From the inspiring to the tragic, ‘Adventure News of the Week’ presents a wrap-up of top news in the world of exploration and adventure. Here’s what you missed this weekend, and a few things to look forward to.
This weekend, the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run went down in Colorado’s San Juan mountains. Setting a historic new record, all three men’s podium finishers broke the previous counterclockwise course record of 23:28 (set by Kilian Jornet in 2015). For men, François D’haene finished first with an overall course record of 21:45 (beating Jornet’s 22:41:33 set in 2014), with Dylan Bowman finishing second and Ryan Smith coming in third.
For women, Sabrina Stanley took first with a time of 27:21:49 (the second-fastest women’s course time in history), Darcy Piceu took second, and iRunFar’s own Meghan Hicks came in third place.
Continuing with big news in racing, adventure racing couple Chelsey and Jason Magness are setting some impressive records. Last weekend, Chelsey Magness won the women’s division of the 24-Hour MTB National Championships, held in Bend, Oregon. She not only won first for women, but fifth overall, and set a course record in the process.
A few weeks prior, Jason Magness won the human-powered division of the notorious WA360 boat race, piloting a tandem kayak with Daniel Staudigel continuously for over four days in order to finish first in the kayak division, and 14th overall. Magness, who is also an Eco Challenge competitor, founded Team Bend Racing (TBR) with his wife, GearJunkie writer Chelsey Magness.
Bikepacker Lael Wilcox just set a new Trans Alaska Pipeline FKT, cycling 858 miles on a mix of gravel and road in 3 days, 17 hours, and 58 minutes. Her goal for herself was 4-5 days. She finished in the wee hours of Saturday morning. View her route and time here (pending confirmation).
In other news, Colorado welcomed over 250 adaptive youth and adult athletes to the Move United Junior Nationals competition, which began yesterday. Athletes are competing in various events (archery, para-triathlon, para-powerlifting, para-swimming, and wheelchair sports) through July 23.
Colorado-founded Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU) announced it’s moving further west, opening a new concept location in Truckee, California. It’s set to open — with a full retail store, ski and bike tune shop, bar, and restaurant — in the early fall of 2021.
