For those who know me, you know I’m not a big fan of social media. I tend to keep to myself and rarely post anything for public consumption (some might even call me a recluse 😉). If/when I do post, it typically doesn’t involve any of my personal exploits, as they’re just that…personal. However, I’m getting out of my comfort zone a bit and will be posting some pics/thoughts over the next couple of weeks. A year ago tomorrow, I started a transformative, life-changing, dare I say transcendent event, the EpicDeca Challenge.
For those who don’t know, the EpicDeca was an endurance challenge limited to 10 athletes attempting to complete 10 iron distance races in 10 days on 6 different Hawaiian Islands. The EpicDeca was conceived to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Epic5 Challenge, which was founded in 2010 and discussed in the books Finding Ultra and Fear No Distance by Rich Roll and Danielle Grabol, respectively. The classic Epic5 Challenge is typically 5 iron distance races on 5 Hawaiian Islands in 5 days.
Since completing the event, I’ve been asked by numerous people to share more about my experience. For me, the EpicDeca was supposed to represent a ceremonial, new beginning of sorts after a period of hardship in my life. Unfortunately, after finishing the event, the hard times continued with the loss of a close friend followed two days after that by the death of my brother, Matt (more on that later). Although it’s been a year since the Deca, I haven’t taken the time or had the energy to really reflect on the experience until now. So, at the one year anniversary mark, the time seems fitting. To that end, and to help refresh my memory prior to writing about it in more detail, I’ll be posting some pics/thoughts for the next ten 10 days. I do plan to write and publish my thoughts about the event in the near future, but it’ll most likely be limited to more introspective topics such as why I’m drawn to these events, what I get out of them, and how I’m changed by them, etc. Actually, the simple fact that I’m sharing this is one clear example of how I’ve changed! That said, for anyone with questions regarding equipment, nutrition, sleep, training, recovery, travel, crew, etc., feel free to ask/comment and I’ll do my best to reply quickly. I’d also love for any of my fellow Epic participants, crew, or staff to share any of your thoughts/memories as I recount the event over the next couple weeks. Julian/Ivan – please try to keep it Rated G!
Mahalo and enjoy!