The goal was 300 — In the past 16 weeks there have been over 4,200 Nike H2OPE
shoes sold. Nike to donate $25,000 to Operation Blessing. OBI is a charity devoted to
funding clean water projects in villages around the world that currently lack
access to local, safe water. Please join me and support H2OPE at
www.ob.org/h2ope . You can still get your – H2OPE – Nike shoes @
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop%2Cpwp%2Cc-1+100701%2Fhf-50149+4294966954%2Ft-H2OPE
It was a long and very eventful 6 day journey through Death Valley.
Monday afternoon I crossed the 306 mile mark of my epic journey out of Nevada and through an insanely desolate route into California including the Badwater ultra-marathon course covering 306+ miles.
Thank you to my crew who did a remarkable job. Thanks to my team at Nike, inc. who inspire me to be my best. To Operation Blessing, MetaBender, PocketChange and the hundreds who did the Global Run – thank you for making this vision a reality.
I put my body and mind to the test to raise money for Operation Blessing. A charity devoted to funding clean water projects in villages around the world that currently lack access to local, safe water. Please join me and support H2OPE at www.ob.org/h2ope .
Make sure to get your H2OPE Nike shoes!
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop%2Cpwp%2Cc-1+100701%2Fhf-50149+4294966954%2Ft-H2OPE
Jason-
On November 1st, Jason Lester and his team ( Lisa Smith-Batchen, Amanda Mangum Esquivel, Sister Mary Beth, Catherine Ryan, Scott Morgan, Gwelle Hsu, Dave Carder ) will begin a 306 mile run across Death Valley in an effort to raise funds for Operation Blessing’s Clean Water program ( www.ob.org/h2ope ). I am sure that you have heard the facts before: Every 20 seconds a child dies of…their of thirst or a water-borne disease. One billion people on this planet lack access to safe, clean water. The devastation is staggering. The cost in human lives, each life so unique and precious, is unfathomable. The tragedy and wrongness of it cannot fail to stir the hearts of those who seek justice, love mercy and earnestly desire to be a part in making this world a better place for future generations. Official site: www.H2OPE2011.com
To help support the run you can donate HERE
The November 1st start of my 306 mile run across Death Valley is approaching quickly and I am really getting excited and looking forward to it more and more everyday. The training has been going really well, especially the past several weeks that I have been back in my birth state of Arizona. My mentor, teacher and crew leader, Lisa Smith-Batchen has me on a rigorous training schedule and this part of the journey has been epic.
The past two weeks have been some of the best training I have had in the past couple years of my journey. With all of my commitments to sponsors, appearances and personal life – it’s been rigorous and time consuming which can end up very draining. Not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well. It was very frustrating and it took a trip ‘back home’ and a lot of soul searching to reveal what had gotten me off track.
“I want to feel the grip of pain, the unquenchable thirst that so many suffer every day, and do everything I can to bring relief to the millions of precious children, moms, and dads who are suffering and dying from lack of access to clean water.” — Jason Lester. The official Jason Lester / H2OPE shoe: http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop%2Cpwp%2Cc-1+100701%2Fhf-50149+4294966954%2Ft-H2OPE
Read about my most ” Invincible ” moment in the book titled ” Be Invincible!: A Playbook for Reaching Your Full Potential ” written by my Co- Author Tim Vandehey. Vince Papale was a Fan – turned – NFL Team Captain for the Philadelphia Eagles. The movie “Invincible” with Mark Wahlberg was based off Papale’s story. The true meaning of ” Never Stop “. Grab the book and enjoy the stories in it of other athletes ” Invincible ” moments – including yours truly.
I share my vegan diet in the new book “Health Is Wealth: Performance Nutrition” set to launch this October. Grab a copy and take a peek at how I’ve completed over 20 Iron Distance tri’s on a vegan diet.
by: J. Lester
Hello Epic World!
Sorry for the delay in posting. There has been so much going on…time and reality speed by at a dizzying pace making everything so surreal. In order to keep this update linear and logical I will start with H2OPE Day at the Nike World Headquarters a few weeks ago. On Wednesday, July 27th my amazing Epic Team hosted a day of events to highlight and publicize the global clean water crisis and the 306 mile run through Death Valley that I am gearing up for in November to raise funds for clean water wells. Oh, yeah–that is one thing that I should mention; the start date of the run is now 11.1.2011 and will start live from Nike Town Las Vegas! We are so blessed that Nike has stepped up in an *amazing way and this will allow us more time to raise more money for H2OPE! Read blog: http://jasonplester.com/wordpress/?p=240
“I want to feel the grip of pain, the unquenchable thirst that so many suffer every day, and do everything I can to bring relief to the millions of precious children, moms, and dads who are suffering and dying from lack of access to clean water.”
