impossible2Possible's Expedition Bolivia Underway

As I mentioned last week, the impossible2Possible crew have launched another adventure, this time to run across the salt flats of Bolivia with several youth ambassadors. They've dubbed this journey Expedition Bolivia, and it got underway yesterday with a 30km (18.6 mile) run through an amazing, yet desolate, landscape, as you'll be able to see from the video below. The video also shows the six young runners, who come from the U.S., Canada, and Bolivia, officially starting the run and then again at the 5k mark, where they admit that their adrenaline put them off to a bit of a fast start, but they fell into rhythm later.

All told, when they've finished the expedition this weekend, they'll have covered 250km (155 miles) and beamed their adventure back to hundreds of classrooms, where students of all ages are getting the opportunity to interact with them while they go. One of the key elements to any i2P expedition is their educational outreach opportunities, and this one is no different. In this case, Expedition Bolivia celebrates the International Year of Chemistry and much of the interaction with the classrooms will reflect that. They also hope to inspire students with a healthy dose of adventure along the way.

Looks like another great program.



i2P Expedition Bolivia - Day 1: 30 KM from GOi2P on Vimeo.

impossible2Possible To Launch Expedition Bolivia

Ray Zahab and the rest of the crew at impossible2Possible are getting ready for the next adventure, this time on the salt flats of Bolivia. The organization, which expertly mixes education, inspiration, and a healthy dose of adventure, will launch Expedition Bolivia later this week.

Unlike Ray's solo run of the Atacama Desert earlier this year, Expedition Bolivia is part of i2P's youth ambassador program, which adds several young people to the team. In this case, there are five young men and women joining the usual impossible2Possible team as they cover 250km (155 miles) across a remote region of Bolivia, on foot in just one weeks time. That's roughly a marathon per day for the entire length of the expedition.

This wouldn't be an impossible2Possible project with out an educational element in the mix. As usual, the expedition will reach out to classrooms across the globe, checking in daily with reports from the fields via satellite phone. The project is celebrating the fact that 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry, and as such, they'll be conducting a number of experiments and collecting data while exploring the unusual terrain of the Bolivian salt flats.

Also joining the squad for this expedition is polar explorer Hannah McKeand, who went to the South Pole in record time a few years back and made a solo attempt on the North Pole as well. This is her first endeavor with the i2P organization, but I'm sure she'll have plenty to contribute. To check out the entire team, including the youth ambassadors, click here.

I've written about i2P and its numerous expeditions multiple times here. I'm a big fan of their approach to mixing education and adventure in a way that is engaging to students in classrooms of a variety of ages. The youth ambassador program only adds to that, as it shows young people that they can go out and do some amazing things and visit some incredible places. There is no better way to motivate kids, in my opinion, than showing them someone their own age doing great things. These expeditions do just that, and it has proven to be a great success in the i2P mission.

Good luck to everyone on Expedition Bolivia. Enjoy the run!

Atacama Extreme: Still Running In The Desert

One of the big adventures that had just gotten underway before I zipped off to Africa was the Atacama Extreme. For those who may have lost track of that adventure while I was away, this is the expedition during which endurance athlete Ray Zahab is running the length of Chile's Atacama Desert, a place that is considered the driest place on Earth. The initial plan was to cover 70km per day but conditions have not made that easy to achieve, and the journey is now taking longer than expected.

When we last checked in with Ray, he was suffering with some nasty blisters on his feet and was forced to not only take a day off, but go slow on his return to the trail. The harsh desert hasn't helped to ease the suffering either, as 50ºC (122º F) temps have been the norm and high winds have challenged Ray's progress in the past few days.

The Atacama Extreme is just the most recent expedition to fall under the impossible2Possible umbrella. The organization reaches out to thousands of students, in hundreds of classrooms, around the world. Their aim is to educate and inspire those students through adventure, while showing them some of the most amazing places on the planet. Previous i2P projects have taken those students to the Amazon, Tunisia, the South Pole and beyond. It is a great organization that really does a fantastic job of reaching out to schools.

Ray still has a ways to go before he is done, although he is indeed closing in on the southern point of the Atacama. Check out the video below, which is actually from a few days back, to get a sense of what he has been dealing with while he has been running.



Day 14-15 Atacama Extreme from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Atacama Extreme: Blisters Bring The Suffering

We're now a week into the Atacama Extreme, which is an expedition that has been undertaken by explorer Ray Zahab who is attempting to run the length of Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest place on the planet. So far, the pace has been exactly what he expected, as he has covered roughly 70km (43 miles) per day, but that hasn't come without a price. Ray has been suffering with a massive blister, which has rubbed his foot raw, and as a result, yesterday he was forced to take some time off to let it heal. This is, as you can imagine, a bit of a frustration for the man who has run across the Sahara, gone to the South Pole on foot, and traversed the length of Lake Baikal in the dead of winter.

The video below gives you an idea of what exactly Ray has been dealing with while he has run the past few days. Clearly the desert has taken its toll on his feet. Since our last update on the run, Ray has moved through a region that was full of deep gorges and has found his way out onto the salt flats that the Atacama is so well known for. He has also found a set of abandoned railroad tracks that have helped lead the way through some of the more remote areas, but despite that, the desert still presents a considerable challenge, although the expedition remains on track to finish up later this week.



