I remember when the idea for the 777 Project popped in my head. It was a flash, and idea, and it scared me. I didn’t want to do it. It’s too much, too hard. Who am I to try something like that? I remember signing up for the Antarctica race and thinking to myself - “what on earth are you doing?” When I got hurt after race #1, I didn’t know how long rehab would take or if I’d still be able to run. When I got sued, I didn’t know what would happen ...
The 777 Project: By The Numbers
When I set out to do the 777 Project, I wrote down that I wanted to do something that I didn’t know if I could do. Something that scared me. Something that really seemed impossible. I’ve been trying to put it into words and I worked with my designer Calla to put it all together. I think it tells the story in a concise way that’s somehow still very surreal to me. I said I wanted to take on a challenge that would push me. I wanted to do something that ...
7 Lessons Learned from The 777 Project
Over the last 3 years, I finished 777: 7 ultras on 7 continents to fund 7 schools with Pencils of Promise. The journey was not as straight-forward as I expected - evidenced by the fact that I finished 6 of the races this year and the 18-24 month gap between races 1 & 2. This has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and one of the biggest teachers to me as well. So with that in mind, here’s 7 things I learned along the way (as well as a few ...
What It Takes To Run 7 Ultra Marathons on 7 Continents (VIDEO)
In addition to putting words to paper on yesterday's post about looking back on 777, I went through some of the images from the last 7 races and put together a short video about the entire adventure. It still doesn't seem real or feel like that was "me" out there. If the last couple posts have felt a bit too sentimental, please forgive me – we'll be back to our regular scheduled programming next week. #pushyourlimits #dosomethingimpossible The ...
Visiting Pencils of Promise in Laos!
Earlier this year, somewhere after Bali and before South Africa, I stopped over in Laos to see the Pencils of Promise Laos office. While I had a chance to visit Guatemala in 2013, I've never been to any of their other communities. Since, I was in the midst of a Southeast Asia jaunt, I thought I'd see what the team is up to. We got a chance to meet the Laos team, see the first ever school that Pencils of Promise build, see a school build in action, and ...
Win a Free Signed Copy of Living with a SEAL
Giveaway time! Here's the deal - I’m giving away 25 signed copies of living with a SEAL Here's how it works: I’m going to be randomly selecting 25 people to get a signed copy of Living with a Seal - which I featured here last September- by Jesse Itzler. Living with a Seal is the story about how Jesse felt stagnant in his life, so he hired David Goggins (yes, this guy), to live with him for a month and whip him into shape. It's a hilarious and ...
Jesse Itzler Challenges You To Build A School By Working Out
If you didn’t know, this month we’re doing a fitness challenge with Jesse Itzler’s group - WeDoHardStuff.com. Jesse’s put together a video just for us, throwing down the gauntlet. Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkTTHyaX67o TLDR: You can help raise money for 777 & help us build school #7 just by working out. Join the group WeDoHardStuff.com (it’s a growing facebook group of 7,000 people and counting) Follow the fitness challenge ...
How We’re Building School #7 for 777 (and how you can help just by working out)
Earlier this week, I posted 7th video for the 7th race for 777 Project. However, with that said, I haven't done an update on the project as a whole in a while. So here we go. Here's where 777 Project stands. To date, I’ve run 7 ultra marathons on 7 continents. Despite all the injuries and setbacks that happened along the way, I kept going and today we are so close. We’ve raised over $154,913 - enough to build 6 schools with Pencils of Promise! That's ...
The Two Oceans Marathon Video Short
The most beautiful (ultra) marathon in the world. Two Oceans Marathon in South Africa likes to play up the fact that it's the most beautiful marathon in the world - even though it's not a normal marathon - it's 56km, up two major hills mountains. It might be just 56km, but it's a tough 56km After running Comrades a few years back, South Africa bills Two Oceans marathon as the other BIG race to do in South Africa, so I knew I had to do it. My ...
The Rovaniemi 66km Arctic Ultra Video
This wasn't a race. It was an expedition. At the official home of Santa Claus in Lapland, Finland, I headed out for a 66km race across the arctic, using frozen rivers, lakes and snowmobile paths for guidance in -16º temperatures. No support. No water. Just a lot of snow, a lot of cold, so you better get used to it and get comfortable. Check it out. The Rovaniemi 66km Expedition Race Video Short http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx9d3Kx9TCo The ...
