KAILUA-KONA, HI—Most people would agree that trying to complete five Iron-distance triathlons on five consecutive days—on five different Hawaiian islands, no less—is crazy. Not Kona's Nike sponsored athlete - Jason Lester, ultra-distance athlete and author of the book Running on Faith. At 9 a.m. on May 10, Lester ran down Ali'i Drive to become one of only four athletes to complete all five days of the first EPIC5 Challenge.

 

Joining Lester in completing this punishing, demanding ultra-endurance event were Red Bull-sponsored extreme athlete Josef Ajram of Spain, 23-time Ironman finisher Juan A. Craveri of Argentina, and Portland, Oregon firefighter Christian Isakson.  Each man completed a full Iron-length triathlon beginning May 5 on Kauai, then continuing May 6 on Oahu, May 7 on Molokai, May 8 on Maui, and concluding on the world-famous Ironman World Championship course on May 9.  By the time they crossed the finish line in the wee hours of the morning of May 10, the four athletes had logged a staggering total of 703 miles in five days.

 

Other participants included: Chet "The Jet" Blanton of Oahu; charity fundraising athlete Michael Flartey of Oahu (who injured a calf and cut his final bike stage short); and William "Iron Ox" Pruett, who participated in the Kona Ironman.  The event also featured a three-woman relay team sponsored by Nike consisting of swimmer Michelle Macy, cyclist Patty Smaldone and runner Kelly McKean.  

 

All the athletes participated in a first-of-its-kind event designed as a fundraiser for Lester's Never Stop Foundation, which is collecting funds to build the EPIC Center in Kailua-Kona, which will be a community resource for children seeking to improve their lives through athletic training and participation in sports. 

 

"I created EPIC5 to be the ultimate challenge for a select group of world-class athletes, but it's also a lot more than that," says Lester, a multiple Ultraman finisher and the winner of the 2009 ESPY for Best Male Athlete With a Disability.  "I want to fund the EPIC Center while bringing out the best in everyone participating," he says.  "That's why EPIC5 will never be a race.  It's not about competition.  It's about testing the limits of what our bodies, minds and spirits can do, and exceeding those limits. I think that happened this year."

 

Lester says that EPIC5 is naturally a logistical nightmare, with missed flights, lost luggage, crew snafus and much more, but that the way everyone in his traveling circus of 25 pulled together exceeded his wildest dreams for the event.  "The way that the athletes, crew, journalists and local supporters on each island helped each other, went beyond their limits and fought exhaustion and pain to come together as a family and make this happen was the greatest thing about the first EPIC5," he says.  "After this, we are all ohana forever."

 

Lester plans to bring back EPIC5 in 2012 with lessons learned and smoother logistics, opening it to a new field of elite endurance athletes.  Plans also include a book centered on the event and a one-hour documentary which will air on the Outside television network.  For more information, please visit www.epic5.com