Polar Adventurer Eric Larsen to Lead 600-mile Human Powered ‘ColoradATHON’ to Celebrate Adventure and Colorado

October 12, 2017

Larsen and team will bike, hike, and pack raft across the entire state in 11-day journey, benefiting Big City Mountaineers

(Boulder, Colo. – Oct, 12 2017) – On Sunday, October 15, 2017, polar adventurer Eric Larsen, along with filmmaker and former pro cyclist Ben Duke and endurance athlete and humanitarian Rebecca Boozan, will set out to attempt a human-powered traverse of the entire state of Colorado. Starting at the state’s eastern border and making their way to the the western border, the team’s goal is to bike, hike, and packraft nearly 600-miles across Colorado in 11 straight days, both celebrating and creating a dialogue around the value of outdoor adventure in our lives.

The trio is partnering with Big City Mountaineers, a Colorado-based non-profit that helps under-resourced youth realize their potential through transformative wilderness mentoring experiences, and hopes to raise $10,000 for the organization.

Larsen, an accomplished polar adventurer and mountaineer, has completed more North and South Pole expeditions than any other American in history and in 2010 was the first person in history to successfully complete expeditions to the South Pole, North Pole and the summit of Mount Everest in a continuous 365-day period.

Despite these high-level achievements, Larsen believes, “you don’t have to climb Mount Everest to have a unique and compelling adventure. Sometimes, putting some interesting parameters on an activity can make it challenging, fun, and original.” Which is why he and a small team are heading out on the back roads, trails, and waterways of Colorado in less than a week.

Through the Big City Mountaineers “Summit for Someone” custom challenge program, which allows individuals to design and build fundraising campaigns that support BCM’s adventure-based mission, the team plans to raise $10,000. Donations will go directly to BCM’s programming and can be made through their online fundraising page here.

All donors will receive a custom ‘Adventure is Everywhere’ T-shirt, designed by Colorado artist Katherine Homes. Additionally, donors have the option of receiving one of several ‘thank you’ product packages.

“Eric has been a long-time supporter of Big City Mountaineers and his audacious goal of raising $10,000 will provide critical funding for our programming,” says Doug Sandok, Corporate Relations Director for Big City Mountaineers. “We wish him and his team the best of luck, and are excited to follow their adventures.”

The trip will be filmed at transition points by Alpenflow Creative, with the goal of capturing the spirit of adventure as the group makes its way through Colorado’s diverse environments, including the state’s most iconic and revered wilderness areas.

Like most of his trips, Larsen’s mission is to connect with people in real-time during his adventures, allowing anyone to follow the team’s progress with live GPS tracking via Garmin’s inReach Explorer+ Satellite Communicator (LINK). Daily audio podcasts, blog posts, social media content, and photos will be available on Larsen’s website.

Eric and his team hope that their 11-day Colorado expedition will plant the seeds for others to embark on their own unique journeys. As Larsen reminds us, “adventure is everywhere and a lot can happen in a short amount of time while venturing outdoors.”

Larsen’s adventures are sponsored by Garmin with major support from Granite Gear, ALLIED Feather and Down, and Helly Hansen. Additional expedition support is provided by Mountain Safety Research, Therm-A-Rest, UCO, Skratch Labs, Zeal Optics, Sole, Stanley, Yaktrax, Oberto, JLab Audio, Wigwam, Ripcord, and Iridium. The ColoradATHON also received product support from Trek Bicycles, Kokepelli Packraft, Pearl Izumi, Topeak, Lizard Skins, TIME, and Wolf Tooth.