Australian triathlete Chris McCormack sent shockwaves through the racing community earlier this week when he issued a challenge to Lance Armstrong. McCormack, who is a former two-time Ironman World Champion, has proposed the two men meet in a one-on-one competition in an unsanctioned race to see just who is the better triathlete.

Apparently, the idea for this competition first came up prior to Armstrong being banned from competition for life last year. When the USADA stripped the former pro cyclist of his seven Tour de France wins, negotiations came to an abrupt halt. But McCormack says that he recently read an interview in which Lance said he believed that he could win the Ironman World Championship. That prompted the Aussie to reach out to Armstrong to see if they could put something together.

According to this article, Lance is interested in the idea and would be down for an opportunity to compete, even though the event would be completely unsanctioned. Due to his ban,  he can't officially enter any races, but that wouldn't prevent these two world-class athletes from challenging one another. It seems there is a chance that that could happen.

Despite the fact that he has been stripped of his Tour wins, Armstrong is undeniably an amazing athlete. This would be the chance for him to go head-to-head with someone who has plenty of experience in Ironman events and see just where he stacks up. I believe that interest for this event would be enormous. People would want to see just how good Lance still is and pitting him against one of the best triathletes in the world would be a great measuring stick.

It's hard to say if we'll ever see this race become a reality, but I'd certainly love to see it happen. I also happen to believe that it would be a fairly close race, provided Lance has some time to train and get back into competitive form. I guess we'll just have to wait to see if these two men get the chance to square off.

When we last checked in on Philippe Gatta, the ultrarunner attempting to run the length of the Great Himalaya Trail, a distance of 1700 km (1056 miles), in just 40 days, he was waiting out the weather. Philippe had gotten caught in the mountains just as Cyclone Phailin was hitting the mainland. That storm ended up dumping an unbelievable amount of snow across the region, burying portions of the trail in waist deep powder. It has gotten so bad in fact, that the Frenchman said that the snow was actually reaching the second story of some of the taller buildings in villages that he was passing through. When he returned to the GHT late last week, he found some of the higher passes blocked and impassable. Those conditions have caused him to reassess the expedition and come at it from a different direction – quite literally.

On Saturday, Philippe posted a note on his Facebook page that said that all the passes above 5000 meters (16,404 ft) are closed and would not reopen for sometime. Possibly not until spring. So, he decided to abandon his run where he was at and return to Kathmandu temporarily and then head back out to the trail, launching the next portion of his run from Lukla in the Khumbu Valley. That's the starting point for climbers and trekkers heading to Everest of course. His plan was to run from Lukla to Namche Bazaar and from there head to Island Peak, a 6165 meter (20,226 ft) mountain in the Khumbu region with the intention of climbing to the top. Island Peak is a trekking peak without any technical climbing involved, but considering how much snow it is currently buried under, it will still be a real challenge at the moment.

Another update came yesterday that indicated that Gatta had arrived in Namche after running just 3 hours and 15 minutes to get there. Anyone who has made that trek will tell you that is an impressive time considering it usually takes the better part of two days to walk there. That includes hiking up the famous Namche Hill, which includes some substantial gains in altitude. He'll likely spend a day there resting before beginning the hike to Island Peak.

So, while the objective the run has changes, Philippe is still pushing ahead with his adventure none the less. It appears an attempt to run the entire GHT is done for now, but he'll continue to apply his unique skills to explore the Khumbu Valley. It should be interesting to see how the trek to the mountain goes and if he finds success on Island Peak.

Good luck Philippe!

While we were celebrating the long weekend here in the States, teams of adventure athletes were battling it out in the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge in Australia. The five-day, stage race featured plenty of running, mountain biking and paddling as competitors challenged each other across a course that was more than 340 km (210 miles) in length. The video below, which includes highlights from the final day of the competition, is a good indicator of what this race is all about.

After five days of racing, the race was won by the team of Richard Ussher and Braden Currie. They completed the entire course in 18 hours, 54 minutes, which was more than two hours faster than the second place team that consisted of Alex Hunt and Mark Hinder. Third place went to Jarad Kohler and James Pretto, who finished in 26 hours, 52 minutes and 2 seconds.

