Most of triathletes might find it hard to imagine racing more than one Ironman per year, but not Jason Lester and Rich Roll.
The two Ultraman triathletes have set out on an epic journey that began yesterday in Hawaii.
They plan to complete five Iron distance triathlons in five days on five Hawaiian Islands. Take a look at the press release below for complete details of the EPIC5 Challenge.
To make things even more interesting both Lester and Roll only eat a Vegan diet which, as you might image, is a challenge from a purely caloric point of view.
In other words, fruits and vegetables tend to have a lower caloric value than protiens.
You can track the two ultra athletes HERE as the take their Epic journey to O'ahu today after finishing the first of the iron distance efforts on Kauai yesterday.
On 5 / 5 / 2010, lauded endurance athletes Jason Patrick Lester and Richard Roll will attempt the impossible – 5 iron distance triathlons in 5 consecutive days on 5 Hawaiian Islands. 12 mile Swim / 560 mile Bike / 131 mile Run.
The brainchild of Lester, EPIC5 is an unprecedented athletic and spiritual odyssey that begins May 5, 2010 on the island of Kauai before traveling on consecutive days to O’ahu, Moloka’I and Maui and concluding in Kona on May 9th. Each day will entail — 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26 mile run.
Never previously attempted, EPIC5 raises the bar as a challenge of unparalleled endurance that promises to task the limits of mind, body and spirit while capturing the hearts and souls of the public.
EPIC5 started three years ago as a vision of Lester. Despite the total paralysis of his right arm due to a catastrophic accident suffered in his youth, Lester is not only a tireless veteran of several Ironman & Ultraman competitions, he is an inspiration to countless people worldwide. A motivational speaker and youth advocate on behalf of his The Never Stop Foundation, Lester was catapulted into the mainstream consciousness last year when he was awarded the coveted ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete With a Disability. A resident of Kailua-Kona for the last several years, Lester conceived EPIC5 as a gift to his beloved Hawai’i; a competitive offering that uniquely links all the islands. “After I won the ESPY, there was no doubt that I wanted to give back to the islands for blessing me. Without the votes of the people of Hawai’i, I wouldn’t have won the ESPY” says Lester.
A former world-ranked swimmer from Stanford University, Roll was named one of 2009’s “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness Magazine alongside such athletic luminaries as Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal and LeBron James. At 43 years of age, Roll recently competed in the 2009 Ultraman World Championships – a 3-day double ironman distance race that circumnavigates the Big Island of Hawaii – where he led the entire field by 10 minutes after the first day of competition before suffering a bicycle crash during the Day 2 170 mile bike leg. Injuries aside, Roll nonetheless completed the event in 6th place – an inspirational feat lauded by the triathlon world as one of the most courageous accomplishments of the year.
Equally captivating, both Roll and Lester are also completely vegan and are staging to push the message that anyone can achieve the highest measures of an ultra-endurance athlete by adhering to a plant-based diet. “EPIC5 provides an ideal advocacy platform for the message of long-term wellness, disease prevention and environmental consciousness through whole food plant-based nutrition” says Roll.
Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos on YouTube.