Day 7 Atacama Extreme from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Atacama Extreme: Ray is Officially Underway!

I've been posting updates on the Atacama Extreme expedition, which features endurance athlete Ray Zahab running solo across the entire length of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Ray, who was originally was suppose to run with his usual adventure partner Kevin Vallely, set off on Sunday, after carefully selecting the perfect starting point along the Peruvian/Chilean border. On his first day out, Ray covered 78.5km (48.7 miles) through the driest desert on the planet. As if that wasn't a big enough challenge, he also had to stay on a road for the first few miles to avoid land mines and later he had to conquer a massive gorge that cut across his path.

Check out the video journal below for a first hand account from Ray himself, and go to the expedition's website for photos and more information on the first day of the run.




Day 1 Atacama Extreme from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Atacama Extreme: Ray Will Challenge The Desert Alone

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the Atacama Extreme expedition is scheduled to get underway tomorrow and was to have feature Ray Zahab and partner Kevin Vallely running the length of the Atacama Desert in Chile, north to south. But a last minute change in plans now has Ray taking on the desert solo.

According to this story from ExWeb, Kevin was forced to pull out of the run after his father became sick just days before the team was to set off for Chile. ExWeb quotes an e-mail from Ray that says “I will now be running alone! Unfortunately Kev's dad has taken ill, and as an awesome son would, Kev is staying with his Dad. The absolute right decision. Family comes first.”

This now puts more stress on Ray, at least on a psychological level. Without a doubt, he is up to running the desert from a physical stand point, as he is an amazing endurance athlete. But spending days on end by yourself, running an average of 70km (43 miles) per day, through the driest place on Earth, will take its toll on a guy.

All of this adds another dimension to what was already a very big challenge. Expect updates to begin as soon as tomorrow, as the run officially gets underway. It should be quite the adventure to follow.

Atacama Extreme: Website Goes Live, Run Begins Friday

Last week I told you about the Atacama Extreme expedition, which will feature endurance runners and adventure athletes Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely running the length of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Last night the official website for the run went live just days before the two men head off to South America to start their adventure.

You can check-out the expedition's website at AtacamaExtreme.com. At the moment, the site contains several videos, one on training for running through the desert and two gear related videos. The first of those takes a look at preparing your footwear for a winter run and a desert run, and the second shows Ray organizing his gear for the upcoming trek. There is also a placeholder link on the site that will display the team's journal as the run unfolds and they share their experiences with those of us back home who are following along.

As I've mentioned before, the Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet due to the fact that it falls into the rain shadows of both the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range. Those two mountain ranges create a barrier on either side of the region which prevents storms from bringing rain to the area. As a result, some part of the Atacama haven't seen rain in centuries.

Kevin and Ray expect to arrive in Chile on Thursday of this week and will start the run on Friday. They'll begin in the northern part of the desert and head south, covering roughly 70km (43 miles) per day on foot. That's the equivalent of a marathon plus 17 more miles. They'll also be carrying their gear with them and have planned water stops along the way to help keep them hydrated, which will be a constant issue throughout the course of the run. If all goes as planned, they'll wrap up the expedition in the first week in February.

This adventure, like all of Ray and Kevin's other expeditions, is being conducted under the impossible2Possible banner, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and enriching student experiences across the globe. i2P delivers cultural, geographic, and environmental messages through fantastic adventures in far flung places. On this expedition alone they expect to reach more than 16,000 students, which is a very impressive feat in and of itself.

More to come as the expedition unfolds.

impossible2Possible Team Prepares To Run Atacama Desert

Adventure endurance athletes Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely are in the final stages of preparing for their next expedition, and will soon be setting out for one of the most extreme environments on the planet. The duo have already traveled on foot to the South Pole and set a speed record for crossing Lake Baikal in winter, but now have turned their attention away from frozen climes to take on a completely different challenge. Beginning next week, the impossible2Possible ambassadors will begin an 1100km (683 mile) run along the length of Chile's Atacama Desert.

The plan is for Ray and Kevin to arrive in Chile on Thursday, January 20th and begin the expedition the following day. They'll start in the northern region of desert and head south, taking a light and fast approach to the run, which will follow some of the same footpaths that ancient Inca messengers used centuries ago. They hope to average about 70km (43 miles) per day across the length of the journey, which is expected to wrap up in the first week of February.

Described as the driest place on the planet, the Atacama Desert sits in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range. Those two mountain ranges act as walls, preventing storms from passing through and delivering moisture to the region. As a result, there are portions of the desert that have not seen any measurable amount of rain in recorded history.

As is usual with any i2P expedition, this will also be an educational experience. More than 16,000 students, in classrooms around the globe, have signed up to follow along and to learn  more about the environment that Ray and Kevin will be running through. The impossible2Possible mission has always been to educate and inspire through adventure, and they have been doing an excellent job in that department for several years now, sending teams to far flung places like Tunisia and the Amazon as well. This Atacama Extreme expedition seems poised to continue that legacy.

Good luck to both Kevin and Ray as they set out next week. Looks like it's going to be another grand adventure!