Q. What is the World Tri?
A. The World Tri is an unprecedented, 10,000-mile, intercontinental triathlon that reaches from the frigid waters of the River Thames in England to the snow-covered summit of Mount Everest. Over eleven months, The World Tri will cross thirteen countries while encountering the most treacherous conditions imaginable. The expedition begins with a 275-mile swim down the River Thames in England to the icy North Atlantic Sea and across the English Channel to France. From France, the expedition continues with a 9,000-mile bicycle ride across Europe and Asia, passing over many of the world’s most rugged and remote mountain ranges, and crossing hundreds of miles of barren sand desert, before climbing over the Himalaya to the Indian Ocean and Calcutta. The triathlon concludes with a super-ultra 950-mile run from sea level at the Bay of Bengal, up into the Himalaya, to the top of the world and the summit of Mount Everest.
The World Tri is being undertaken by Charlie Wittmack, an American explorer and adventurer who has been training and preparing for this expedition for more than 15 years. Wittmack will be supported during the expedition by his wife Cate, who will be leading an educational initiative throughout the expedition and a global health program in Nepal. The Wittmacks will be travelling with their young son James, filmmaker Andy Stoll, and journalist Brian Triplett.
Q. How many people are competing in The World Tri?
A. Charlie Wittmack is the only athlete competing in The World Tri this year. It is our hope that others will follow in the future.
Q. How did you come up with The World Tri?
A. The World Tri is an idea that I came up with when I was a freshman at Roosevelt High School. At the time, I was obsessed with adventure books and read anything I could get my hands on that was about climbing or exploration. I was working at a bike shop after school, running on the cross-country team, and swimming on the swim team – so, naturally I became interested in triathlons. At night I read stories about Captain Webb and Sir Edmund Hillary, and I began to dream up ideas for the toughest triathlon in the world. One day I was looking through an article on the Silk Road in National Geographic, and the idea for the World Tri was born – swim the English Channel, bicycle the Silk Road to Nepal, and run to the summit of Mount Everest!
Q. Charlie, what’s the matter with you?!
A. I recognize that this sounds completely crazy. But I’ve been developing this project for more than 15 years while working through the details of each leg of the expedition. I began with cycling, participating in numerous bicycle tours (including a 1995 ride across the United States), and spent two seasons racing mountain bikes in the northeast NORBA circuit. Next, I spent seven years training for Mount Everest, completing climbs of some of the most difficult and dangerous peaks in the world, before finally reaching the summit of Everest in 2003 during some of the worst weather in the recorded history of the mountain. Finally, I completed numerous marathon swims, including a first place finish in the 12.5 mile Swim Around Key West, and a 2008 attempt on the English Channel.
Q. Didn’t you almost die the last time you tried to swim the English Channel?
A. It’s true that I didn’t make it all the way to France in 2008 during my attempt to swim the English Channel. I actually swam about 15 miles before being pulled from the water due to severe hypothermia after six and a half hours of swimming. In 2008, I wanted to complete the swim under open water swimming rules, which meant I couldn’t wear a wetsuit. During the swim I learned that everyone was right, and I don’t have adequate body fat to complete that swim without a wetsuit. In 2010, I’ll be completing the entire expedition under triathlon rules, which permits wetsuits. I’m confident that with a wetsuit I can avoid hypothermia and complete the swim.
Q. What if something happens and you can’t complete the route?
A. Obviously there is no credit for a project if you can’t complete the entire route, and I have every intention of completing every inch. However the point of this expedition is for our team to push this expedition as far as possible, safely, and to complete our educational and global health programs. If something happens that causes me to miss a few inches of the route, the expedition will go on.
Q. Where will your wife, Cate, and son, James, be during all of this?
A. Cate and James are going to be handling the support vehicle until we conclude that James is no longer benefiting from the experience. So far, he seems to be at his best when he’s travelling, but there will come a time during the expedition when it will be time for him to return home. As I said before, safety is the most important factor of this expedition, and that is especially true for Cate and James.
Q. Do you have the most supportive wife ever?
A. Yes!
Q. Why now? Haven’t you been watching the stock market??
A. Life is full of dilemmas, and most of us can usually find a hundred reasons not to chase our dreams. Right now, each of those reasons is part of the challenge of this project, and I’m sure we can overcome them with a little help from our friends. The timing is perfect in the thirteen countries we pass through, and for the first time in decades the entire route is open. I’m not confident that it will stay open if we delay the expedition.
Q. Can I tag along?
A. Absolutely! There are lots of ways to get involved and more information here.
Q. Are you going to be working with students again?
A. Yes. We’re currently developing educational materials that will be available on this website later this year. Keep checking these pages for more information as the expedition gets underway.
Q. What do you think the most exciting portion of the expedition will be?
A. Obviously the Channel crossing and the Everest summit are going to be the most sensational, but I’m most excited about the bike ride. The bike route includes crossing numerous mountain ranges, one of the most difficult mountain passes in the world, a 500-mile sand desert, the Tibetan plateau at 18,000 feet, an 11,000 km “no man’s land” between China and India, and finishes with a descent down the longest downhill road in the world. It’s going to be packed with adventure!
