[Bear Grylls] 48 hours ago
[ cheering ]
[ sounding shell ]
66 teams of athletes
from all over the world
started an epic adventure race,
paddling boats in the Fijian islands.
Now, teams have switched
into survival mode,
as they begin to deal with
illness, heatstroke,
and the punishing
race conditions.
That was so hard.
Making their expedition even
harder, on the second night,
an intense tropical storm
slammed into the racecourse,
causing the waters in the canyoneering
section of Leg 2
to rise to dangerous levels,
forcing the closure
of the World's Toughest Race
And if the weather goes the wrong
way, it can turn into a disaster.
leaving teams spread out
across 230 kilometers,
with most of them
held at Camp 1.
The only team unaccounted for
was Team Estonia,
who was trapped in the flood waters of Waiga
Canyon with no viable escape route.
[pilot] We cannot get to CP11,
because it is too dangerous
We realize that this is dangerous
if we get swept away downstream.
[Grylls] With Estonia still
trying to escape the flood,
the teams are waiting
out the storm,
hoping to continue the
World's Toughest Race.
[Silver Eensaar] The water level
was already above-waist,
and there was
nothing to hold onto.
We were trying to push through
all four persons in a row,
and holding each other's packs
for not to slip away.
And, finally, we
succeeded in it,
but it didn't lead us out.
But, still, it's better to keep
moving than to just wait around.
In the beginning, it
was like a wide river,
maybe 50 meters wide.
As we progressed,
we got to a narrower place, and,
uh, it was harder and harder,
because the water
level was rising.
Try to go up.
We had to get out of
the river, then
on the side of the steep hill,
and hack away with machete
through bamboo.
We just have to get down this.
Oh my God!
[all] Woo!
[Grylls] As they emerge from the canyon,
Team Estonia's decision pays off.
In the distance, they see the lights
of the next race checkpoint,
a safe area where they will now stop and
wait for the course to reopen.
[Timmo Tammemae]
We went some three hours
to reach to here
and I'm happy.
Woo! We made it!
[ music ]
[Grylls] Okay, so,
torrential downpours.
The river level has been going
up and down.
But, you know what, it was the right
call just to shut everything,
get everyone to
stay put, get safe.
Let this pass.
It's now dawn. There is a little break
in the weather.
They're fired up,
they're ready to go,
and we're gonna set them off now
on the World's Toughest Race.
Come on, let's go and see them.
[Grylls] Across the course,
we've allowed the stopped teams
to prepare their gear and plot their
routes before the race restarts.
But the trailing teams behind
Camp 1 are in a tough position.
If they don't get to camp by a 4 p.m.
cutoff, they face disqualification.
Over a hundred kilometers back,
in last place,
after making numerous navigational
errors on the island of Ovalau,
is a team
with two Middle East w*r vets,
Team Unbroken.
We've got to get this
dive out of the way
and get headed toward the
mainland before the
- [Dr. Anne Bailey] It gets dark?
- [Hal Riley] Before the tide turns again.
I made the decision
as the captain.
I would not take my team
out on the water by night,
and getting us lost
was another factor.
I'm gonna make a run to the boat
and take a couple of packs.
[Gretchen Evans] Hal?
The last bite's yours.
You get to a point in life
where you have to decide whether
the things that set you back will
be the things that define you.
- The advantage of high tide.
- [Anne] That's right.
Now I would like to get through
that weak point
and keep everybody in good spirits
and keep everybody moving forward
and then move on
to the next bit.
[Grylls] Back at Camp 1,
Unbroken's assistant crew member,
Hal's friend Cale,
waits in anticipation
for the race to begin.
- You okay? You doing alright?
- Yeah. How are you?
- Yeah. How you feeling?
- Good.
- Rough night?
- Yeah.
As long as they were safe last night,
so off the water, all good.
- You know, now it's all up to
them. - Right.
And to own this race, it's not
often that it's impossible.
- Right.
- And at the moment, it is possible.
Yeah. They've been blown up,
shot at, and everything else.
So, they can make it through this.
There's nothing they're afraid of, so
- I'm rooting for them.
- Yeah, can't wait to see 'em.
- We'll be sending prayers.
- Absolutely.
- Sending them strength.
- Thanks, brother. Appreciate it.
[Grylls] Fifty-five
kilometers behind Camp 1,
the rest of the back-of-the-pack
teams wake up
after sleeping in a small
schoolhouse in Sote Village.
[ crowing ]
The schoolhouse was easy
sleeping. [ chuckles ]
So, we kind of woke up
a little behind the 8 ball,
but it was well worth it.
It was fantastic.
Make sure you don't
leave anything behind.
[Grylls] Now the teams must prepare their
bikes outside the school
for the upcoming 56-kilometer
mountain biking leg,
which must be completed
by the cutoff time.
I'm so ready to be on this bike.
We're trying to get
to the checkpoint
by 4 p.m.