— Jason Lester www.ob.org/h2ope
RIGHTNOW, about 1 billion people—or one in eight—do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease. Get your Jason Lester inspired Nike – H2OPE shoe and join me in helping those in need of clean water! http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop%2Cpwp%2Cc-1+100701%2Fhf-50149+4294966954%2Ft-H2OPE&cp=H2OPEVanity#l=shop,pwp,c-1+100701/hf-50149+4294966954/t-H2OPE
by: J. Lester
Okay, guys. This post will be a short one–I am headed out on a thrilling journey in the morning!
I am so excited to be here in Death Valley right now. I’m out here to crew Lisa Smith-Batchen as she takes on her 10th and final Badwater Ultramarathon. For those who don’t know, the Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile race through Death Valley. The temperature can get as high as 130 degrees F but today was a bit cooler with a high of 115.
The terrain, the distance and the heat all combine to make the Badwater Ultramarathon a uniquely and undeniably tough race. This is a grueling course and is widely recognized as being one of the toughest races on the planet so it’s no wonder that it draws the world’s most accomplished endurance runners wanting to try themselves against this treacherous stretch of desert.
In the past day or so that I have been out here I have met so many incredible people. I will write more on that next week after I have had a chance to process my entire Badwater experience, but right now I do want to to tell you briefly about one AMAZING person I have met here–Sister Mary Beth. Sister Mary Beth is a long-time friend of Lisa’s and she is one inspiring lady. I will write more next week, but till then, please take a moment and read this article about the wonderful cause that fuels Lisa and Sister Mary Beth’s amazing feats of ultrarunning.
Just to give a quick update, I have been training for my 306 mile H2OPE run in LA for the past couple weeks and it has been very hot, but I am adjusting and I have experienced a real shift in how I view the heat–I am thankful for it more than ever because I know that the more I train in the heat the better prepared I am for those 306 miles in Death Valley. By the way, the Badwater course that I will be traversing on Monday and Tuesday as a part of Lisa’s crew is part of the course I will run for the H2OPE event so this is going to be great training for me–I will get to see a portion of the course I’ll be running, but I will also get to see what it is like to crew for someone running in the conditions here in Death Valley. I am really looking forward to gaining that perspective. Lots more to write on that, though I don’t think my thoughts on this are fully formed yet, but I’ll be writing about that next week for sure.
One last thing I want to mention: I am very blessed and thankful to be partnering up with Nike as they develop their first ever shoe designed specifically for running in this kind of heat. They have provided me with a prototype pair of shoes, the soles of which are made of a special type of rubber so that they don’t melt out on Badwater Road.
That’s about it for now…I have an early morning and a long two days ahead of me. Prayers and blessings for all of the Badwater athletes and crews would be very much appreciated!
–Jason
by: J. Lester
This week I have been reminded how blessed I am to do what I do.
In the middle of a busy week of catching planes and getting to meetings, I was inspired and encouraged by something amazing–a group of Native American kids from reservations all around the country coming to together to connect, learn, grow and develop the skills needed to be leaders in their communities. On Wednesday I was honored and blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with the N7 group at the Nike campus. N7 is Nike’s outreach program to empower, inspire and equip Native American and Aboriginal populations in North America. While visiting the Nike campus the kids got to attend workshops on health and wellness, design their own t-shirts and a shoe, and engage in some great team building by playing a lot of basketball. Wednesday morning I went to go hang out with the kids while they were designing their t-shirts and a custom shoe. Read More: http://jasonplester.com/wordpress/?p=204
by: J. Lester
This is a tough post to write. I don’t really know where to start. How does one stare into a coming trial, one that will test everything that they are and put that fear, trepidation, thrill, excitement, dread, anticipation, anxiety, nervousness, elation into words? I am about to embark on the greatest challenge of my life. I have never faced anything as difficult as what lies in front of me now. All my life has led me to right here, right now. Let me try to cast my vision. I feel as if I am on the edge of a precipice. As I gaze down, I see before me a very long stretch of merciless desert just waiting to destroy me. That desert seems to sneer, to mock me and dare me to just try it. That desert, in spite of its savage beauty, is just waiting to tear me apart. Please read: http://jasonplester.com/wordpress/?p=112
