Meet Dave Cornthwaite

Dave Cornthwaite is a 31-year-old English adventurer, author, and public speaker living an extraordinary life. He broke the world record for the long-distance skateboarding by pushing himself 5823 km (3618 mi.) from Perth to Brisbane, Australia, in 2006 (a record that was later broken by Rob Thompson). He has also published one book, BoardFree, about the epic journey. He has also kayaked 2350 km from the head of Australia’s largest river, the Murray, to the ocean, was the first person ever to skateboard the length of Britain, and was one of the first two people (along with his friend Sebastian Terry) to paddleboard across Lake Geneva.

But that’s nothing compared to what he has planned.

The Expedition 1000 Project

Cornthwaite, a Blue Ambassador, is in the early stages of the Expedition 1000 Project. The expedition 1000 project is a project in which Cornthwaite will complete 25 non-motorized journeys of more than 1600 km (1000 mi.) in an attempt to raise £1,000,000 for two charities, the AV Foundation, which builds much-needed infrastructure in East Africa, and CoppaFeel, which promotes Breast Cancer awareness, as well as to raise awareness about environmental issues around the world.

He also expects to cross three oceans and visit every continent and both poles.

Paddleboarding the Mississippi

Right now Cornthwaite is on the fourth of his twenty-five planned journeys.  He has already completed the above mentioned epic skateboarding and kayaking odysseys, as well as a 2247 km (1396 mi.) tandem bicycle ride from Vancouver British Columbia to Las Vegas Nevada with his friend Sebastian Terry.

Now, he’s attempting to stand-up paddleboard 3900 km (2400 mi.) down the Mississipi River in 90 days.

If he succeeds he’ll break the world record for long-distance stand-up paddleboarding.

Actually, he’ll crush it.

The current world record is 2425 km (1507 mi.) in 93 days held by extreme endurance athlete Tom Jones. Jones’s website says that his record-setting journey was “the physiological equivalent of running 1.5 marathons every day regardless of wind, currents, and weather.”  Tom Jones would actually know what that should feel like because he once ran one marathon every day for 121 consecutive days.

And Cornthwaite plans to paddle 900 miles farther than Jones in the same amount of time.

May the current be with him.

The Rest of the Expedition 1000 project

The Expedition 1000 project will likely take at least 5 more years, as it seems that Cornhwaite can only reasonably expect to complete three, or at the most four, journeys each year.  So, not everything has been planned. Below is a list of the completed, current, and planned future journeys.

Completed

2006

Skateboarded 3621 miles from Perth to Brisbane, Australia.

2009

Kayaked 1540 miles from the source of Austalia’s largest river, the Murray, to the sea.

2011

Rode a tandem bicycle (with friend Sebastian Terry) 1396 miles from Vancouver to Las Vegas.

Current

At the time of writing David was stand up paddleboarding 2400 miles down the Mississipi River.

Trips Currently Being Planned (distances and locations not yet decided)

2011

Whike (a recumbent bicycle with a sail on it) riding in a yet to be determined location

2012

Freecross (an epliptical trainer with wheels) riding in Euope

Wheelchair riding in Europe.

Bicycle riding in North America

2013

Paragliding in the Himalayas

Horseback riding in Mongloia

Skiing in Antarctica

2014

Rowing in the Indian Ocean

2017

Pedalo (paddle boat) from San Francisco to Sydney

What About the Rest of the Trips?

Dave has a long list of potential activities on his website for the rest of his trips including several that involve strange human-powered transportation devices I’ve never heard of like: the aquaskipper, chariot skates, the champiot, and the stringbike.

He’s also accepting suggestions from the public for other oddball forms of transportation to carry him on his journeys. But, before you rush over there with your hilarious idea, I have to disappoint you: the unicycle has already been suggested.

So has the pogo stick.

And the space hopper.

I really hope he tries the space hopper.

This is a primer for an upcoming exclusive interview I will do with Dave Cornthwaite. Be sure to check back for it, or subscribe for free so that I can send it directly to you.

The post Meet Dave Cornthwaite and his Expedition 1000 Project appeared first on XpatMatt.

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