- Ready?
- [woman] Alright, you guys!
Ooh, I gotta ride now.
[Lauren] Hustle, come on.
[Ashley] My number 6 Allen
wrench isn't in here.
Do you have one I can borrow?
[Lauren] Am I supposed to be
doing my back tire first?
- [Dan] Back tire first.
- F me.
[Lauren] My sister and I
have assembled our bikes.
This will be my--
my fourth time.
[ gasps ] Exactly what you're not
supposed to do, fling through.
My family forced me to do this
race. [ laughs ] Just kidding.
They didn't force me.
But, somehow, I was
in college, partying,
having a great time,
and my sister Ashley's like,
"This is what we have to do."
This down, and then press the little
black gear button all the way
[Lauren] No, no, yeah, yeah.
I have to finish an adventure
race at some point in my life.
It's always been a goal of mine,
ever since I was a kid.
- You got your bike done, Fletch?
- [Fletcher Hammel] Yep.
So, the fact that she would put
herself through something like this
for family-- for
me, for my dad--
I'm blown away by my
sister's selflessness.
[Grylls] Now, we're only minutes away from
releasing the middle -of-the-pack teams
into the flooded Waiga River,
where teams will travel up the canyon until
they've reached the jungle medallion.
We've only got a few minutes
before starting off here.
It's already Day 3!
He's got a nice
-looking breakfast.
Mm. Mm.
That was a good
sleep last night.
It feels great!
Okay, so, just to be clear,
I said to you right at the start of this
whole journey, number one is safety.
We've got to keep you all alive.
We're certain we
have a duty of care,
and that storm was unforecast, much
bigger than it was meant to be.
Take nothing for
granted in that ravine.
It's survival heads-on.
This is not a normal
adventure race.
Okay, are we ready? Fifteen
seconds. Here we go.
We'll do it again today, right?
Okay!
It's getting exciting!
[all] Woo!
[man] Let's go!
Five
four
three
two one
Go!
[ all yelling, applause ]
- Let's go!
- Go!
Yeah, here we go.
- Bula!
- Bula!
Into the jungle we go.
[Grylls] Across the entire racecourse,
we've given all teams the green light
to continue from wherever they
stopped last night.
Of course, those teams that made
it to Camp 1 are the luckiest.
They're now fully refreshed and refueled, ready
to torpedo towards the lead teams.
[Veronica Bravo] I like how unpredictable
adventure races can be at any given moment.
I also love the thought of
losing track of time and space.
And that can only happen
through adventure racing.
Beautiful scenery.
It's unbelievable.
[ music ]
[Grylls] So, the storm has passed.
It's still a bit overcast.
But it definitely feels like a lull
between these weather systems.
The race is back on,
the teams have been unleashed,
and they're straight
into that canyon.
The bulk of the teams
are in there now.
The water level is down.
Let's hope it stays that way.
Here we go. This
race is back on.
Oh my goodness. This is amazing.
This is unreal.
[Grylls] Among the teams heading
into the canyon's floodwaters
is a squad
of adventure race veterans,
the only team with three women--
[Shubi Guimaraes] Atenah, the name, this
is because of the Greek goddess Athena.
Her biggest strength
is her strategy.
That's how she used to win her battles, and
from the experience we had in the past,
we know, to do well in the race,
we need to have good strategy.
We've been walking this big
valley for a long time.
In the 2002 Eco-Challenge,
I got really sick.
And having to quit,
be evacuated from the team,
was so devastating.
It was not only
because of my health,
but mainly because
I was letting my team down.
I always liked the team spirit,
helping your teammates.
You know, contributing with
something bigger than yourself.
We're pretty close,
so maybe another 40 minutes?
Before, when our first time
we did the course,
we were just
university students.
We didn't have much
responsibility.
We just pushed
ourselves to the limits,
and, you know,
like, party times.
But I'm a mother now.
Not only myself, but Shubi and
Karina, we're all mothers now.
So, I think one of my main fears
for this race
is to get injured
or get ill again.
Nowadays, you know, we have to remember
that we have some little lives back at home
that we have to look after.
[ speaking Portuguese ]
I want to try not to make the same
mistakes that we did in the past.
[Grylls] You're just seeing the
gap in the canyon there.
This is very
difficult under foot.
Slippery rocks and boulders.
This is gonna slow the
teams up massively.
And, really, this is their first
taste of wet jungle.
They've had some trekking
over on the other island,
but this is different.
This is getting gnarlier now.
Pretty heavy water flow.
[Grylls] Just 6
kilometers up river,
battered Team Estonia
merges from the river canyon
after their sleepless night
waiting out the storm.
The pack is strong,
and certainly looking wet.
Well done. Good job. Respect.
'Cause that was a long night.
That was a long, wet night.
Look at your hands.
Actually, we break
through during the night.
- Oh, you got through?
- Yes.
