"The Road to Epic Man 2011" - CHECK PLEASE!

2009 was about just seeing if we could do it and holding up our end of the “challenge”. 2010 was about inspiring others to “BE EPIC” and supporting charities that allow others to Be Epic, all while challenging ourselves even “more” than in 2009. 2011 is all about the entire TEAM supporting, carrying, and spreading the “Always Be Epic” message to as many people as possible. It’s not about the # of miles or the finish line and never will be; it’s about being Epic, spreading Epic, inspiring Epic in others, and challenging yourself to “ALWAYS BE EPIC”.

To kick off this year’s EPIC MAN event, we are excited to announce “ THE ROAD TO EPIC MAN 2011”.


For those of you that have followed along since Day 1 – you may remember that the original idea for Epic Man grew out of a “spirited” discussion amongst friends one night in October of 2008 at the Downtown Lounge in Portland, Maine over handful of Miller High Life beers. That evening, Seth and Will came up with Epic Man challenge, and the conversation ended with each one saying to the other: “You won’t do it…”. Neither one of us wanted to be the one to back out of the original challenge, and thus “The Epic Man” was born.


To pay homage to the “roots” of Epic Man, we will start the “Road to Epic Man 2011” at the birthplace of Miller High Life at the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will explore the Brewery, meet some of the brew masters, and of course….enjoy a few cold High Life’s. Then, we will set off on a 100 mile journey by Bike from Milwaukee to Chicago down the coast of Lake Michigan. We are working on a special project w/ OAKLEY New England around this whole story, so stay tuned for more info!!



When we arrive in Chicago by bike, we will meet a group of runners for a Happy Hour “Magnificent Mile” run on none other than…(wait for it)....the famous Magnificent Mile. This one mile happy hour run will be in support of Chicago based non-profit, “Charity4Life”. Charity4Life's mission is to support underdeveloped communities through grassroots NGO's, focusing on street children, empowering them to reach their full potential. Those that come out for the run will specifically be supporting C4L’s next mission to Haiti, scheduled for April 29 to May 4. We will start & finish at a few local bars along the Mag Mile. More info to come on locations, registration, etc. In the meantime, any questions can be sent to info@charity4life.org.

From Chicago, we will hop in the car to continue the “Road to Epic Man” and drive all the way to NYC.

In NYC we will meetup with a group of runners that are ready to “Paint the town E.P.I.C”. In cooperation with Runkeeper, we will map out a route covering all of Manhattan to spell out E.P.I.C. in the streets of NYC. NYC is definitely one of the most epic places on earth, so what better way to celebrate that than by painting the town EPIC as part of the “Road to Epic Man 2011”. Stay tuned for LOTS more info on this fun project, and more on how you can join us in NYC. The above image is NOT the final route, but will give you an idea of what we will be doing. The run will be anywhere from 10-15 miles long.


From NYC we will drive up to Boston where we will meet the rest of the team members at the Boston Marathon Expo to pick up our bib #’s and eat far too many food samples from all of the vendors. We will also head to Landry’s on Commonwealth Ave to pick up a few bikes for the Epic Man team. Landry’s has been helping out with Epic Man support since year 1, which we are very thankful for. We will also be eating a mid-day meal at one of our favorite spots – The Otherside Café, right down the street from the Expo. Feel free to join for some eats or a few beers. More info to come on timing, stay tuned.

From Boston, we will head up to Maine with the entire team on Saturday Morning April 16 to “get ready” as a team for the crazy journey that will all embark on starting the next day. By “get ready” …we mean, jumping out of a plane! What better way to get pumped up than by skydiving from 12,000 feet with the team? Enough said. Post jump, we will have a team dinner in Portland, Maine and put the final preparations together for the next day, the start to The Epic Man.

Sunday morning, join us and The Sisters Wish for a ONE mile run/walk in Portland to kick off Epic Man 2011. The run will start at approximately 8:30AM. At the conclusion of the run/walk, supporters will board a Casco Bay ferry for a brunch cruise to Peak’s Island to wish the Epic Man team well on the start of their journey via kayak/swim from Peaks Island to Portland, ME. For more info on the 1 mile EPIC run & brunch cruise supporting The Sisters Wish, please contact beth@thesisterswish.org. LOTS more info to come on this portion of the journey.

The last few years we have kayaked from Peaks Island to Portland. THIS YEAR, Will and Ted Mitchell are planning to SWIM (yes, the entire 2.5 miles in the cold cold Atlantic). The rest of the team will kayak alongside of them.

When we have all arrived in Portland, ME, Epic Man team members and supporters will gather at Flatbread Company on Commercial Ave for a few beers and some lunch from 11:30 to 1:30. Starting at 1:00PM, we will begin sending off the first “waves” of cyclists who are joining us for the 50 mile bike ride from Portland to Portsmouth, NH. This portion of the Epic Man journey is being sponsored by TREK PORTSMOUTH. We will end the 50 mile journey at the Trek Store in Portsmouth, NH for another party and some food from Chipotle. If you are interested in joining the team on the TREK Portland to Portsmouth journey, please contact olivia@trekportsmouth.com. Like last year, the Trek Portland to Portsmouth ride will benefit Team Trevor! Again, more details coming soon.

After the TREK Portsmouth Party, the Epic Man team will push off for the overnight, 107 mile bike ride from Portsmouth,NH to Hopkinton,MA. When we arrive in Hopkinton, we will change up our gear, and get ready to run the 115th Boston Marathon.

IN ADDITION *** Epic Man 2011 team members are representing different Epic organizations that inspire them as part of their journey in 2011. For example, Jason Greenblatt and Tyler Bradbury are raising money for HIGH FIVES. Check out thier info/post HERE.

After we cross the finish line on Boylston Street, join us for an Epic Man post party celebration with Social Boston Sports at McGreevy’s right on Boylston.

……BUT WAIT! The party is not over…. (Is it ever?!) After the McGreevy’s daytime party on the 18th, the Epic Man 2011 Team will shower and change up and head over to River Gods in Cambridge where Will and Seth will DJ River God’s weekly series called “Weekly Wax” with an “EPIC” themed evening from 8PM to 12AM to celebrate the journey and wrap up “The Epic Man” for 2011. We couldn’t be more excited for this year’s team, this year’s event, and for your continued encouragement and support of all of our partner charities and organizations, as well our message: “ALWAYS BE EPIC”. Stay tuned right here at THE EPIC MAN site for Blog Posts from all of our 2011 team members, and to our Facebook page at http://www.alwaysbeepic.com to follow along day to day as we get closer and closer to GO TIME!