01x08 - The Only Sane Ones Are The Crazy Ones

[bunniefuu]

[ ocean waves ]

[ music ]

HQ HQ This is Team New Zealand.

We're all four in the water.

The boat is semi-submerged.

Advised, it's a Mayday.

The New Zealand guys are in trouble.

So, it looks like their mayday came

from near the finish line, in the water.

So, they're here.

We've got to get them right now.

We have the crews on their way

to your location.

[ radio static ]

[Nathan] Hold the armor, hold the armor.

[man] Marine 5 is on its way.

No sign of the team yet.

Thanks, Marine 5.

Be advised the wind is near 30 knots.

[ motor running ]

[ radio chatter ]

The flares,

the flares are in a ziplock bag

by your front black bag.

[ flare sh**ting ]

HQ HQ New Zealand.

We can see your boats nearby.

[man] This is Marine 5.

We've spotted New Zealand.

Awesome.

The seas have been quite rough.

The whole boat capsized. Crazy, huh?

Yeah.

Basically, the pin's coming out of the

ama have just come out of the wood.

But we basically just lashed

it back on so it didn't sink.

[Nathan] That was one of

the most extreme things

I've actually done in an adventure race.

You know, with waves breaking over us,

the boat is sinking,

there's stuff floating away.

I'm thinking, "Well, this might be

the end of our race. This is

This is it.

This is the Eco-Challenge for us."

You know, it will finish us, you know,

couple hours from the end of the race.

So, we've brought you

to the closest safest place

that we can relaunch at this time.

We're bringing a replacement boat,

and we're going to, uh,

get you guys back on your way.

[Nathan] With the equipment

that we were supplied,

the organizers had to bid and bring

a replacement boat from the organization.

I mean, you've just had

a near-death experience.

And just to kind of push that aside

and go, "Well, I'm just going

to get straight back out there,"

as if that had never happened, I wouldn't

have been in a state of surprise

if people would have just refused

to get back in the boat.

[Grylls] As management rushes to replace

the race-supplied outrigger

for Team New Zealand,

the Kiwis can only sit and wait,

contemplating whether to get back

on the water at all,

and knowing that Team Canada Adventure

is close behind,

readying to push off

in a boat of their own.

Everything down. Good?

[Bob] You're 100% gonna focus in

on the other teams and try to catch them,

and we knew New Zealand

was gonna be the strongest team.

Okay, so just paddle

Off our feet. We're good.

Hey, guys let's do this quick.

I haven't raced for

six years now, almost,

and this race brought me back

to wanting to redeem myself.

We definitely were chasing New Zealand.

We were moving quite well,

and we kind of knew

that we'd caught up to them again.

We hadn't seen them for a few days,

and we were really jazzed up.

It's expedition racing.

Anything can happen.

[ thunder ]

[Grylls] Across the rest of the course,

teams are attempting to navigate

this brutal Fijian river in the dark.

At 2 a.m., after hours of travel,

Mark of Team Endure dismounts his horse,

because the uneven terrain

has been wreaking havoc on his spine.

[Dannelle] I think he's okay.

We've all gone way downhill

and bounced back, huh, guys?

[Shane] Good job.

Is this the hardest day in your life?

Uh maybe.

It's the hardest day in adventure racing,

that's for sure.

I think we just need to get there and

get dry, get warm, eat, and sleep.

[Grylls] The team is desperately trying

to reach Camp 3

before the afternoon cutoff time,

but Mark's debilitating back pain

has forced them to rest for a few hours

in a nearby village.

I have no intention

of quitting this race.

- We know that, Dad.

- None whatsoever.

We believe in you.

I think he's asleep already,

and he's talking in his sleep.

[ Mark laughs ]

[Grylls] Over a day of racing ahead,

of the towering Vuwa Falls in the dark.

But they're discovering that river travel

past the big climb

hasn't gotten any easier.

Let's go! Be careful be careful.

Hey! We have been going

hard for hours. Slow down.

Being back on that river,

falling and hitting my legs on the rocks,

my legs were starting to swell,

and I was starting to have

a little bit of deja vu.

I had to be evacuated from the course

17 years ago.

One of my main fears

is for any of us to get injured

and not being able to look up

at our kids back home.

I can see on the map the

river gets a little bit narrower.

It's this way?

Are you sure it's that way?

Let's try this way.

Be careful!

