rich roll

So pumped to break public on our collaboration with biochemistry & human physiology guru Compton Rom and his LA-based start up wellness entities Ascended Health and Ascended Living on the development of a line of nutrition & wellness products for the endurance athlete and everyman alike. A line we call…Jai Power!

In conjunction with Compton and his team, Julie and I have been fine tuning a variety of concoctions over the last 6 months, trying to nail down the ideal combination of ingredients to bring to market a line of never-before seen organic and entirely plant-based endurance, nutrition & wellness products designed to energize, fortify and repair the body with top of the line rare ingredients sourced from all over the World.

Believe me when I say that these products break the mold when it comes to not only wellness in general but to fueling the daily training and recovery required for top flight athletic performance. These are not artificially manufactured gels & powders, but whole food elixirs. All ingredients are 100% plant-based and organic; extracted from organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, & teas, then brewed and fermented.

We’ll be making our official debut hopefully in mid-March, synching the launch of the line with EPIC5 and our cookbook. And we are still honing and fine tuning the line, so I don’t want to get too detailed here. But in general terms we will be coming out initially with a DAILY ELIXIR (for every day use), an ENERGY BOOSTER ELIXIR (pre-workout) and a RECOVERY ELIXIR (post-workout).

The 3 initial products contain a specifically designed combination of ingredients scientifically proven to enrich and repair the body while supporting overall wellness, longevity, disease prevention and proper functioning and balancing of all muscular, organ & endocrine functions.

Fortified with locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, marine phytoplanktons, a variety of adaptagens, enzymes, anti-inflammatories and very powerful and pure antioxidants including the purest forms of quercetin and resveritrol, these are a far cry from anything EVEN REMOTELY available on the market, brimming over with products sourced from all over the Planet from South America to Asia. Absolutely no artificial ingredients of any kind. Zero chemicals. Zero coloring or flavoring. This is the real deal people — brewed entirely by hand and individually packaged.

I can hardly wait to share with everyone what powered me through my Ultraman training and race performance. Stay tuned for updates as we approach our product launch!

Until then, stay Plant Strong!

5 Ironmans. 5 Islands. 5 Days.

Yeah baby!

In just 8 weeks from now, Jason Lester and I will embark on a journey to do something that has yet to be done in endurance sports (something that is becoming increasingly rare these days!). We will attempt to complete 5 ironmans in 5 consecutive days on the 5 islands of Hawaii. On March 17 we will start on Kauai, then Oahu, Molokai, Maui and finish on the Ironman World Championship course on the Big Island.

We call it EPIC5.

This is an adventure that Jason has been working on for about 3 years. Over the last year he has been nailing down the route, logisitics and support, both ground and air. I have known about his quest for some time, but it has always been “his thing”. The idea was that Jason would attempt this solo. I planned on supporting him, possibly even crewing for him.

Then 2 weeks ago he asked me to join him. To do it with him. Together. Wow. How could I pass something like that up? Then I looked at my belly. I had taken 6 weeks off. Absolutely no training. I was getting progressively more and more out of shape and this thing would be when??!?! In 2 months!?! Good God. I have to do it and yet panic set in. There just isn’t enough time to get back in shape for something like this. I need at least 6 months!

Then Jason reminded me of THE crucial fact about EPIC5 – it’s a journey, not a race. Its about doing it together and experiencing the islands. Its not about time or place or anything remotely resembling competition.

I took a big breath in and smiled. I had found my next challenge and suddenly swelled with that sweet and rare excitement that tingles the spine when you know – really know – you have found the next thing that captures your imagination.

Stay tuned. Jason and I will both be hitting you with more info, updates, videos and blogging soon. Its going to be quite literally EPIC!

So what’s my next challenge you ask? EPIC5 that’s what! Below is the press release, which just went live on the PR wire today. I think I better start training — only 8 weeks left!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2010

EPIC5 CHALLENGE: ENDURANCE TO THE LIMIT IS BORN IN HAWAII
Five Islands. Five Days. Five Ironman Challenges… EPIC.

This Spring, lauded endurance athletes Jason Patrick Lester and Richard Roll will attempt the impossible – 5 ironman distance triathlons in 5 consecutive days on 5 Hawaiian Islands.

The brainchild of Lester, EPIC5 is an unprecedented athletic and spiritual odyssey that begins March 17, 2010 on the island of Kauai before traveling on consecutive days to O’ahu, Moloka’I and Maui and concluding in Kona on March 21st. Each day will entail a full ironman-distance triathlon — 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26 mile run.

Never previously attempted, EPIC5 raises the bar as a challenge of unparalleled endurance that promises to task the limits of limits of mind, body and spirit while capturing the hearts and souls of the public.

EPIC5 started three years ago as a vision of Lester. Despite the total paralysis of his right arm due to a catastrophic accident suffered in his youth, Lester is not only a tireless veteran of several Ironman & Ultraman competitions, he is an inspiration to countless people worldwide. A motivational speaker and youth advocate on behalf of his Never Stop Foundation, Lester catapulted into the mainstream consciousness last year when he was awarded the coveted ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete With a Disability. A resident of Kailua-Kona for the last several years, Lester conceived EPIC5 as a gift to his beloved Hawai’i; a competitive offering that uniquely links all the islands. “After I won the ESPY, there was no doubt that I wanted to give back to the islands for blessing me. Without the votes of the people of Hawai’i, I wouldn’t have won the ESPY” says Lester.

