BLOG ARTICLES

The Training

ETC Intro, Bethany Shadburne

We can’t say the race is all roses… The Endeavor is an extremely tough and mentally challenging race. That said, some of the events within the race that may discourage participants, are not to be feared. The Crucible, Rock Climbing, and Land Navigation are often the most the most intimidating, but if you can simply get through these events with a pass, you’ll find you can excel in other events that helps even out the

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Navigating with Terrain Features

Many competitors find orienteering to be the most challenging part of the Endeavor Team Challenge. Those that find it challenging likely have the least amount of experience reading a map or using a compass. Unlike running or trekking, which competitors have done all their lives, orienteering while competing in the Endeavor Team Challenge might be their first time encountering this skill. Navigating with a map and compass has a learning curve that is best overcome

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How to Prepare for the Unknown

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower Maybe you’ve registered for the 2018 Endeavor Team Challenge or maybe you’re still on the fence or working on finding that daring friend who will be your partner. Regardless, training and preparing for the event is probably on the forefront of your mind. Designing a training program now will help alleviate a lot of the

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How to Maximize your off-season Training

If the Endeavor Team Challenge is the pinnacle of your fitness events for the year, right now is your off-season. As such, your training should reflect this period. The off-season is a time for recovery and resetting before reengaging with a regimented training program. During this time, training intensity should be reduced, technique emphasized, and recovery maximized. Here are four ways to make this offseason as productive as possible: 1) Find activities that are fun

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Through the Eyes – Alden Jones, Competitor Field

Alden Jones competed in and finished the 2015 Endeavor Team Challenge. How would you describe the competitor field? The competitor field was all about nutrition for me. Did you do any training specifically for the competitor field? What types of activities or skills would be helpful in the Competitor Field? I made sure to workout at least 6 days a week. A rest day, should include an activity or sport. I tried to double up

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Through the Eyes – Ben Dickens, Forging a Friendship

  Ben Dickens competed in the 2014 and 2015 Endeavor Team Challenge finishing 2nd in 2015. For me, the Endeavor Team Challenge forged a friendship. John Hofius (aka Hofius) and I have known each other since college, where we graduated from Stanford together in 2008. We became friends over the following years while we both lived in San Francisco, mostly interacting at social gatherings. We became close friends in late 2012, when we signed up for

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Through the Eyes – Caleb Mack, Final Run

Caleb Mack competed in and finished the 2015 Endeavor Team Challenge. How would you describe the final run? A bundle of emotions. What did your training look like to prepare for the run? Not enough, I ran at low elevation on flat terrain about 25 miles a week, mixing in some tempo running. How many hours of sleep did you get during the night? How were you feeling waking up and getting ready for the

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5 Lessons from the 2014 Endeavor Team Challenge Champions

 Dean Pierson and Lee Walker (Team 21), both of Salisbury, Maryland, are the 2014 Endeavor Team Challenge Champions. We sat down with them recently to learn more about their training, gear decisions, race day strategies, and lessons learned from this year’s event. We ended up talking for the good part of an hour, and took extensive notes.  We then distilled them down to these the top five lessons. Lesson #1: Pick a partner that complements

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Train to Win: 2013 ETC Champions on Teamwork, Strategy, and Training

We sat down with the 2013 Endeavor Team Challenge winners, Geoff Rapoport and Jared Janowiak, to learn about their training, gear, mindset, and race-day strategies, and also what they’re doing differently for this year and why. ETC: What were your goals coming into the 2013 Endeavor Team Challenge? JJ: It’s hard to set goals for a new event. We had a sense of what would be required to complete the event, but we had no

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You Have Chosen to Endeavor—Now What?

By: Jaala A. Thibault, 2013 ETC Finisher and 2014 Competitor Making the decision to participate in the 2014 Endeavor Team Challenge is the first step towards experiencing a great adventure in your life. If you have signed up, congratulations!  Right now there are three important things that you can do to prepare: Practice skills Training all the skills that the Endeavor Team Challenge will test, at the same time, could be a bit overwhelming. Breaking

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