Siberian Express: Kevin and Ray Are Done Too!

Another epic adventure came to a close yesterday, as Kevin Vallely and Ray Zahab completed their Siberian Express Expedition, running the length of Lake Baikal, and setting a new speed record in the process.

The pair set out on their ultrarun two weeks ago, dragging their gear laden sleds behind them, and traveling south to north across the largest freshwater lake in the world. As has been a trend in recent adventure activities, they were running to raise awareness of growing concerns of the global clean water crisis, and specifically they were hoping to raise funds for the Ryan's Well and Giving Water organizations. Over the past 13 days, they have battled extreme cold, high winds, and widely varying conditions, while covering amazing distances each day, despite their weary bodies and heavy loads. In the end, it seems to have paid off in a big way.

According to the team's blog, the team not only beat the old record for a speed crossing of the 400+ mile journey, they down right smashed it! While no official time has been posted yet, it appears that Kevin and Ray have beaten the old time by more than a week. Very impressive stuff from two very impressive guys.

The blog also says that we can expect more information, including videos and photos, in the days ahead. As you can imagine, the guys are probably exhausted at the moment, and are hopefully resting some place warm and cozy. Congrats to Kevin, Ray, and the entire impossible2Possible team for another job well done.

Siberian Express: Kevin and Ray Push Forward

The Siberian Express expedition keeps moving forward, with polar explorers Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely struggling against the elements as they continue to go for a new speed record for crossing Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world, located in the southern part of Russia's Siberia region.

Over the past couple of days, the boys have continued to face unrelenting winds that have made it a challenge every step of the way, but despite those conditions, they've also continued to rack up the mileage as well. Most days they're knocking off in excess of 40+ kilometers a day (roughly 21.5 miles), and as of right now, they're on pace to break the record for crossing the massive body of water by more than five days!

Both Kevin and Ray are missing their friends and families at the moment, and they know that the sooner they are done with their little run, the sooner they can get back home. The challenging terrain and weather conditions aren't going to make it easy on them though, and due to the unusually high humidity, all of their gear remains wet at all times, including their sleeping bags. Despite all of that though, on their tenth day into the expedition, they're getting more acclimated to the conditions, and finding themselves enjoying the challenge.

One of the major goals for the expedition was to connect with students in classrooms around the world, and share the adventure with them. This program, which is done in conjunction with the impossible2Possible organization, has been a great success so far, and it seems that both men look forward to their interactions with the classrooms each day.

Below is a video that helps to bring home exactly what Kevin and Ray are dealing with while out on the ice. It's hard not to have massive respect for the guys when you watch this.

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Siberian Express: Five Days In!

As expected, the Siberian Express Expedition got off and running earlier this week, with Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely beginning their attempt to set a speed record for crossing Lake Baikal in Russia's Siberia. The lake is the largest single source of freshwater in the world, stretching more than 400 miles across, and reaching depths of over a mile down.

According to Ray and Kevin's updates, the expedition has been a mixed bag so far. High winds have been common, with both men saying that it feels like they're back in Antarctica again. (Ray and Kevin made a speed record to the South Pole last year as well) Despite those winds however, they have made good progress racking up 22 miles, 27 miles, and 28.5 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, wile adding another 26 today. While those numbers are impressive, they are well below the 35-38 miles per day that they were hoping to average across the entire length of the lake.

The two endurance athletes are making this impressive run to raise awareness of the growing global water crisis. They also hope to raise funds to complete two clean water drinking projects in conjunction with the Ryan's Well Foundation and GivingWater.org. They are also reaching out to thousands of school children from around the globe as part of the impossible2Possible educational programs too.

In the four-and-a-half days that they've been out on the ice, Ray and Kevin have covered more than 125 miles in extremely challenging conditions. It remains to be seen if they can get the speed record, but they are certainly giving it all they can. For more on the project, be sure to catch ExWeb's interview with Ray, which can be found by clicking here.

Siberian Express Expedition Set To Begin Monday!

Speaking of icy adventures, the Siberian Express team of Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely set off from Vancouver yesterday on their way to Siberia, where they hope to begin their expedition on Monday, March 1st.

You may recall, I wrote about this expedition a month back when Ray and Kevin were deep into their training. They will be making an attempt at a speed record for crossing Lake Baikal, the largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world. The lake is frozen this time of the year, making it a perfect opportunity to try to make the 400+ mile journey along its entire length. Despite the fact that they'll be going in unsupported fashion, pulling their gear behind them on sleds, they still intended to cover roughly 40 miles per day.

The expedition has some larger goals beyond the speed record as well. They hope to raise funds for the Ryan's Well Foundation and givingwater.org to help complete clean water projects in Africa. They'll also be connecting with thousands of students across the globe, as part of the impossible2Possible educational outreach programs.

While they're not heading to the North Pole, this is still a tremendous undertaking in a very harsh climate. The Siberian winters are brutal, and they'll be completely exposed out on the ice of the lake, which is gigantic in size. Not only does it cover more than 12,200 square miles of area, it actually reaches 5390 feet in depth as well. Those are staggering numbers for any body of water, let alone a freshwater lake.

impossible2Possible Team Prepares For Siberian Express!

Polar explorer, endurance athlete, and all around adventurer Ray Zahab is preparing to set out on yet another expedition. Ray will be joined by Kevin Vallely, who has an equally impressive adventure resume, as the duo take on one of the most remote and harshest environments on the planet in a bid to raise funds for water projects in Africa, while connecting with thousands of students in the process, all as a part of the amazing impossible2Possible organization.

The expedition is dubbed the Siberian Express and it will see Ray and Kevin running the length of Lake Baikal, a distance of more than 650km (403 miles). The two men will be making the journey unsupported, which means they'll be pulling all of their gear and supplies behind them, but despite those heavy loads, they expect to travel somewhere between 65 and 70 km per day, or about 40 miles, over the frozen lake, which sits in Russia's southern Siberia region.

The goal of the expedition is two fold. First, they hope to raise enough funds to complete two clean drinking water projects in Africa, working in conjunction with the Ryan's Well Foundation and GivingWater.org. The second goal is to educate and engage students about the water crisis, and get them to help in the process. By the time the expedition gets underway, the i2P Experiential Learning Program expects to be in contact with between 8000-10,000 students from around the world through educational modules, live streaming video conferences, and Q&A sessions. Those same students will be the ones helping with the fundraising efforts by organizing their own bake sales, raffles, car washes, and so on.

The site of the expedition, Lake Baikal, is the largest freshwater lake in the world, covering some 12,248 square miles of area. It is also the deepest lake as well, averaging 2442 feet of depth and stretching as far down as 5390 feet down at its deepest point. Baikal holds roughly 20% of the world's freshwater, and in the very cold Siberian winters, it freezes solid, allowing expeditions such as this one to traverse it's length.

As if this expedition wasn't enough, i2P is also busy putting together the second leg of the Word Expedition that will have a team of youth adventurers running across Tunisia. Stay tuned for more information on that project in the future as well.