Wait. They did 22 triathlons??
The other weekend, a world record was broken — Ethan Hunger, a Bellingham, WA real estate agent and founder of 'Hunger vs. Hunger' (a fundraiser for food banks in Whatcom County, WA), broke the record for most triathlons completed in 24 hours. Yep, you heard that right. Ethan completed 22 super sprint triathlons over 24 hours, totaling 5.5 miles of swimming, 136.4 miles of biking, and 34 miles of running. Absolutely insane effort!
The squad swims into the night, picture taken by Grayson Baum
This event spanned 24 hours, meaning Ethan started at 6 pm and finished at 6 pm the following day. At the start line, a crowd of people surrounded the beach of Whatcom Lake as they cheered Ethan into his first leg of the swim. It was surreal to think that in an entire day, he would still be out here giving it his all. Ethan said, "My goal is 24 legs in 24 hours. I'm not sure if it's possible, but I'm going to give it my best shot".
Here is a screenshot of the super-sprint triathlon course created by Travis from TheDailyTri
The hardest part for the trio was getting through the night. There were fewer supporters to cheer them on, no light, and the haunting thought that this was just the beginning. They trekked through the entire night without stopping, with everyone doing their best to keep spirits high. Travis said, "When someone was going through a dark place, another would keep spirits high. And when I was going through a dark place, someone else was there for me." The mental battle was just as hard as the physical.
A Ray of Hope
The sun peeking over the mountains the following day gave them a second wind — they realized they survived the night! But the fight was far from over. They still had another 12 hours of non-stop movement until they completed the 24 hours. Together, they kept pushing each other to just get to the next leg. At this part of the day, it was just a matter of putting your head down and grinding. With their bodies physically beat up and their morale slipping away, it truly seemed like it would never end.
To the Finish Line!
By the evening, Ethan had already crushed the previous record of 18 super sprint triathlons in one day — he was already sitting at 20 with a couple of hours left in the day. He could have stopped there and called it a hard day's work, but he was hungry for more (pun definitely intended). His motivation spiked again, and he was able to secure 2 more triathlons before the finish, putting him at 22 triathlons in one day!
As he ran down the final part of the beach, an enormous crowd cheered him on as he crossed the finish line. Tears dripping down his face, Ethan had just completed the most physically and mentally demanding task of his life. Not only was he a world record holder, but he did it all for people in need in his community. Ethan is truly a special person. The strength, grit, and determination it takes to set out on a goal as massive as this one is hard to fathom. We feel very lucky to have been out there for a little bit to cheer him on in his crazy endeavor.
Where was the Rogue?
We also wanted to highlight that Travis's white Rogue All-Road participated in 21 legs of this event! Travis, the founder of The Daily Tri and long-time A2 partner, is good friends with Ethan and wanted to support him throughout the entire race. Travis was there all day and all night, swimming, biking, and running alongside Ethan. So technically, he too broke the world record, though he did 21 triathlons compared to Ethan's 22. At A2, we are also extremely proud to support Travis, Ethan, and the cause they fight for. Thanks for having us out there!
Watch the full recap by Travis (The Daily Tri)