ENDEAVOR 2024: RETURN TO BEAR VALLEY, CA - Page 5 of 6

5 Lessons from the 2014 Endeavor Team Challenge Champions

October 21, 2014 No Comments

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

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

June 28, 2014 No Comments

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

The Devil is in the Details: Foot Care

June 22, 2014 No Comments

By: Jaala A. Thibault, 2013 ETC Finisher and 2014 Competitor “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” –John Wooden In endurance racing, it is your feet that are the little things that can make big things happen. Healthy feet will take you places. You will never have to stop and treat blisters; you’ll never have to worry about changing your gait to compensate for a hotspot. You’ll be able

What Are You Training For?

June 1, 2014 No Comments

I was first introduced to CrossFit back in 2007 when I was in the Army. I used the CrossFit regimen in my training because it was a very effective in preparing me to do my job. As a Ranger I was supposed to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier. CrossFit helped me get there. I continued to train using the CrossFit regimen after I left the Army, but it was less

You Have Chosen to Endeavor—Now What?

April 11, 2014 No Comments

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

2013 Lessons Learned and the Path Forward

October 31, 2013 No Comments

I. Summary: This post is a roll up of our goals for the 2013 Endeavor Team Challenge, how we did in achieving them, and what changes we are making for next year. II. The Goal: When we designed the Endeavor Team Challenge our goal was to build the ultimate culminating fitness event. In our minds such an event needed to be the following things: Accessible to the average athlete (with training) A broad test fitness Something

Blog Posts Discussing the 2013 Endeavor Team Challenge

October 24, 2013 No Comments

Competitors have written some detailed accounts of their experiences preparing for and competing in the Endeavor Team Challenge. Here are some of them we have run across. **Please feel free to send us links to others** To Endeavor Is To Accept by Brendon Mahoney on September 12, 2013 Recently my buddy, Brett Scharf, and I competed in the inaugural event of the first ever Endeavor Challenge. Excited and apprehensive at the same time, we

Rim Fire Update – Endeavor Team Challenge

August 27, 2013 No Comments

Competitors, Volunteers, and Supporters, We are monitoring the Rim Fire closely. It has currently set the record for the 7th largest fire in California history, burning 184,481 acres, and the Governor of California has declared a state of emergency in the neighboring County of Tuolumne. It is currently 20% contained, and it is still over 30 miles South of the event site. There is no concern of the fire reaching Bear Valley, CA. The roads to the event

Mountaineering Updates

August 19, 2013 No Comments

Competitors will encounter a rappel certification, top-roped cliffs of Box Canyon, and an awe-inspiring suspension traverse during Saturday afternoon’s Competitor Field. The routes range in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.9, with plenty of options to challenge teams of all abilities. This activity is timed, with incentives to take on a more difficult climb. We’ll provide a helmet and harness, but the climb will be completed in the gear you are wearing or chose to carry

Rock Climbing Skill Videos

August 4, 2013 No Comments

Rock Climbing will be a sub-event of Competitor Field. Harnesses, ropes, and professional instruction will be provided. In the following videos, Aaron Johnson of Mountain Adventure Seminars explains proper procedures, wear of gear, and climbing technique. Aaron shows competitors the climbing gear they should expect to encounter during the Endeavor Team Challenge. Aaron demonstrates proper technique, which will allow even beginner climbers to complete the climbing routes during the Endeavor Team Challenge. Aaron explains the climbing route