Do extreme sports and doing good works get your blood boiling? Imagine the activity high you could get from combining those pursuits!
The Survivors Club has compiled a list of outlandish pursuits that also donate time and funds to charity. From mountain climbing to hardcore hiking, some of these activities will only be undertaken by one brave soul, but plenty of them offer a challenge for the everyday do-gooder sportsman.
Pat Farmer Runs Pole to Pole
Beginning in March 2011, Pat Farmer plans to run from the South Pole to the North Pole to raise money for South Asian flood victims. When he saw how the destruction and floods in the area created dirty drinking water, Farmer knew he had to help. The funds raised will help directly deliver water access and sanitation programs to those in need around the world. Email info@poletopole.com to learn more.
Challenge Adventure Charities
A number of charities receive contributions every year from Challenge Adventure Charities. The UK-based organization consists of teams of four cyclists, who are challenged to bike in a relay of more than 500 miles in three days. Their objective is to raise as much money as possible. In 2009, MacMillan Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK received 100 percent of funds; the organization has raked in almost $4 million since 1990. This year, British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK will be the charity recipient. Click here to find out more.
Hike for Survival
Survival expert Thomas Coyne and international stuntwoman Ky Furneaux completed a 125-mile hike across the California Sierra Nevada on Sept. 30, 2010. They finished the 15-day hike with limited supplies, searching for their own food and carrying little more than a pocketknife. The hike benefited the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, which helped a 9-year-old girl, who dreamed of being a stuntwoman, recover from kidney failure at age 4. To learn more, visit their website.
Warfighter Sports
This group gives disabled veterans a chance to complete tasks that were once unthinkable to them. Warfighter Sports recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. On Aug. 2, 2010, the first all-veteran team, Missing Parts in Action, made it to the 19,340-foot peak one day ahead of schedule on Aug. 7. Disabled Sports USA is now training warfighters for extreme and endurance sports.
“These events are designed to test their skills, endurance and abilities and show them that they can climb the tallest mountain in Africa, just like any non-disabled climber,” reads the organization’s site.
The 24th Long Beach Charity Regatta
The Long Beach Charity Regatta was held on Sept. 26, 2010. Participants sailed one of three race courses inside and outside the break water of the South Bay Area of California to benefit The Children’s Clinic. Thirteen local clubs participated in the full range of race classes including 8-foot boats, ocean racers and a cruising class that will sail a single long distance race. In its nearly 25 years of existence, the charity has raised $500,000.
Trailbrakes: Charity Rides
“Nothing is impossible,” says Jamie Andrew, a quadruple amputee and the co-founder of 500 miles.
Together with Trailbrakes, Andrew participated in their most recent charity ride, a 500-mile bike through the Scottish wilderness. It lasted 10 days (Aug. 5-15, 2010), and the two groups raised funds to provide prosthetic limbs for people in Zimbabwe and Malawi, who have been ravaged by disease, war, or poverty. In 2009, the duo brought in more than $1,600 when intrepid mountain biking enthusiasts came together from as far as Israel to brave the vast terrain.
Photo via Shutterstock.