About the EPIC5 Challenge
The brain child of Jason Lester, the EPIC5 Challenge is an unprecedented athletic and spiritual journey which begins on the island of Kauai before traveling on consecutive days to O'ahu, Moloka'i and Maui and concluding in Kona.
The inaugural kickoff for the 703 mile annual journey was in 2010. In 2011, the event will be comprised of five athletes selected from around the world, with one charity slot & one 3-person relay team.
Each athlete is encouraged to raise money for the charity of their choice, or to join Jason with raising funds for the NEVER STOP Foundation.
Each day will entail a full iron distance triathlon -- 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2 mile runThe athletes should be able to complete each island's journey in approximately 15 hours. The high level itinerary is as follows:
- Kaua'i | Thurs May 5 | start 3am - finish 5:30pm | evening flight to Oahu
- Oahu | Fri May 6 | start 6am - finish 8:30pm'ish, no evening flight
- Moloka'i | Sat May 7 | morning flight from Oahu | start 8am - finish 10:30pm'ish, no evening flight
- Maui | Sun May 8 | morning flight from Moloka'i | start 9am - finish 11:30pm'ish, no evening flight
- Big Island | Mon May 9 | morning flight from Maui | start 10:30am - finish anytime
A strong advocate for providing opportunities to children, Jason created The Never Stop Foundation whose primary focus is on encouraging youth to achieve their full potential through athletics. The goal of The Never Stop Foundation is to help those in their formative years find their own true voice, help them build their confidence, improve their communication skills and learn the values of discipline, trust, compassion, self-reliance, and respect.
Proceeds from this and all future EPIC5 events will fund The Never Stop Foundation's vision of developing a The EPIC Center in Kailua-Kona.