Oh, well done, yeah.
We came to the checkpoint,
and then we slept.
All the teams were thinking of
you last night.
[Silver] An adventure
race of this kind,
you cannot let mistakes
or bad situations get to you.
You just have to forget it
and deal with it.
The water level was rising.
They stuck it out, and the water
level started to drop,
and that Estonian
team pushed through.
And they're now
out of this canyon
and into this checkpoint,
and then into raft building.
[Grylls] While the Estonian team
builds their bilibili rafts,
Team Unbroken has finally
reached the ocean medallion.
But they're two hours of racing
behind the next-closest team,
and they'll have to travel
97 kilometers in 9 hours
to make the Camp 1 cutoff time.
- You see it?
- [Anne] I think it's shiny. Right there.
- [Anne] No?
- Hal, she said directly
[Anne] I think I see it.
I could be wrong.
Just getting us here
was quite the feat.
It's more important
that we're still in the fight.
- [Hal] I see it.
- Nice.
[ Fijian singing ]
[ all cheering ]
[ Gretchen laughs ]
Good going, Hal!
- [Keith] You got it, boy!
- [Anne] Woo hoo! We got a medallion!
Put this in your PFD.
[Gretchen] I honestly can't tell
you how long that took us,
and our boat was the
only one in the harbor,
so it didn't take a rocket scientist
to figure out that we were last.
But what do they call a doctor who
finishes last in medical school,
they call him "Doctor."
[Grylls] Team Unbroken,
they're back on the water.
You've got to give them credit
for resilience.
They're still going.
Slow, but they are still going.
And they're really showing the true
spirit of the World's Toughest Race.
They might be in the back,
but they are not giving up.
As Team Unbroken
continues to fight,
in a village 40
kilometers ahead,
the two Fijian teams in the
race, Tabu Soro and Namako,
greet enthusiastic local fans.
Here's everybody
cheering for us.
- [kids] Go, Fiji, go!
- [ laughs ]
To represent Fiji
in a global event,
yeah, there's a bit of pressure.
[ laughs ]
"Tabu Soro" means
"never give up."
So, that's the spirit
that we're trying to hold onto,
and I really hope that we don't have
to give up. [ laughs ]
[ kids chanting ] Go,
Fiji, go! Go, Fiji, go!
Everywhere we go, we hear
[ speaking Fijian ].
"It's the Fijian team!"
[all] Go, Fiji, go!
Go, Fiji, go!
Go, Fiji, go!
[Alivate Logavatu]
Our team's biggest strength is
that this is our
backyard, you know?
Being able to speak the language
and knowing the customs
and talking to the locals and,
you know, going into villages.
[all] Go, Fiji,
go! Go, Fiji, go!
[Anna] We have a whole country
behind us, is what it feels like.
The support is
just unbelievable.
It's gonna make
me cry [ laughs ].
[all] Go, Fiji, go!
Go, Fiji, go!
[woman] It's great knowing that
they are representing the country.
Ahh!
I don't know, and I don't want to
have tears early in the morning.
[William Simpson]
If we do cross that finish line,
whatever team that would be from Fiji,
whether it will be Tabu Soro or Namako,
we help each other out a lot,
and we want to finish this race.
[Grylls] As the slowest teams
push fiercely forward
to meet the Camp 1 cutoff time,
six of the leading teams are still paddling down
the seemingly endless Rewa River.
After 54 hours of racing, they're traveling
closely together,
each looking for the right
moment to pull ahead.
[Nathan Fa'avae] The rain actually
worked well for us,
because we were on the bilibili
rafts when some of the
the flood waters came
into the main channels.
So, um It was a bit of a burst that sort
of topped the river up.
Oh, my God.
[George Lucas] Yeah, that was long.
A bit slower than we expected.
So, pretty hard work.
Good workout for the arms.
I think we're biking now, so
Keep pushing, keep pushing.
No, no, no, no, no! No, no!
[Elizabeth Dornom]
Our technique got heaps better.
So, I feel like we're experts
in bilibili paddling.
Yes. If we never see one again,
we wouldn't be unhappy.
But it was something
to do in Fiji.
[Grylls] While the lead teams get
ready for the biking leg to Camp 2,
the teams at the
back of the pack,
including Stray Dogs, the team with
the race's oldest competitors,
battles Fiji's brutal climate,
trying to finish the remaining 40
kilometers to Camp 1
before the cutoff time.
We're going very, very slow.
because of the heat and humidity, and
they seem to have the greatest effect on me.
Last night, I was
perfectly fine.
I'm having trouble
with the heat, so
I'm being really cautious.
I got good coaching
behind me, so
I should be okay.
Marshall and I have been friends
the longest on the team.
Do you feel a breeze up here?
[Bob] Marshall is very
calm, very reassuring.
He just wants me to straighten
up and get back on course,
and I actually appreciate it.