This was the 10th annual Tasmania Challenge and over the year the race has become a staple on the adventure racing calendar each season. With another strong turnout this year, it appears that the race is poised to continue well into the future.

In September of 2011, in a desperate attempt to escape his corporate existence, Rob Lutter left his home in the U.K. to cycle around the world, documenting his journey through photographs along the way. He called his adventure The Lifecycle and for a year and half he rode across Europe and Asia. His journey took him through numerous countries as he passed over the Alps and Himalaya while enduring the blistering heat of deserts and the cold chill of mountain passes. To date, he has spent 720 days on the road, passed through 21 countries and ridden more than 15,000 km (9320 miles).

In January of this year, he arrived in Hong Kong where he has been working to raise funds to start the next phase of his journey. He intends to set out again before the end of the year, this time heading south towards the Equator and I would assume an eventual ride across Australia. Before he leaves, Rob worked with filmmaker Edwin Lee to release the video below, which tells a bit of his tale and serves as an inspiration for the rest of us to get off the couch, leave the mundane life behind and go find our own adventures. It is a very well done clip that I'm sure many of you will relate to.

Also, be sure to check out some of Rob's photos on his website. He has some really nice shots from his ride so far.

A RIDE REBORN from Edwin Lee on Vimeo.

Wednesday marks the start of the 10th annual Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge, a 341 km (211 miles) adventure race held in the remote Tasmanian wilderness. The event is hosted each year by F1 star Mark Webber, who happens to be a huge fan of endurance sports and adventure racing in particular. Webber ended his long racing career last Sunday after competing in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The course for this year's Tasmania Challenge runs along the West Coast of the Australian island. The five-day race features coed teams with some incredible athletes mixed into the field. While Webber himself is unable to compete this year, fellow F1 driver Mitch Evans is giving the Challenge a go for the first time. He's joined by Olympians Emma Snowsill, who competed in the triathlon, and Kenny Wallace who is a world class kayaker. As is usual with an adventure race of this kind, the stages will include mountain biking, trail running, paddling and various other disciplines.

The elite teams will be competing for a piece of the $30,000 purse, while others will be taking part in the charity fundraiser. Most of the proceeds generated from the Tasmania Challenge goes to Whielion, an organization which provides a number of service for at-risk youth in Australia. Additionally, some of the funds also go to the Save The Tasmanian Devil fun as well.

Once the race gets underway you'll be able to follow the progress of the teams and get updates on daily standings from the official website.

The Adventure Racing World Championship is still ongoing in Costa Rica, but as I write this, two teams have crossed the finish line, claiming first and second place respectively. The winners of the race, and this year's world champions are Thule Adventure Team, who finished in 168 hours,  27 minutes. That translates to a little more than seven days or non-stop racing. Second place went to Columbia Vidaraid, which came across the line at 171 hours, 34 minutes. Right now, it appears that Adidas TERREX Prunesco is in position to claim third place, although they aren't home yet.

The race got underway last weekend with the four-person, coed teams facing a 700+ km (435 mile) course designed to test their endurance, skills and determination. At the time, it was thought that the top teams could potentially complete the route in about 4 to 5 days. But, it turns out that was a very optimistic estimate. Thule is perhaps the best team in the sport today, and it took them 2-3 days longer than projected.

As is typical in adventure racing, this course mixed trail running, mountain biking and paddling. It started on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and finishes on the Atlantic Coast. In between there were miles of rainforest to cross, rivers to kayak and mountains to climb.

Congratulations to Jackie Boisset, Mimi Guillot, Stuart Lynch and Albert Roca, the athletes who make up Team Thule. This win continues a great run for the team, who have been very tough to beat on an international level over the past few years.

The Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge wrapped up a week ago, and at the time I mentioned how it has become a staple on the adventure racing calendar each fall. Turns out I spoke a bit too quickly, although the future does continue to look bright for the event.

