June 20, 2010
From the English Channel to Mount Everest:
American Explorer to Tackle the World’s
Toughest Triathlon
Explorer’s family will join him for the 12,000-mile adventure
to deliver global health and educational initiatives
CHICAGO, IL On June 29, 2010, Charlie Wittmack will embark on his most
ambitious expedition yet – an unprecedented, 12,000-mile, 11-month,
intercontinental triathlon stretching from the frigid waters of the River Thames
in England to the summit of Mount Everest.
Stated simply, The World Tri may be the toughest human endurance event
ever conceived.
The World Tri is being undertaken by Charlie Wittmack, an American explorer
and attorney who has been training and preparing for this expedition for more
than 15 years. Wittmack is best known for having survived a remarkable ascent
of Everest in 2003, during which he reached the summit during the worst
weather in the recorded history of the mountain, only after making two backto-back summit attempts and spending three days without food or water.
Wittmack is an experienced marathon swimmer who has completed numerous
ocean marathon swims including a first place finish in the 12.5-mile Swim
Around Key West and a 2008 attempt on the English Channel.
Wittmack will be supported during The World Tri by his wife Cate, who is
leading an educational initiative based on the expedition and a global
health program in Nepal. The Wittmacks will be travelling with their young son
James, and award-winning journalists Brian Triplett and Andy Stoll.
More About The World Tri:
Over eleven months, The World Tri will cross thirteen countries while
encountering the most treacherous conditions imaginable.
• SWIM (275 miles): The expedition begins with an unprecedented 275-mile
swim down the River Thames in England to the icy North Atlantic Sea and
across the English Channel to France. (The swim is more than ten times the
distance of a typical English Channel crossing.)
• BIKE (9,000 miles): From France, the expedition continues with a 9000mile 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.
Contact:
Lara Plathe , Strategic America
-1-
[email protected]
Tel: 515-453-2000
June 20, 2010
• RUN (950 miles): 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 run leg is more than 20 times
the distance of a typical Everest expedition.)
More About The World Tri’s Educational Initiative
The World Tri curriculum is an adventure-based educational program based on
The World Tri expedition. The educational program is a year long, inquirybased and project-based curriculum that strategically links together students,
educators, families and the general public in formal and informal educational
communities through experiences in a variety of educational environments.
The curriculum modules developed for The World Tri Curriculum are designed
to be positive and inspirational and are accordingly “solutions-based.” Each
module will be specifically tailored to the regions explored during expedition,
while confronting participants with a blend of contemporary earth science issues
(such as alternative energy, water quality, water scarcity, and climate change),
and traditional earth science issues (such as geology, meteorology, climatology
and oceanography). While the core The World Tri Curriculum is STEM-based,
the program also includes modules that are focused on economic and cultural
issues.
More About The World Tri’s Global Health Program
Mothers in Nepal are 100 times more likely to die giving birth in Nepal than in
the United States. The World Tri team has partnered with Des Moines University
and the White Ribbon Alliance to address maternal mortality in Nepal through its
global health program
When The World Tri reaches Kathmandu, Nepal, DMU will provide onsite
physicians and medical students to provide training on safe childbearing. With
WHO, the White Ribbon Alliance and medical professionals, the team will work
with local birth attendants to teach best practices and provide equipment for
complicated deliveries with DMU’s state-of-the-art simulators.
“Nepal has one of the highest infant mortality rates in Southeast Asia. By getting
involved in The World Tri project, Des Moines University’s Global Health
program will be able to bring awareness to the problem and provide muchneeded public education,” says Dr. Yogesh Shah, Associate Dean, Global Affairs
for Des Moines University. “Through training of skilled caregivers and
community education, we are optimistic that we can make a big impact on the
health of woman while providing our students and the community with
educational opportunities.”
Contact:
Lara Plathe , Strategic America
-2-
[email protected]
Tel: 515-453-2000
June 20, 2010
The World Tri <http://www.theworldtri.com> is the vision of Charlie Wittmack. It
is a three-fold initiative to address maternal mortality rates in Nepal, offer
interactive curriculum for students that provides real-life solutions, and complete
an unprecedented physical challenge. The 11-month expedition will take Charlie
and his team nearly 12,000 miles through 13 countries.
Visit www.theworldtri.com <http://www.theworldtri.com> for more information.
Contact:
Lara Plathe , Strategic America
-3-
[email protected]
Tel: 515-453-2000