A former world-ranked swimmer from Stanford University, Roll was named one of 2009’s “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness Magazine alongside such athletic luminaries as Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal and LeBron James. At 43 years of age, Roll recently competed in the 2009 Ultraman World Championships – a 3-day double ironman distance race that circumnavigates the Big Island of Hawaii – where he led the entire field by 10 minutes after the first day of competition before suffering a bicycle crash during the Day 2 170 mile bike leg. Injuries aside, Roll nonetheless completed the event in 6th place – an inspirational feat lauded by the triathlon world as one of the most courageous accomplishments of the year.

Equally captivating, both Roll and Lester are also completely vegan and are staging to push the message that anyone can achieve the highest measures of an ultra-endurance athlete by adhering to a plant-based diet. “EPIC5 provides an ideal advocacy platform for the message of long-term wellness, disease prevention and environmental consciousness through whole food plant-based nutrition” says Roll.

An integral part of the EPIC5 team is Cory Faulk, 14-time Ultraman competitor, who masterminded this challenge by laying out the logistics of each course on each island for Lester and Roll. Together this EPIC5 team will tackle the task of completing this inaugural event for generations to come.

A strong advocate for providing opportunities to children, Lester created the Never Stop Foundation whose primary focus is on encouraging youth to achieve their full potential through athletics. The goal of the Never Stop Foundation is to help those in their formative years find their own true voice, help them build their confidence, improve their communication skills and learn the values of discipline, trust, compassion, self-reliance, and respect.

Proceeds from this and all future EPIC5 events will fund the Never Stop Foundation’s vision of developing a Performance Center in Kailua-Kona.

For more information on Jason Patrick Lester, please visit:

http://www.jasonplester.com

For more information on Richard Roll, please visit:

http://www.richroll.com

If you would like more information on this event, for sponsorship information, or to schedule an interview either with Jason Lester or Rich Roll, please contact:

Ann Ravelo
808.351.7171
annrav@hawaii.rr.com
www.EPIC5.com

Back from Texas!

What a cool trip.

I arrived last week in Austin, where I had the pleasure of meeting with Phil Hills and Doug Ulman of LIVESTRONG. It was an amazing experience to be in the vortex of the yellow band HQ – a modern converted warehouse more akin to an art gallery than office space. Phil (Executive VP of Development) and Doug (CEO) talked cancer, fundraising, plant-strong nutrition, endurance sports and the ultra world. Sorry to disappoint you, but I did not get any inside info on Lance’s designs on Ironman. Then again, I didn’t ask:) This meeting alone was worth the trip and I am looking forward to finding some ways for us to collaborate on some projects. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on that. After the meeting I was treated to a groovy tour by Livestrong staffers Colin Wallis and marketing guru Adam Butler. It was awesome.

Afterwards, I hooked up with Gold Medal Mel Stewart at one of Austin’s landmarks — the flagship Whole Foods. We caught up on swimming, the US Swimming Foundation, and life in general. Mel is a great guy and has done swimming a great service by not only raising money but through his devotion to promoting the sport through Swimnetwork and his vlogs & blogs Here’s a little ditty Mel threw together from the visit – enjoy!

The next day I was picked up bright and early by Romain Fournier — a Frenchman relocated to Austin — and we headed out to College Station for the Zen Triathlon Base Training and Nutrition Camp. I’ll dispense with the blow by blow, but suffice it to say that it was an amazing time to spend a few days with a group of people focusing on nothing other than training, nutrition and having fun. We worked out and swam at the nearby Texas A&M Natatorium, which is simply mind-blowing. The site of multiple national level meets including the NCAA Division I Championships & US Swimming Nationals, it is truly a world-class facility. I had the pleasure of doing stroke work / evaluations with the campers, which was great. The camp was hosted by famous Zen And The Art of Triathlon podcaster extraordinaire Brett Blankner and his lovely wife Emily (and their son Kai) and buttressed by the wisdom, experience and enthusiasm of NY based pro ironman triathlete John Hirsch and his girlfriend Christine Lynch (aka @holisticguru on Twitter) who were amazingly forthcoming and gracious with all of their training, racing and nutrition knowledge. Check the Zen Triathlon BLOG for copious blow by blow reports and videos from the camp.

As a group we ran trails, rode the central Texas prairies, ate, laughed and simply hung out. It was really fun and I think everyone left not only having learned a great deal, but enriched by the experience and new relationships. It was my first experience not just teaching at a camp but even participating in one and I left unable to wait for my next camp experience. I feel many more coming soon!

I will upload some pics and videos from the camp soon.

Anyway, I made it home safely to LA, greeted with torrential rainshowers. Back to work, implementing my goals for 2010!

Wow. Its been a while since I posted. Lots up and so much to say but feelin the need to tie up some loose ends and make sure things are totally official before I start blabbing all over the Internet…I will be in touch soon. In the interim, enjoy this video. Never thought I’d share screen time w/ Steve O, Andy Dick, Eli Roth, Chester Bennington, Mike White & a Karadshian, so I guess you just never know what God might have in store for you.

Watching this video is more than worth it just for the Andy Dick clip.