[ Jose groans ]

[ breathing heavily ] Whoa.

- Are you okay?

- [Jose] Shubi!

[Nora] Jose fell and hit his head.

Let me just check.

It's not so good, huh?

We couldn't stop

in the middle of the river to sleep,

because it was raining, it was cold.

So, our-- our goal in that stage was just,

"Okay, let's make the next checkpoint,

and then assess the team."

It looks like we've still got

another hour to go.

40 minutes, one hour

to get to the checkpoint.

[ thunder ]

[Grylls] Over 200 kilometers ahead,

Team Canada Adventure is well into

the final paddling leg,

just behind Team New Zealand,

who is rushing to get back onto the water

near the finish line.

Okay, guys, your replacement

outrigger canoe is here.

You're clear to go. So, let's do it.

[Sophie] The four of us were bobbing

around in the ocean at night,

and did get shaken by it.

We just want to go.

But at the same time,

I wanted to finish the race,

and we had no idea

where the Canadians were.

We didn't-- we didn't know

how far back they were,

but by this point, we'd lost three hours,

so we figured that they were going to be

very close.

Should we--

should we push it in the water?

[Nathan] This is a good

lesson for us.

We know there's teams

breathing down our neck.

They're hungry to try and--

try and win the race.

Now it's game on, for sure.

Given how far we've come,

not far to go, is there?

[Bob]

Great, guys, you're making progress.

We were moving really well,

and we'd caught up.

We could see, um, the New Zealand team

across the water,

and we'd been gaining

on them a little bit,

so, we said, "Okay, this is it.

Let's push. Let's see what happens."

Oh, now they think we're gonna win.

Let's go.

Canada!

[Nathan] Keep going

just past where those waves are.

As a species, it wasn't that long ago

we were rummaging around in the jungle

looking for things to eat,

and, you know, modern life has just got

so comfortable.

We actually want to

get out there and suffer

and feel like we are being tested

and feel alive.

Woo!

[ music ]

So, waiting on the finish line.

4:50 a.m.

You can just see

this one boat paddling in.

So, is it going to be the New Zealand

team or the Canadian team?

Woo! Yeah!

[ laughs ]

[ music ]

[ cheering ]

Unbelievable.

Come on up.

You legends.

[ laughs ] You legends.

Good for you.

Oh, my word.

671 kilometers.

Jungles, rivers, oceans, swamps.

Team New Zealand, you have just won

the World's Toughest Race

and the $100,000 prize.

[ cheering ]

This race for me was largely

about winning Eco-Challenge

for my teammates.

It was a bit of a shame

that my teammates

had never really had

that feather in their cap,

and it was just putting together

a really good race

that would hopefully, you know,

earn us the title.

You won this Eco-Challenge

when you were age 30.

You're now age 47.

- [ Sophie laughs ]

- [Grylls] How have you done it so fast?

I think the more you look back

on the race you've done

and experience comes wisdom,

probably more than anything.

And, Sophie, you gave birth

to a little baby--

how many months ago,

nine, ten months ago?

Yeah, nine months.

How do you do that? How do you tr--

How did you train for this?

I had done a lot of racing

up until I took time out to get the kids.

A lot of it is experience.

You know,

everybody's situation is different.

And I hope it makes moms

get back out there again.

It's totally worth it.

Woo hoo! [ pop ] Yay!

[Nathan] There's lots of positive things

to be gained from challenging yourself

and pushing your boundaries

and taking risks.

And, you know, I just really

encourage people to-- to get out there

and find their toughest race,

whatever that may be.

[Grylls] So proud of you.

Team New Zealand is the first

to have crossed the finish line

of the World's Toughest Race.

But the struggling slower teams

didn't enter the race to win.

They came simply to prove to themselves,

family, and friends

that they could finish it.

whose racers are hoping to redefine

their Eco-Challenge legacy.

Now having made it to the checkpoint

just beyond Vuwa Falls,

they wake up after sleeping only 2 hours

and try to decide

whether they're able to continue.

I'm exhausted.

Yeah, it's gonna be walking in the river

for at least, like

It's not too many K's.

It's like around 7 kilometers.

But if we stay here too long,

it's even worse, and we get too cold.

[Shubi] Last night we had the the most

difficult part of the the race.

Going by the river,

there's a lot of slippery boulders.

You cannot see anything, you cannot know

where the river is going.

