Once home, he was given the opportunity to heal and recover nicely with his friends and family. But eventually it was time to get back on the road, and that's where he is right now, making his way towards his final challenge, which will be Everest. If everything goes as planned, in a few short weeks he'll be joining the hundreds of other climbers who will be making their way to Base Camp on the North and South Sides of the mountain, hoping for an opportunity to stand at the top of the world. Most of those climbers will come the old fashioned way however, catching a flight into Kathmandu. Charlie will be making the journey on foot. Lets hope he isn't exhausted and spent before he ever gets a crack at the mountain.

World Tri Update: Charlie Survives Being Hit By A Car

Remember Charlie Wittmack? He's the guy who began an epic "triathlon" of sorts this past summer by swimming the English Channel. From there, he got on his bike, and is riding 9000 miles across Europe and Asia, where he'll eventually run 950 miles from the Sea of Bengal to the summit of Mt. Everest. Well, in theory anyway.

Charlie has been making great progress on his World Tri so far, having reached Kazakhstan back in October. But it seems he suffered a bit of a setback while riding across that remote, and mountainous, country located in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. According to this story from Bloomberg, Charlie was riding along a highway when he was struck from behind at 40 MPH and thrown from his bike and knocked unconscious.

Fortunately, Wittmack didn't suffer too serious of injuries, and after a few days of rest, he was back on the road and rushing towards China, which he hoped to reach before October 21st to help avoid the onset of bad weather. According to his latest blog posts however, he didn't quite back that deadline, as he  struggled with bike problems as he tried to climb over the 3962 meter (13000 ft) Torugart Pass, which leads from Kyrgyzstan to China along the old Silk Road. It took five tries, for various reasons, to complete that journey, and he made it on an old, rundown, single speed bike, crossing three high passes, and in cold, snowy weather.

The plan now is to reach India by December 1st, where he'll prepare for the final leg of the triathlon on foot. If all goes well, he'll be making a summit bid on Everest in the spring, bringing an end to this 11-month long epic adventure. Keep checking out Charlie's blog for progress reports and spectacular pictures of his journey. Good stuff.

Thanks to my kid sister for sharing the update. :)

The World Tri Update: English Channel Conquered!

Remember the World Tri? I first wrote about it back at the end of June when adventurer Charlie Wittmack set out on his 12,000 mile "triathlon" that was to begin with a swim leg across the English Channel, after which Charlie would climb on a bike and ride from France to Calcutta, India. The third, and final leg, would be a journey on foot from Calcutta to Nepal, where he would complete the "tri" by making an attempt on the summit of Everest next spring.

According to this report, Charlie has conquered the first leg of the journey by swimming across the English Channel yesterday in 11 hours and 59 minutes. He set out from Dover, England and swam 21-miles before coming ashore in Calais, France, becoming just the fourth person to climb Everest and successfully swim the Channel. Wittmack topped out on the world's highest mountain back in 2003.

Now, he'll rest up for a few days before getting on the bike and starting the next leg of the trip. It's a long peddle to Calcutta, but that'll probably seem easy once he gets on foot for the final trek to the Himalaya. But if it is any consolation, most triathletes say that the swimming leg is the hardest. We'll see if that proves to hold the true here as well.

The World Tri: A 12,000 Mile Long Triathlon

Now here is a very cool expedition for you. Adventurer Charlie Wittmack is setting out on what he calls his "World Tri" today, which will incorporate all the elements of a standard triathlon, and in the same order, but on a much larger scale.


Charlie will begin in London, where he'll swim down the River Thames, then across the English Channel to France. Once safely on the other side of the Channel, he'll get on his bike and ride to Calcutta, India, where he'll then proceed on foot to Nepal, up the Khumbu Valley, and attempt to climb Mt. Everest. All told, the journey is expected to cover more than 12,000 miles through 13 countries, over the span of about 11 months. If all goes as expected, he'll be making a summit bid on Everest in May of next year. 


Wittmack is no stranger to adventurous pursuits. He successfully climbed Everest back in 2003, and attempted to swim across the English Channel back in 2008. On that attempt he had to be pulled from the water mid-swim due to the cold conditions. This time he is wearing a wetsuit to help keep him warm on his swim. 


The World Tri isn't just about the adventure however, as Charlie is on the expedition to help raise awareness of a couple of causes in the Health and Education area. The first of those causes is the incredible maternal mortality rate in Nepal, where a woman is 100 times more like to die during childbirth than here in the U.S. When the expedition reaches Kathmandu, a team of doctors and students will provide clinics to help educate local women on steps the can take to be safer and more healthy. In the field of Education, Charlie is working with the Adventure Institute to develop a year long curriculum program to help bring learning communities together, allowing students and educators to share in the experience.


Charlie, along with his wife and son, let out for the London today, and he is expected to begin his swim in the River Thames tomorrow. Hopefully everything will go well, and he'll complete the swim leg of his triathlon without issue. If not, he says he'll continue on no matter what, but it shouldn't be too long before he's on his bike and peddling his way toward India. 

Triathlete Survives Gator Attack

A Florida man training for a triathlon was attacked by an alligator over the weekend while he was swimming in a lake near Orlando, but the reptile let him go when he started punching back.

According to this story in the Palm Beach Post 35-year old Doug McCard says he felt the gator clamp its jaws across his torso while he was in the midst of his training swim, and immediately knew what was happening, and thought "I can't believe a gator is biting me." He then stood u in the waist deep water, and began hitting the beast. When it retreated, he moved as fast as possible for the shore. McCard estimates that the alligator was between 8 and 10 feet in length.

McCard was later treated at a local hospital for the wounds he suffered, which included puncture wounds to his right shoulder, hipbone and back. While the wounds were not overly serious, he was kept over night for observation and to ensure that infection didn't set in.

The Florida man has been training for an Iron Man triathlon this summer and swims in the lake on a weekly basis as part of that process. He suspects that he startled the gator while passing too close to it, prompting the attack. He says he will return to training soon, but may avoid this particular lake for awhile, although trappers were hoping to capture the aggressive critter.

I've heard of some unusual training methods in my time, but using an alligator as a training aid seems a bit too much. It will probably make you faster though. Or maybe deader. ;)

Endurance Events This Weekend

There are a couple of big endurance events this weekend that are worth mentioning, as both garner plenty of attention and are popular amongst outdoor athletes and arm chair racers alike.

First up, we have the 24 Hours of Moab, taking place in Moab, Utah of course. This year, this iconic mountain bike race will host more than 4000 riders from around the world in an endurance biking event that will test even the strongest of athletes. As the name implies, solo and team riders will be peddling for 24 hours straight, starting tomorrow, Oct. 10th, at 11 AM local time. The course will wind through the remote and rugged backcountry near Moab, and will continue through the night. The object is to complete as many laps of the 15 mile course as you can within the 24-hour period, weighing in any sleep strategies, pacing, and so on.

The other major endurance event taking place tomorrow is of course the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. This is, of course, one of the most demanding triathlons on the planet, with the top athletes from around the globe swimming, biking, and running their way through a tremendously challenging course. The competitors will face a 2.4 mile swim to get things started, and once they're out of the water, they'll proceed to their bikes, where they'll tackle 112 miles of riding. When they're done on the bike, if they're still standing, they'll then go on a full marathon, 26.2 miles.

There are 1800 participants in this year's race, and they've either earned their way in by winning qualifying events around the planet, or they were lucky enough to get a spot through a special lottery. Tomorrow, few of them will actually feel "lucky" at all. Should be another great race.

Good luck to the competitors in both events. Race strong and race safe, but don't forget to have some fun along the way.