You should undo
these two buttons.
You'll cool down a little bit.
Just trying to get Bob
to show a little skin here.
There you go. What
the public wants.
It feels almost like having
the Buddah with you.
Couldn't have a better teammate.
[Grylls] An hour of cycling ahead
of the Stray Dogs is Team Endure,
with their best friend
and former teammate Mark Macy,
who is struggling with a diagnosis
of early-onset Alzheimer's.
It's good. We had 20 or 30k
of fast biking on roads.
With some steep hills,
but quite rideable in the end.
About an hour, that
was super thick mud,
just what turned into
what we call "hike a bike,"
so, you're no longer riding your bike,
but you're pushing or carrying it,
in this case through about 6 inches
of just wet clay, nasty mud.
Scrambling all over.
You know. Fun, though.
Pretty hard ride. Yeah.
Dad smashed it.
That's why we're here.
I'm here to do the race with Dad
and have the experience,
and we're having a blast.
[Grylls] And just barely ahead
of them on the biking route
is the Able Abels family team.
Dad, come on.
I'm really excited
to race with my sister.
We do everything together.
She's my best friend.
We're just so similar.
We don't know where
we're going. [ laughs ]
Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there
are confused by this fork in the road.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
[Lauren] Was Satchi Camp Road
not on the map?
Yeah, it is.
My dad can sometimes have
just a "go, go, go" mentality,
whereas Ashley and I like to, you know, take
a sec, think about things
We're all right.
I don't know. They tend to overcomplicate
things.
With the comfortable
nature of my family,
we don't have any filters
with each other.
We say the first thing
that comes into our brain.
These are my favorite candies.
You're the weirdo
whose favorite flavor is purple.
I know. I haven't gotten to it yet,
'cause I opened it from the green side.
But whose favorite flavor is
purple? Mom's favorite is green.
Wait, why didn't I get one of those
big sweet and tart things?
She had another one.
She had two packages.
- Did you get one?
- Hell yeah.
What the hell?
[Grylls] Up ahead at Camp 1,
the assistant crews' anxiety
levels are rising,
as they monitor
the progress of their teams.
- Able Abels have gone up.
- Mm-hmm.
The Stray Dogs dropped
a couple of frames down.
[Grylls] Assistant crew
for the Khukuri Warriors team
and father to Tashi and Nungshi,
Colonel Malik,
awaits anxiously for
his daughters' arrival.
This is Gurkhas' famous knife
the traditional Gurkha knife,
called the Khukuri.
Every soldier in the Nepalese army
carries this as a personal weapon.
And it is associated with valor,
great determination.
Yeah? And never quit.
This is my inspiration.
And my daughters equally.
I'm the dad as well as
the team assistant crew.
My job is really tough,
balancing the job
and being a father
and being very concerned
about the daughters' safety.
Being the first Army officer
in my village's history
I achieved something
impossible in my times.
So, when the twin girls embarked
on this journey of dreaming big,
I said, "Don't limit yourself
dreaming by night. Dream by day."
Dreams are free.
The girls are very young still,
and they do not rationalize the
dangers as much as I do,
based on my experience.
But they've been to
mountains, of course.
They have been on particularly long
expeditions, but nothing like this,
so, they are going to really,
really push their boundaries.
Up and down, up and down.
You know, there's
basically no rest.
The bike course, physically,
we knew we were tired.
Like, I was breathless
most of my time.
I could feel my muscles every bit
of it, and then our butts are sore.
You know, you had this
weight of the bike.
This is super steep, guys.
We got our bikes literally, like,
two weeks before getting here,
because we barely get
any gear in India.
Eighty percent of the gear is from the
States, and Brandon had to get them.
[Grylls] Thirty-seven kilometers into
this biking leg
sits the small village of Tonia,
an oasis of Fijian hospitality.
Here, tired racers can catch their breath
before their final push to Camp 1.
- [man] Where are you from?
- We're Team India.
[man] Juice. To India!
[woman] Bula!
[ kids yelling ]
Wow, the school.
[ kids yelling ]
- Bye!
- Bye!
Go, India, go!
[Grylls] Just behind
the Khukuri Warriors,
another team that stops to reenergize
before the final slog to camp
is Team Onyx.
Bula bula!
[ all cheering ]
[ laughs ] Awesome.
Yes! Uh-huh! Thank you so much.
Cheers. Ooh!
- All black people?
- Yeah! Whole team.
- Whole team?
- First team ever.
- From where?
- From all across the United States.
[man] USA! USA!
- [ all cheering ]
- Bula bula.
- You guys live here every day?
- Every day.
Aah! So jealous.
- How's your
- Riding?
Good. It's a lot of mud.
[Sam Scipio] It means a lot
to represent black females.
In particular, you don't see
much of it in adventure racing.
So, I'm happy to show people that
they're, frankly, like black superheroes.
This is the closest we ever get
to being superheroes and inspire.
