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Athletes

Athletes

Archive

Ellie Greenwood, winner of the 2012 ­Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, on balancing big miles with a day job.

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What do rock-climbing heart transplant patients, Somali pirate hunters, and arctic cowboys have in common? All could be found on the big screen at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Of this year’s 217 films, these seven outdoor-focused picks were a cut above.

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After freeskier Shane McConkey died in a ski-BASE accident four years ago, a group of his friends created McConkey, a documentary of his adventures that is as thrilling as it is heartfelt. We spoke with two of the directors about the film.

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Although initially reported as the result of altitude sickness, the death of DaRita Sherpa on May 5 was likely the result of a cardiac event. We take a look at why Sherpas are less susceptible to altitude-related illness.

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The reputation of American cycling has been dragged through the dirt in the last few years. Time has shown that Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, and many others built their reputations on cheating. But there’s a new generation of U.S. riders emerging to take their places—hopefully in an honest manner. This is another in the series

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Aaron Gwin, two-time World Cup overall champion, on the finer points of going down

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This week, the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards will crown the mightiest rides and nastiest wipeouts of 2013. We called surf journalist Chris Dixon, who will help pick the winners, to check in on the state of big wave surfing.

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The Harlem Shake, a sheik, and a badass grandfather

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Says he was 'unjustly enriched' by sponsorship

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9 people changing the face of global adventure

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As ski season wraps up, we ask 10 big guns to predict the future of the sport

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Two men who are changing the way the adventure world works

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A quick glance at the app's stats on the best-known segments of the upcoming Paris-Roubaix reveals a fascinating mix of professionals and amateurs

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A history of barefoot and back again

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I figure a new do might help me shave some time off of my bike and run. Right now, my hair’s just kind of long. What should I do with it?

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At 17, Keegan Swirbul has already beaten cycling's former despot at his own game

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How the San Jose Earthquakes forward handles a grueling eight-month soccer season

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One of the greatest big-wave surfers alive nearly died on a 50-footer in December. Now many in the surfing world are blaming another heavyweight—and the jet-powered board he was riding.

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Huston just left the country for his expedition to Ellesmere Island

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It's 13 miles from the top of Broadway to the bottom. Oh, and if you're wondering, it's definitely possible to get lost along the way.

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Several near deaths on the world’s highest peaks have shed light on a dangerous trend in mountaineering: rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs, particularly the powerful steroid dexamethasone

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The champion ski jumper took some time out of a busy training and travel schedule to answer a few of our questions

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Axie Navas takes a look at a new sport that's figuring out its place—on the snow and in the air

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A rare look inside the nutrition lab at the Olympic Training Center reveals how America's best athletes eat to win

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Top athletes share their meal strategies

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Brian Blickenstaff went to a not-quite-top-tier bobsled competition, and he found a bunch of people with a lot more in common than matching helmets

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Most people, you know, put on a pair of shoes in order to start running. Chris Hawson, though, needed to take his off.

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Avalo York once ruled the Central Park bike loop. He's still there, almost every weekday, but he's been done with racing for a long time.

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John John Florence was 19 when he became the youngest surfer ever to win the Triple Crown. Is he the next great phenomenon?

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We cornered the founder of Burton Snowboards at Outdoor Retailer's Winter Market to talk about his company's latest developments, where he likes to ride most, and avalanche safety

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For years, giving 90 percent was good enough. But with poor visibility and a course in rough condition, a fitness program thrown off by recent illness, and the pressure to beat Tina Maze, who is having the best season ever recorded, Vonn just couldn't pull it off this time. But that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

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With more than 57 World Cup wins and four overall titles, Lindsey Vonn has already established herself as the greatest women’s ski racer in history. Too bad they won’t let her take on the boys.

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The Mexican kayaking phenomenon opens up about relationships, going over his first waterfall, and why ϳԹ is a bunch of bastards

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Last year, Patrick Halloran finished last in the Empire State Building Run-Up. This year, he's coming back, and he's going to kick your ass.

