Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha!

If you travel by Kayak (2.5miles), by bike (157miles overnight) and by foot (26.2 miles) from an island in Maine to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, in 24 hours on no sleep – you could be an EpicMan.

The EpicMan idea was born where so many great ideas are spawned – in a bar. The specific details are a little fuzzy – but what started as a ‘gentlemens bet’ between Will Thomas and Samuel Bradbury has evolved into a triumphant, multi-faceted event of truly epic proportions. The 2012 EpicMan promises to be no exception!

I have been lucky enough to be involved in this wonderful event for the last 2 years, developing the Portland to Portsmouth leg of the journey into a great group ride and fun party at the beautiful Trek Bicycle Store in Portsmouth. This portion of Epic has always been a fundraiser for Team Trevor – a wonderful local family who work their butts off raising money to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Trevor’s family has been closely involved, Mom Christie holds down the fort at the Trek store and organizes all the donated Chipotle burritos and beverages for the party, and Trevor’s dad and uncle have both ridden with us (and will again this year). With the help of Stonyfield Farms, Trek Portsmouth, Many members of the Vento Triathlon Club and local cyclists we have raised some good dough for TT, and spread awareness through our community.

I’ve got to be honest, each year as I have stood outside the store and waved off Will and Seth and Ted (in 2010), and then more adventurous souls in 2011, I have kind of breathed a sigh of relief that I get to go home to my warm and cozy bed and then check in on facebook over coffee in the morning to see how they did…. But this year I am breaking out. This year, this mom is going EPIC.

As the spirit of EpicMan has grown so have the numbers, this year we will have around 15 crazies riding all night and running the marathon – and many more participating in numerous and varied aspects of the whole weekend.

EpicMan is all inclusive – there’s room for everyone. Want to kayak? Great! Want to hang out and eat pizza (there-by fundraising!) at Flatbread? You’re in! Come ride to Portsmouth as part of the most supportive and exuberant group ride you’ll ever experience! Hang at Trek Portsmouth for beer and burritos or cheer us on from the sidelines on Heartbreak Hill - and of course you wouldn’t want to miss the finish line party! There’s room for all, as long as you bring a little of your own Epic spirit.

I’m training, I’m preparing, I’m wondering how on earth I am going to stay awake ALL NIGHT… and I am so excited to be part of this larger than life adventure.
Stay tuned to my Epic Prep… I’ll keep you posted on how I manage to balance some Epic training into a life pretty full of being a mom, working hard at our small business, coaching skiing and triathlon and not forgetting to feed the dog…or the guinea pig.

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Olivia