Bula bula!
[Sam] You want them to believe
that they could go do something,
and the hopeful part
of you hopes that
you racing in an adventure race
in Fiji will do that.
How long have you
been trekking for now?
This is day three, and the race is eleven
days long.
We're trying to make
it to a checkpoint.
If we don't make it before 1600,
we're disqualified.
- Okay.
- So [ watch beeps ]
- We have to hurry.
- [ laughs ]
Thank you, guys!
Don't be nice to the next team.
[ laughter ]
[man] USA! USA! USA!
[Grylls] As the slowest teams
continue racing towards Camp 1,
the middle-of-the-pack teams in the
canyon, 6 kilometers past Camp 1,
continue to brave flood waters in
their search for the jungle medallion.
I'm with Team AR Georgia,
and I've been involved in adventure racing
for about 16 years now.
I'm with my son, Hunter,
who's 18 years old.
Hunter wasn't even born
when I started adventure racing,
when I got addicted
to the sport.
Just to be here with my son is the
most amazing thing in the world.
I feel he's absolutely
a super athlete.
[Hunter] Navigation's
gonna get tricky now.
So, that benefits us, because we're
a really strong navigating team.
Started out doing the first race
when I was 7, and loved it.
Mud up to my neck.
And never stopped.
When I started, there
was no kids out there.
I was the only kid, all alone,
racing with adults.
And now, my entire life is based
around adventure racing.
Alright.
[Grylls] As teams begin to find
their way out of the canyon,
the lead teams nearly
100 kilometers ahead
approach Camp 2,
the end of the jungle leg.
At camp, the teams' assistant
crews have moved here from Camp 1,
to refresh and refuel the racers while they
take a mandatory 90 -minute stop
and make navigational plans.
[ applause ]
- Woo!
- [woman] Hey, guys!
[Nathan] I've been adventure
racing now for nearly 30 years.
We are one of the most
experienced teams.
And, in many ways, harder the race is,
the bigger the advantages for our team.
But on the flip side is,
the longer you're out there,
the more likely that sort of things
out of your control can happen.
[ applause and cheering ]
[Tom Lucas] Over the years,
we've become quite good friends
with the other Team New Zealand.
We're quite happy traveling along with
them and keeping the pace with them,
but it would be really nice
to be able to beat them.
New Zealand has been dominating
adventure racing for so long,
our motivation is to
knock off the Kiwis.
You know, they are the best team
in the sport.
They have been for a while.
But, hopefully, we
might be the team
to knock Team New
Zealand off their podium.
[ applause ]
[Grylls] Team Canada Adventure
and Team Summit
pull in just under an hour
behind the frontrunners,
who, after resting for 90 minutes, head out
to Camp 2 for the river leg
starting with 63
kilometers of biking,
followed by 30 kilometers
of whitewater rafting
and 50 kilometers
of jungle trekking,
before finally
reaching the next camp.
Back on leg 2, the jungle leg,
the Estonian team
has been paddling for hours,
while the middle-of-the-pack
teams have escaped Waiga Canyon
and are now building
bilibili rafts.
This form of traditional
raft-building
the indigenous people here have been
using as a mode of transport
for thousands of years.
Bamboo's great, because it's hollow, full
of air, really buoyant, light.
It's actually pretty straightforward
to construct this.
You know, you don't want
to make it complicated. Simple.
It's just got to keep you afloat
and get you downstream.
We are back to the
bilibilis after 17 years.
In 2002, when we were doing the
race here,
we arrived by bilibili, and I was
cutting the rope to build up the boat,
and I just cut my finger.
And afterward, it
just got infected.
And I had to be evacuated.
Got really sick.
Spent four days in the hospital.
So, I have very good memories from Fiji,
but this one is not one that I like the most.
We're approaching the race
way differently this time,
so I'm looking after myself, and I'm wearing
gloves to protect my hands.
[ laughs ] Doing well.
I sliced it pretty deep, and so, I'm
just trying to keep it clean right now.
Infections can get pretty quick
out here, I think.
[Karina Bacha Lefevre] Adventure
racing can be very dangerous.
That's why I think we do it.
I think we need the thrill.
You need to know that you're in
danger. That feeling keeps you going.
That feeling gives you
adrenaline to keep going.
I thought I knew how to build one, but now
I see how they're doing it. It's better.
This course is awesome.
My team came together
from Brett Gravlin.
He's the stoner in Santa Cruz
who surfs and raises kids,
so he called me, former
MLS soccer player.
There's Justin Smith, he's an
eighth-grade science teacher.
And then there's Jennifer Hemmen.
She's an ultra marathon runner.
I think each one of us
prefers a different thing.
So, we kind of balance out.
Our team name comes from our curly
hair. All of us have curly hair,
and we believe that our curls
give us special powers.
We're strong paddlers.
We're really good at sliding
down really muddy hills.