And we fell a lot.

Jose hit his head.

I hurt my shin.

[Shubi] Nora hurt her leg.

Feeling better?

Everybody's very hurt.

But, uh, I think we can still keep going.

We want to finish the race.

Let's go.

Let's go and be careful.

Guys, we have to get to the end.

[Grylls] Nearly a day behind,

Teams Mad Mayrs and Khukuri Warriors

arrive at Camp 3 at sunrise,

after pushing through the night.

- Welcome, good morning.

- Thank you.

Good morning.

[Nungshi] Getting to camp,

when I saw camp,

there was a different

kind of adrenaline.

We finally did it.

I think I was very emotional.

I was so proud of myself.

I pushed really hard, and I

I just can't wait to see how this unfolds

in the rest of the days to come.

But our spirits are high.

[Courtney] Woo hoo!

[Courtney] We've made it this far.

I was so happy to see those totems,

tell you what.

Seeing those, I was like,

"Okay. I'm here, I'm done."

I kind of, like,

cried on the way down,

'cause the boys were, like,

just ahead of me.

I was like, I am so proud of the boys

for, like, doing what we've just done.

And we get to the totems,

and I'm like, "Okay." [ inhaling ]

"Hold it in. Don't cry. Don't cry.

It's going to be okay."

And I was like, "Yes! We're done!"

Oh! That is good.

[ indistinct chatter ]

Wait. Are you crying?

Is she upset or is she happy?

Are you Oh, are you actually?

Court.

It was just a-- a cry of happiness

and a cry of relief,

and a cry of excitement.

We might finish this race.

I swear, it's a happy cry. It's all good.

[ music ]

[Grylls] Back at the end of the course

on Mana Island,

Team Canada Adventure,

who'd nearly matched

Team New Zealand's relentless pace

of almost a week of racing,

paddles the last kilometer

towards the finish line.

- [ applause ]

- Woo woo!

Wow!

Oh, my goodness.

Team Canada, you've just come second

in the World's Toughest Race.

Respect.

Well done, you guys.

I'd been away for six years

and hadn't participated in these events.

I guess I still wanted to prove to

myself, even all these years later,

come back and still compete with these

guys, and it was really indelible for me.

Did you realize how close you were

to the New Zealands as well?

Not really.

[Grylls]

They were an hour and a half ago.

You were that close.

So, maybe if we weren't stuck

in that current for 2 hours.

I don't want to think about it right now.

The hardest part of the race, for sure.

It's an amazing time, and, I don't know,

maybe it will keep me in it

for a while longer. [ laughs ]

[Grylls] As Team Canada Adventure

continues to celebrate,

Team Gippsland Adventure

makes their way towards the finish line,

just minutes behind.

Come on up.

So, you guys have just earned

a podium finish.

You've come third

in the World's Toughest Race.

Congratulations.

[Rob] It's a dream come true when

you can finally see that finish line.

You're overcome with a lot of emotion.

It is one of the hardest things

I've done in my life.

You're swimming with your pack

through these never-ending pools

of freezing-cold water.

I was able to, um, just get over

those tough moments.

I really sort of grew during the race,

and that's what's made this, um

this race so special.

I like to think we're

one big happy family.

But at least four days of racing away

from the finish line,

Team Stray Dogs, in last place,

is just trying to get to Camp 3

by the 4 p.m. cutoff time.

But Bob has been feeling sick for days,

and now, things are only getting worse.

I've gotta say, this is about as bad

a case of macerated feet I've had.

I know all the descriptive terms for

all these bad things that we're getting.

[ laughs ]

Some local people at the village

were giving us water.

I got a bottle probably filled off a, uh,

you know, rain barrel or a cistern,

and, so, untreated.

And then about four or five hours later,

then I got sick to my stomach,

and that's persisted

through the remainder of the race.

And now, I put myself in the position

of weakest member of the team.

Don't be discouraged, Bob.

You're moving--

you're moving really well.

[Bob] Yeah.

I'm kind of the odd--

Well, I mean,

there's no chance

that I could make the cutoff.

- I mean--

- Sure it is.

But, I mean, I'm moving so slowly.

You know, it is what it is.

I mean, we're together on this thing.

Okay. All right.

But let's-- let's just continue together

until somebody comes over

and taps us on the shoulder

and says, "You're too late"

- Yeah.

- [Marshall] Bob, don't worry about it.