The EPICMAN Challenge® the ultimate in ultra-triathlon competition. 7.2 mile swim – 336 mile bike – 78.6 mile run. Non – Stop - on the island of Oahu from December 30, 2011 – January 01, 2012 . http://www.active.com/triathlon/honolulu-hi/epicman-challenge-2011
“Jason’s story is a must read! It is a true testimony of the human spirit and confirmation that we all have so much more in us than we may believe. The challenges he conquered will create a shift in your life” ( Tyrese Gibson, singer and actor ). Jason Lester: ESPY Winner | Nike Ultra Endurance Athlete | Chief Inspiration Officer | Author of: Running on Faith Running on Faith: The Principles, Passion, and Pursuit of a Winning Life. Order Here: http://www.amazon.com/Running-Faith-Principles-Passion-Pursuit/dp/0061965723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306418998&sr=8-1
Outside TV
At approximately 8:40 am on May 10th, Epic5 founder Jason P. Lester crossed the finish line on the Big Island in Hawaii, completing a 703 mile odyssey that is almost beyond comprehension. Engulfed in a huddle of hugs, tears, smiles, shouts, and just sheer exhaustion, Lester, and his cadre of world-class endurance athletes, had just accomplished a feat that many consider on a level of climbing Mount Everest, swimming the English Channel, and cycling the Tour d’France all wrapped up in one. The Epic5 Challenge is an ultra-endurance event made up of completing five full triathlons in five days across five Hawaiian islands. Joining Lester on the short list of those who traversed the full 703 miles were Spanish Triathlete sensation Josef Ajram, Argentina’s highly accomplished endurance start Juan Craveri, and Portland, Oregon’s emerging triathlon super-star Christian Isakson. The Nike Women’s relay team of Michelle Macy (swimming), Patty Smaldone (cycling), and Kelly McKean (running) also completed the gruelling five-day endurance test. Read More: http://www.outsidetv.com/blog/epic-5-challenge/epic5-ends-super-human-efforts
West Hawaii Today
Ultraendurance athlete and 2009 ESPY Award winner Jason Lester will attempt to traverse the Hawaiian island chain the best way he knows how — by swimming, biking and running 703 miles in five days. The Kailua-Kona resident and eight other high-performance triathletes will compete in Lester’s creation, the EPIC5 Challenge, in which they swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles each day while moving from island to island. The adventure will start Thursday on Kauai and finish Monday on the Big Island. The athletes will also compete on Oahu, Molokai and Maui. http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/sections/sports/local-sports/tackling-spiritual-journey.html
Test the Extreme Limits of Human Endurance: Watch Jason Lester, Josef Ajram, Juan A. Craveri, Chet ‘The Jet’ Blanton, Christian Isakson, Kelly McKean, Michelle Macy, Patty Smaldone, Michael Flartey and William ‘Iron Ox’ Pruett write history live @ www.epic5.com/live
Outside Television
As the blips and beeps of our Web conferencing system began punctuating the quiet of my subterranean office, I was preparing to ease our Epic5 documentary production crew into the good, the bad, and the ugly of our pending show across the Hawaiian islands. The Epic5 Challenge was not only going to be a monumental struggle for our nine athletes, who are preparing to traverse five islands, while completing five triathlons in five days, but for our production crew, as well. Even with the incredibly talented team of Jeffrey Smith, Stan Rosario, Leah Garcia, Ian Adamson and team coordinator extraordinaire Kirk Montgomery, there is just no way of knowing where the drama would unfold. http://www.outsidetelevision.com/blog/epic-5-challenge/jason-lester-carrying-load-epic5-challengeand-still-having-room-more
Nike sponsored Ultra Endurance Athlete Jason P. Lester, to Lead International Contingent Across Hawaiian Islands on 703 Mile Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Quest
Kailua Kona, HI (PRWEB)
Mankind has long sought to test the limits of human endurance with feats of conquest. Climbing Mount Everest, the Tour de France, and swimming the English Channel have all presented formidable challenges to those who have accepted the obstacles each of these endeavors has presented. But later this spring, from May 5th through 9th, the current standards in human endurance will be shattered as five athletes attempt to complete five triathlons in just five days during the inaugural EPIC5 Challenge across the Hawaiian Islands. “This is a spiritual journey,” explains Jason P. Lester, organizer of the EPIC5 and 2009 ESPY award-winning athlete. “While all five of us have completed numerous triathlons throughout our careers, the EPIC5 Challenge will test each one of us physically and mentally, for sure. But it will be the spiritual component that will rally all of us at about the third day. As a group, and individually, we will be united with whatever higher power we believe in. It will take everything we have to complete this 703 mile journey in just five days,” Lester said somberly. Read More: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/04/prweb5267244.htm
jason lester ironman