But then, Justin cut his hair. I
was really disappointed in that.
The Team Curl barber said,
"You're going to Fiji.
I don't want stuff
up in your top."
So, that's just what my cut
ended up looking like, but
It's all here. This is my curlies
right down here.
Wow, this is like
core activation.
New muscle group.
- Yeah!
- Woo!
Yow!
I mean, I used to work in Orlando, and
we built fiberglass boats.
And if I showed them a picture of this, they
would probably die laughing.
And, uh
just kind of like Mark Twain
stuff going on here.
Once we get the hang of this,
we should move a lot quicker.
- This is the chill life.
- Yeah.
This is not like teaching
middle school science.
[Justin] Nope.
[Jennifer] It's cool for your
brain to learn a whole new sport.
[ bamboo cracking ]
No!!
The wind's blowing us backward.
There's a little
bit of resistance.
It's too shallow!
If we go in there,
we're gonna get swept in.
The bilibilis. Oh, my God.
It's fun for the first 5 minutes, and
then, it's just like,
"How do you steer this thing?
How do you go fast?"
Every team out there was trying
to figure out a way
to make those things go faster
than just sticking a pole in
and singing Italian music.
This is gonna take us a full day
or two days, at this rate.
I was thinking of attaching some
sort of fin on the end of this,
make more like a
kayak paddle, but
We've got to try to brainstorm
what we could do with that.
[ man yells ]
[Grylls] Just ahead,
an industrious local Fijian
sees an opportunity to help.
I cut the bamboo
and I make some paddles from the
bamboo, and I sell it to these people.
[Hunter] We're trying to figure out how
to go fast on these things.
Come and buy a bamboo paddle!
[Hunter] You guys are
way smarter than us.
We wish we could probably think
of something like that.
- $4.
- [Katie] $4 each?
Yeah. Totally worth
it. [ laughs ]
If it saves us four hours of
paddling, $4 is worth it all day.
- Open it up on both ends
like - Kayak paddles.
I said, "No, no, cut the other end off. I
want to make it a kayak paddle."
This and that.
And he's like, "Okay! No
problem!" [ imitates chopping ]
- Like this, like this. Yeah?
- Yes, sir.
Perfect.
- Thank you, brother.
- Thank you.
God bless you.
Yes!
Okay, I can see
you next week, eh?
- [Hunter] Okay, we'll be back.
- All right.
- [ Katie laughs ] - We're
going to paddle back upstream.
Woo hoo!
[Grylls] Behind the paddlers,
back at Camp 1
Got my head down
just went for
an afternoon stroll, dude.
Team Endure arrives
with only 2 hours to spare
before the 4 p.m. cutoff time.
It's 2:00.
That's as close as I need to be!
You guys have to stay at the
point for 90 minutes,
- so your earliest checkout time
is 15:29. - Okay.
- Are we sleeping up in the hills?
- You can sleep wherever you want, man.
I think we're making good time
biking. We're feeling good.
Taking care of
ourselves, having fun.
We'll try to be out of here within well, right
at 90 minutes, I think.
[Grylls] Meanwhile, the Able Abels team's
assistant crew, Allison,
waits anxiously for her husband
and daughters to arrive at Camp 1.
[Allison] I'm gonna cry.
- Picturing them go across that bridge
- Yeah.
It's my girls, out there doing
it. It's crazy.
It's amazing that you've seen so
much with your husband.
It's very different this time.
Dan has raced his--
our whole marriage, almost.
And it's been our life, waiting for
Dad at the finish line, and now
- [Grylls] Yeah.
- they get their chance.
- Yeah.
- With their dad. It's really cool.
- But mama bear is really scared.
- Yeah.
They've got to do it.
They've got to finish this.
[ helicopter whirring ]
Hi!
- I'm very happy to see you.
- [ Dan laughs ]
I'm happy to see you.
I'm not happy that I had to carry
my PFD that whole f way
and didn't even need it.
Sorry. Sorry.
- Hard.
- [ Allison squeals and laughs ]
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi!
- Hi.
[ sobs ]
Hi. You good?
- Hi.
- Hi, babe.
- How are you doing?
- It's so good to see you.
[Lauren] I was so
happy to see Camp 1,
obviously to see my mom,
and she she's funny.
She just has so much energy
and is so excited for us.
- Come on.
- Baby, can I help you?
I'm just standing--
I've got your plug.
- Do you want to push this?
- Yes!
[Ashley] Thank you.
- I got my ducklings!
- Woo woo woo!
[ Allison laughs ]
I think you have
more mud than sock.
Oh, yeah. Is that even a sock?
I don't remember.
[Lauren] My mom is just
a little bundle of joy.
She had all of her cute little camp set
out, with all of our little things.
- Are you starving?
- [Ashley] Yeah.
- I'm so hungry.
- [ laughs ]
[Allison] Wear sunscreen on the
head, in between the braids.