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The surfing legend is not entirely sure where that number came from or how accurate it is—"I don't measure waves," he told us—but he is sure of one thing: This was one of the most dangerous situations he's ever been in

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Have you ever watched a three-year-old curling match while you had the flu?

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When elite athletes like three-time Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh and daredevil spaceman Felix Baumgartner are in a slump, they go see Los Angeles sports psychologist Michael Gervais. Sometimes boosting your performance requires sitting on a couch.

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It's Seven Cups of Deceit time. Read all about it here.

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Like it or not, professional athletes are role models for our children. Sometimes this is a good thing, and, well, sometimes it’s not. (Ahem, Lance.) Thankfully, inspiration is a two-way street: Young athletes can teach us what it means to try our hardest, practice true sportsmanship,…

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Before publishing Bill Gifford's story on Livestrong one year ago, we had no idea how dangerous it was to cross The Boss. Editorial director Alex Heard tells the inside story.

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Wondering how to get through three hours of Lance Armstrong and Oprah looking deep into each others' eyes? We can help.

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David Roth went to the Monster Energy Invitational, and he found a sport still trying to figure out how to make its place on the American sports landscape

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How a secretive, stunt-loving energy-drink company pulled off one of the coolest feats in adventure history

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A recent study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that EPO doesn't better performance in elite athletes, but it made a few critical errors in coming to that conclusion

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Which is a serious problem when you’re the most famous stunt rider on the Internet. But as Nick Heil finds out, the oft-injured Scot is roaring out of rehab to dazzle the world once again.

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ϳԹ, inside, gravity, space, time, whatever: this thing transcended every boundary

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Christian Vande Velde atop the USAPC podium. Photo: Team Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda In a recent press conference at Aspen's Little Nell Hotel, organizers of the USA Pro Challenge announced the host cities and overall race course for the 2013…

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Component manufacturer SRAM gathered some of its biggest sponsored riders during the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross earlier this month and proved, once and for all, that cross racers are indeed more fun than roadies. The dancing is terrible, but that's…

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The godfather of freeskiing discusses his contributions to the industry, how film is pushing the sport forward, and his mixed feelings about freeskiing’s induction into the Olympics

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A graceful ponytail helps ease the pains of a childhood long gone

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The big mountain specialist with a knack for hucking huge air and developing his own touring bindings and boots discusses saving his feet, designing gear, and how to get after it in the backcountry

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Team 40, with the author at left, kitted out for night racing. Photo: Audrey Brandt. By Elizabeth Eilers Sullivan Why run 198 miles in a single weekend? When it comes to passing on the love of sport to your kids, it’s hard to trump leading by…

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Len Stanmore, 60, is currently in Antarctica, competing in one of the world's most grueling footraces. If he completes it, he'll not only be a one-time overweight retiree who got sick of the golf course, but also the first person to climb the Seven Summits, ski to both poles, and complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam.

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Fat bike slednecking: A sport is born. Photo: Ian Anderson This photo popped up on my Facebook feed last week. It was taken by Ian Anderson, an outdoor industry public relations professional, accomplished outdoor athlete, and father of two kids (ages two and five). Ian lives…

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When world renowned alpinist/speed climber Ueli Steck has a new gear idea, his sponsors hit the drawing board to turn that idea into product. So when Steck told Scarpa he wanted the lightest insulated boot…

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The British Columbia-based videographer-photographer discusses Dubai’s ski community, what draws him to mountain people, and being naked—a lot—in Japan

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Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring or bland

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I want to support my local charity by participating in their marquee event this winter, but fear that diving into ice-cold water could be dangerous. What do the experts say?

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In a time of corruption and coercion, courage was not in short supply. A hidden cadre of men resisted doping, and they paid a heavy price. Here are their stories.

