Just watched the beginning of a TV series on Outdoor Life Network. 50 participants are competing for 5 spots to climb Mt. Everest. The screening process takes places at various places thruout the world: Moab, Utah; Costa Rica; Aspen, Colorado; Iceland; etc. The athletes themselves are male and female amateur (not pro) outdoors enthusiats - and each has some sort of solid background in their own regards - some are seasoned ironman triatheletes, one is a marine, one is a serious inline skater, some are hikers and climbers - all love the outdoors, and all are willing to challenge their own limits and test their skills.

The challenges are legion - swimming across ice cold rivers, climbing boulders and cliffs, biking long distances in mud and snow, alpine running, high altitude environment. Some nice photos from the first two episodes.

Wow. Incredible! On that note of challenging the limits, several times in the past I've contemplated running a marathon. I think this year, I really wanna try something I can handle. So I think I'm gonna try a half-marathon. For me, the challenging part isn't the marathon itself, its maintaining the daily focus and dedication in practice and training leading up to the event itself. And also, its got me thinking - there are many things I'd like to try out within the next few years ... God willing ... 1) get some climbing experience (casual weekend excursions at Enchanted Rock) 2) mountain biking or off-train biking 3) ice climbing (Colorado or Alaska?)