[Lauren] Her instant energy, and she just
knows exactly what we want, when we want it,
how we like everything.
Is this rubbing in at all,
or do I just look ridiculous?
You know what, honey, at this point,
just put your head back and relax.
[Lauren] Can I have some more food? I know
you really like the sunscreen
- Yes.
- but I need food.
Yes. I'm here to serve you.
Welcome to our
family. [ laughs ]
I've been married to
Allison for 26 years.
She is an absolute saint for
putting up with this lifestyle.
Whether you're racing
with strangers,
or whether you're
racing with family,
when you get on that racecourse,
it's an intimate experience.
We have an advantage as a family, because
we already are close to each other.
We know our strengths
and our weaknesses.
Aw, you guys are amazing.
- [Lauren] This is so exciting.
- Well, we're just so proud of you.
[Grylls] There are a lot of
people rooting for you.
So, when you're out there,
and you feel on your own,
- you're not on your own.
- It's hard.
- It's a race of will now, I think.
- It's hard.
- It's really hard.
- It's a big effort. It's a huge effort.
[Grylls] It's a huge effort. Hey,
it's the World's Toughest Race.
[Allison] Ashley's over there?
Go say hi.
Okay, yeah, yeah. I'll go.
I'll go and give her a hug.
[Ashley] When tensions are
a little aggressive,
my dad just calms things down
- Hi, Bear!
- I want a quick hug.
- Hi.
- I've just seen your family.
I'm so proud of the way
you guys are smashing it.
Thank you. Are we?
- You're smashing it.
- I'm getting, like
Because you're still
here, you're smiling
- We are.
- You are only just getting going.
- I know, it's crazy. I can't believe
- It's gonna be okay.
- Good. Refuel, rehydrate, rest. You got it.
- Thank you so much.
[ whispering ] He's so cool!
[Grylls] With less than 40
minutes remaining before 4 p.m.,
Team Onyx's assistant
crew, Mikayla
- I'm excited
- waits for her dad and his team.
I'm Mikayla. I'm the assistant
crew for Team Onyx
with my dad, Clifton Lyles.
He's the team captain.
I think ever since I was little,
he's been my support system.
Now, when it comes to adventure
racing, for him, it's seeing
not just how far his body can go, but just
how far he can go as a person.
- [ whistling ]
- [woman] Oh, my God.
[Mikayla] Yeah! Yeah!
- Y'all made it.
- [Clifton] Hell, yeah.
Woo!
I know he really likes to lean
on support from outside,
and so, I wanted to sort of
offer that to him now.
I'm super proud.
All right, people, let's go eat,
let's celebrate, let's
Eat real food that's warm!
- Oh, my God.
- Yes!
- I know, right?
- Fluids. Lots of fluids.
Getting the first stage under your
belt is a huge accomplishment.
I think it breeds a
lot of confidence,
knowing that they made it
before the time cutoff
and that they get to
continue on the race.
And it's a tandem, right? Like, we
saw two people floating down
So, just like really proud and impressed that
they're, like, grinding it out.
I'm happy to be supporting them.
It's pretty cool.
- You are in, the legends.
- Yeah!
- The legends. Oh, my God, you're early.
- Yes.
What's your plan?
It's strategy, right? Because we've
got a lot of race to go.
We don't want to be getting
towards the latter part of a race
and have to force sleep.
So, we're discussing that now
amongst the team.
And we're going to make our decision
in the next 20, 30 minutes.
Bank it, restore,
refuel, ready to go.
- We made a good decision.
- Good for you, guys. Good. All right.
[Col Malik] Hey, Tashi, Nungshi!
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
Well done, girls! Woo!
Come on, everyone!
- We made it!
- [ sighs ] We did it.
Yes, captain.
[Tashi] When I saw him,
it was really emotional.
I could see that
he was definitely proud of us,
'cause he knows what we took to get here,
and I think he was quite emotional too.
Like, I could see that in his face. He was
like, "Yes! My daughters made it!"
- On time!
- Oh, my God, respect.
- Thank you.
- That's what I'm talking about, look.
Look at that.
- You made it.
- Thank you.
You know, you can do one phase of
this expedition, you can do them all.
And if you want to gain experience, you've
got to do the course.
- You've got to finish it.
- We that is our plan, yeah.
- Thank you, Bear.
- Okay. Get fuel, get rested. Get dry feet.
- Thank you, Bear.
- Complete the next phase.
We're going to eat this
just a mouthful at a time.
[Tashi] We're ready.
[Grylls] Now, Unbroken and Stray
Dogs are the only teams
that haven't yet
arrived at Camp 1.
And Stray Dogs is in bad shape.
I need to just cool down some.
I should be very
tolerant of this.
This is an environment
where I've trained.
And why I'm having
so much trouble here,
that's a big puzzling.