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As an athlete, is my skin more susceptible to damage during the winter? What can I do to protect it?

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The NYC Marathon, cancelled for the first time in race history. Photo: Steve Broer/Shutterstock I don't live on the East Coast. I'm landlocked in the high desert, where it is 65 degrees, sunny, and cloudless today, as it has been all week. We have not…

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This year's Red Bull Rampage may have been overshadowed by Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking free fall, but the fact that it takes a 128,098-foot sky dive to upstage this event should tell you just how severe downhill mountain biking has…

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World's youngest ski patroller? Taylor Justice on the job at Aspen. Photo: Taylor Justice There are overachievers, and then there is Taylor Justice. The 12-year-old skier/climber/straight-A student started shredding double-black diamond chutes when she was eight. Three years later, she joined the…

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An Olympic sport at the turn of the 20th century tries to find its way back into the modern Games

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Heidi Volpe speaks with Rich Roll about his transformation from addict to ultra-endurance athlete

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At the Tour de France route presentation in Paris yesterday, reigning champ Bradley Wiggins surprised the pundits when he said he would likely forgo his title defense at the Grand Boucle next year and instead aim…

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Romero near his home in Big Bear Lake, California. Photo: Jennifer Briggs What do you do when you’re 15 years old and you’ve already climbed the highest mountain on every continent? If you’re Jordan Romero, you launch a nationwide campaign to scale the tallest summits in…

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=dfjn3YNZf0Y%3Frel%3D0 If Japanese climber Tomoko Ogawa looks like she's been practicing the problem in the video above for years, it's because, well, she has. Ogawa, 34, starting working Catharsis, a V14 in Shiobara, Japan, three years ago. At the time, no woman had ever climbed a boulder problem harder than…

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Photo: Phil Beckman/PB Creative Last week the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) brought its biannual World Summit to Santa Fe. In addition to test-riding some sweet 29er bikes from Specialized, Yeti, and Santa Cruz, I got to sit in on a bunch of brainstorming sessions…

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The difference between hitting the summit and hitting the wall comes down to the fuel in your belly.

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There’s a common misperception that kids younger than five are too little to learn to ride a bike. The other day at our local playground, a couple of parents stopped to ask how old my daughter is. She was tearing around the outer loop, standing up to pump her pedals,…

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Closing the book (we hope) on bike racing’s drug-fueled era of excess

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Looking for which candidate's economic beliefs are best suited to the present day? Wondering who's better suited to take office should the next president become incapacitated? Well, you've come to the wrong place.

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Dawn patrol: At the start of the inaugural Mt. Taylor 50K. Photo: Paul Gordon Pictures In late September, nearly 150 ultrarunners converged on Grants, New Mexico, on the eve of the first annual Mount Taylor 50K trail race. The course promised a scenic, challenging…

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In Argentina, rival soccer fans don’t just hate, they kill, and the violent partisans of top clubs fuel crime syndicates that influence the sport at its highest levels. Patrick Symmes braves the bottle rockets, howling mobs, urine bombs, and drunken grannies on a wild ride through the scariest fútbol underworld on earth.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=eIOsL8tumMU Or maybe that should be Danny MacAskill vs. Remington. Look, I'm not criticizing the Scottish trials prodigy for selling out—mountain biking's a tough way to earn a buck, and you gotta make a living where you can. I am, however, laughing uncontrollably at the copywriters and creatives at Remington.

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Chilean Patagonia is home to some of the wildest and most stunning rivers in the world. The largest, the Rio Baker, is renowned for its clear, turquoise water and Class V rapids and has become a magnet for expedition kayakers from around the world. But perhaps no one knows it…

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Gerald Ford takes the snap. (U.S. National Archives and Recor)U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Photo: Wikimedia Commons “Best athlete” discussions always make for an interesting debate in the sense that they’re always totally stupid and pointless and boundary-less, so you’re basically arguing about completely…

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