FEATURES
IronCowboy Riding Into Minnesota...
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Saturday, 27 June 2015 00:10
By Christina Meier
James Lawrence, the current Guinness World Record Holder for Most Ironmans Completed in a Year, is taking on a 50-state Challenge this summer that he aptly calls the 50-50-50 Challenge.
His purpose is to bring a national awareness to the ever-growing epidemic of childhood obesity, “We’re the first generation where the parents are slated to outlive their children,” The Iron Cowboy said, “The epidemic is so crazy that I had to do something that equaled its craziness in order for people to pay attention.” He’ll race 50 Ironman-distance triathlons in 50 consecutive days in 50 states to bring awareness and raise funds to fight this epidemic....
Childhood obesity is exploding in America, with this generation being the first where parents are slated to outlive their children. As a father of 5, James believes it’s vital to reverse this trend and is using the publicity and profits he generates from the 50-50-50 in partnership with The Jamie Oliver Food Foundationto fight this epidemic.
Though racing this far seems impossible to most, James is prepared, “I know my limits were not reached in 2012 [when breaking the Ironman World Record] and I want to test the true limits of my mind and body with this 50-50-50 Challenge, and I want the people of the United States and around the world to join me,” said The Iron Cowboy.
The 50-50-50 Challenge requires completing a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile a bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run every single day for 50 days in 50 different U.S. states. To save you the math, it’s a total of 120 miles swam, 5,600 biked, and 1,310 run over the course of the challenge. The public can join and participate, free, in their city’s challenge by registering for the official 5K here: The Iron Cowboy’s website.
The Iron Cowboy began his journey on June 6, 2015 and has been traveling state-to-state beginning in Hawaii, continuing to Alaska, and racing every day to finish in his home state of Utah on July 25. The IronCowboy will be in Waconia, Minnesota on Friday, July 17th to complete his 42nd Ironman distance in a row! To see the MN route (may be adjusted slightly in the coming weeks), visit here, then checkout the complete map of his journey across the US.
Thanks to generous donations from sponsors, James’ trip is funded, but he requires $100,000 in public donations for the documentary about this record-breaking victory. Award-winning director and cinematographer, Jacob Schwarz, will produce the documentary. Donations are being accepted through The 50-50-50 Indiegogo campaign. Donors will receive unique perks like one-of-a-kind art works, apparel, race bibs and copies of the documentary when completed.
To make his trip to Minnesota the most memorable, we are looking to get together the best and biggest support crew of all! James, family, and crew is traveling around the US in an RV, and being hosted by Airbnb. Aside from these basics, they are going to need all the help we can give, in all areas. We are looking for people interested in coming out to the Waconia area on July 17th to swim, ride, and run with James! The official 5k will start around 7pm that evening, but he would love company throughout the entire day. We’re also looking for any other resources people are able and willing to provide; kayaks, bike mechanics, chiropractic care, massage therapy, food experts J (anyone willing to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner for James traveling support crew), extra vehicles, ice/water stations, snacks!, and the list goes on. Please shoot an email to Christina Meier (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you’d like to help out the IronCowboy when he comes to Minnesota, or simply come out and support! Let’s all be a part of history as we witness this unbreakable World Record being set. In the meantime, follow along on social media as James conquers an Ironman distance each day. It’s unbelievable what this guy can endure!
A couple of more really good articles on the IronCowboy:
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_dba670ac-f571-5306-b773-fb00882ac892.html