But we'll deal
with it, I recogn--
The big thing is that I've
recognized it, and I won't, uh
you know, do anything
to jeopardize our effort by
trying to be heroic.
[Adrian Crane] Back in the day of
Eco-Challenge, when it started in Utah,
we were on competitive teams.
We were always at the
front of the pack.
And because of the ravages
of a few extra years,
we are really trying
to get each other through this.
Electrolyte?
I don't think-- I
think it's just hunger.
- Tired?
- It's stress.
Take your pack off and
loosen some things.
[Adrian] But we are ending up
near the cutoffs,
and we're recognizing that.
It's a very fine balance between
pushing your teammates too hard
and backing off so much that you
just aren't making the time.
[ music ]
I might lose my shoe.
We knew we'd make it.
It just took us a little while.
Well, it didn't go perfect, but
we got here. That's what matters.
It's going to be really murky. Watch
your shoes. Make sure they're tied.
Hey!
Welcome to Checkpoint 7, guys.
- The cutoff time, 4:00, Camp 1.
- Yep.
And it's mathematically
impossible to make it now.
So, I'm really sorry to tell you
that your journey is gonna end here.
We're okay.
[ Kevin sighs ] It sucks.
We said we would go until they told
us we couldn't go any further.
And we have done that.
What happened on that is one of the
hardest things that I've ever done.
And I relied on you guys
just like I would my own troops.
And that meant the world to me.
You are my guys.
We are still Unbroken.
This will not break us. Right?
We also said we wouldn't give
up, and we didn't.
- We never gave up.
- I feel like we have more to give.
- Captain, you did a phenomenal job.
- Love you.
[Hal] Here we are,
we're out of the race.
You know, we're still Unbroken.
There are a lot of people in the world
who also have some significant injury,
something that's broken that
they're struggling to deal with.
You don't have to be.
[Keith] I'm gonna walk away from
this race a stronger person.
I've learned a lot about myself.
And definitely with a hunger to come
out and do something like this again.
I'm not done with this.
I still have something to prove.
Troop.
[Gretchen] I can't change that I'm deaf.
It's like you've been dealt a new hand.
So, instead of four aces and a king,
now you got four kings and an ace.
It's still a good hand.
It's not as good as it was,
but it's still a good hand.
So, take it, and you got to play
that hand to your best ability.
So, I will bet we've
opened the gateway
for people like ourselves to
say, "Hey, we can compete.
Don't be afraid of our injuries.
Put us in the same playing field,
and let us do the best we can do."
No regrets?
- One, two, three!
- [all] Unbroken!
[ applause ]
We're just kind of going along
on a hope and a prayer.
You work as hard as you can,
and if you don't make the cutoff,
you know, then it's okay.
[Grylls] So, the tracker says that Stray
Dogs are just a couple of minutes out now,
The cutoff was
set here for 4:00.
You don't run through
these totem poles at 4:00,
your race ends.
So, these guys, they know that.
I am much slower
than I was in 1995.
I mean, that's just
the way that is.
[Adrian] We were really
hammering for a couple of hours,
and we knew when we started this race
there was a chance we might not finish.
But the reason we're really here
was to show that there is no age you
have to quit doing interesting stuff.
[ all cheering ]
[ all laugh ]
Welcome to Camp 1.
I'm ready. Hi.
[Grylls] Oh, my
God. It's now 4:00.
Oh!
- I was afraid of that.
- My fault.
- No it isn't.
- No, it's not.
[Bob] Yeah, it is.
- [Grylls] You've made it here.
- [ Heather laughs ]
You guys are good.
We are so proud of you.
[ applause ]
- We're still in, really?
- Yeah!
- You are still in.
- [Heather] You have to still keep going.
- Magic.
- You've got 90 minutes.
You are still on the
World's Toughest Race.
Now, go and smash it, you guys.
And I wanted a
night's sleep tonight.
Last ones through, but
you are still going.
[ Heather laughs ]
Being able to come
out here and do this,
you know, especially at our
age-- I'm 68 years old--
I'm just overwhelmed
with gratitude.
As the team of Stray Dogs have
certainly learned, don't give up.
It may look bad, and
you think, "My gosh,
there can't be anybody
as slow and as lost as we are."
You'll start doubting yourself,
but you can't do that.
We thought we still had some--
you know, something left in us,
and some good grit to show,
but to have got this far,
we're really thrilled,
and we're gonna hammer on
and do some more.
Oldest team, and
the last team in.
These guys are part of the
World's Toughest Race family.
And they've lived and breathed
this race for the last 25 years.
This, for them, is just the
beginning. Awesome.
[ music ]
[ roaring ]
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01x03 - This Race Is Back On
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Series documenting a long-range multi-day expedition race in which teams race non-stop with little to no sleep over mountains, jungles, and oceans.
Series documenting a long-range multi-day expedition race in which teams race non-stop with little to no sleep over mountains, jungles, and oceans.