Late last week I received word that the Challenge will go on hiatus for 2014 as race organizers prepare for the future. Details are a bit light right now, but I'm told that they are preparing for a "significant step up" when the race returns in 2015. The press release accompanying the note that I received indicated that the race has positioned itself nicely to move into a premium position moving forward. It also indicated that Webber, who has now retired from F1 racing (although not automobile racing completely), will have a bit more free time that he'll use to grow the Tasmania Challenge further.

It seems that there is something big in the works and the race will return with a vengeance in 2015. Until then, we'll have to wait to hear more once the details emerge. Considering the Tasmania Challenge has now been around for ten years, finding out where it is headed next should prove very interesting.

Check Point Zero is reporting that Ian Adamson's 24 Hours of Triathlon is coming to NBC this fall as part of their World of Adventure Sports broadcasts. The race is scheduled to be run on September 1st and the show will air on October 27th.

I first reported on the 24 hours of triathlon back when Ian Adamson announced his retirement from full time adventure racing in December. But now the project looks like it's up and running, and already has a media presence with NBC. The race will be run in Cherry Creek State Park in Boulder, Colorado (where else?) and will consist of both team "relay" legs or solo competition. You can read updates in the Offical Blog and if you'd like to register click here.

More on the event as it gets closer.

The Adventure Racing World Championship is set to get underway in Costa Rica this weekend when coed teams of four take part in this year's Costa Rica Adventure Race. The official start of the event is scheduled for Sunday, when a field of 60 of the best AR teams from 26 different countries line up at the starting line.

The race is scheduled to last up to nine days, although the winners are projected to finish in just four. It will begin on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast and end on the country's Atlantic side. In between, the competitors will run, bike, paddle, climb and raft through 700+ km (435 miles) of dense jungle and mountain terrain.

The Costa Rica Adventure Race is the final event on the AR World Series calendar for 2013. The teams that are competing in the race have all had to qualify by racing in other ARWS events throughout the year. This event will crown this year's world champs, with teams such as Seagate, Adidas TERREX Prunesco, and the Thule Adventure Team expected to be in the mix. It should be quite the event for fans of the sport and be sure to check out the Costa Rica AR website for regular updates and team tracking.

In 2014 an amazing new competition is set to take place with ultra-marathons being held in Jordan and  Oman, which will set the stage for a bigger, longer race to follow. Known as the Desert Challenge, this epic set of races is set to become one of the top endurance events on the ultra-running calendar.  The video below gives us a glimpse of what to expect out of this competition. As you might imagine, it won't be for the feint of heart.

The Desert Challenge from TransArabia on Vimeo.

Adventure racers looking to fill out their race schedule for next year can now add Expedition Idaho to the list of events they'll want to compete in next year. The race, which held its inaugural run back in 2011, returns on August 10-16 and will once again feature a fantastic finish amongst a cheering crowd of onlookers at a 2000-person beer festival. As you would expect, the race will include running, mountain biking and paddling sections, with a few extra surprises thrown in for good measure. This is a 500+ mile, expedition style race through some of the most spectacular backcountry in North America and I have it on very good authority that the mountain biking sections in particular will be amongst the best ever in an adventure race.

Find out more at the Perpetual Motion Events website, which is still under construction but has some preliminary information about all of their upcoming events.

Speaking of other upcoming events, the race management staff has also announced another exciting race that will take place in 2015. Not content to simply punish racers on a tough course in Idaho, the team has also announced the first ever Expedition Alaska adventure race, which will take place in June of 2015. That event will let 20 lucky teams compete for seven days in a wild and beautiful frontier that will push them to their limits.

And last, but certainly not least, Adventure Sports Week Idaho will also be back in 2014 offering more events than ever including an off-road tri, more trail runs and 52-mile ultra. The official dates have not been announced just yet, but ASWI will take place near Labor Day. As usual, the various races and events that make up Adventure Sports Week will be held in Farragut State Park near beautiful Coeur d’ Alene. Stay tuned for more information as the schedule unfolds. 

So there you have it. Adventure races and endurance athletes will certainly want to take note of these three great opportunities to compete in 2014 and beyond. I'm super-excited to see Expedition Idaho return next year and I can't wait to see what is store for Expedition Alaska in 2015.