We've gotten this far together,

and, you know,

we'll keep-- just keep doing it.

That's what we do.

You're a Stray Dog, buddy.

Like it or not.

He feels bad that he's holding us back.

That's his perception.

I think, in his head, we don't have

a chance of making the cutoff,

and, you know, he's convinced himself

of a lot of things that

aren't necessarily true.

The thing is, is we're out here together,

and that's-- that's what really counts,

I think to all of us.

[Marshall] Trust me, I'd rather be

out here with you

- Yeah.

- than sitting in a hotel room.

Anyhow, whatever it

whatever it hands us, it does.

[ all chuckle ]

[Grylls] Just a couple of hours ahead,

former Stray Dogs team member Mark Macy,

now of Team Endure,

is waking up and assessing

his team's chances

to make it to Camp 3

by the 4 p.m. cutoff time.

How are you feeling this morning?

Not very good. Back's k*lling me.

- [woman] Thank you for coming.

- [Mark] Bye-bye.

- Thank you very much.

- [woman] Thank you.

Thank you. You have beautiful children.

- Thank you.

- Yeah, look at those guys.

We got about 11 kilometers,

which seems pretty simple,

but it's up and down and technical,

and, um, a lot of river stuff.

And, um

I I think I truly think we have

a good shot.

One thing I learned from Dad is

you can get better.

Sometimes you it seems that things

will only get worse, and

that's not always the truth, you know?

Well, it's better than last night,

that's for sure.

[Travis] Set that over here.

I feel bad for Mark.

He's having a tough time.

This is a lot for him.

[Shane] Sit down for a minute,

why don't you.

Get your breath.

Psychologically, this is what he wants.

This is what he lives for.

But I feel bad seeing him

suffer like this.

Where's that horse?

180, dude.

I can't turn 180.

Okay, how do I get on this bad boy?

- Hop.

- [Dannelle] Here.

[ guide speaking Fijian ]

Now you want to throw

that leg up and over.

- [Dannelle] He's got it. He's got it.

- This leg.

Getting close.

[ cheering ]

- [ applause ]

- Good job! Good job.

Dad's back is, um really wrecked,

but we know that

we need to move in daylight,

so, if we're gonna make it through this,

we have to keep going, give it our best,

and see what happens.

[Mark] Well, very nice work.

Thank you very much, okay?

[ clapping ]

[Grylls] Now, after resting at Camp 3,

hoping to muster up

some strength to continue,

Team Endure, along with Khukuri Warriors

and Mad Mayrs,

have packed up and are now heading into

the most dangerous and difficult part

of the race.

They'll be trekking across

slippery rocks

to the base of Vuwa Falls,

where they'll have to ascend

the massive waterfall

and then submerge into pools

for an 8-kilometer swim.

It's a bone-chilling section of the course

is just beginning.

So, the superhuman ladies

are hanging on in there.

Can these mothers use that strength

to get through this race,

or is it going to be a heartbreaker

for the Brazilians?

[Karina] There's a lot of water.

Cold.

I was feeling very awful

because my knee is hurting a little bit.

I fell so many times, and my knee,

I don't have any ligaments.

And I have a little bit of arthritis.

It started to swell.

And my other teammate, Nora,

had a lot of bruises everywhere.

Jose, he was struggling a lot.

So, the three of us

were not doing so good.

The best thing for us

is to keep going, and

we're not going to stop now.

[Grylls] As the swimming section

a helicopter prepares to rescue

another team on the river behind them.

[ radio ] HQ, HQ, this is Team 60

on channel 3, calling for help.

Go ahead, Team 60.

We hear you loud and clear.

The injured member is unable

to put weight on a knee at all.

[woman] Copy that.

Busted my knee. Fell in the river.

Landed hard.

Thought it was all right at first,

but I can't stand on it.

Adventure racing does that.

It's a crazy sport, and

if it didn't have that risk

and that adrenaline and and, uh

that wild aspect,

I don't think we'd be doing it.

The helicopter is going

overhead right now.

Okay, we've got you there, mate.

We'll come around.

[Grylls] The dense terrain makes it

impossible for the helicopter to land,

so the pilots make the decision

to evacuate Team Strong Machine

in a rescue basket.

Just 2 kilometers behind on the river,

Team Endure is just starting their

journey into the heart of the racecourse,

knowing that significant risk

awaits them ahead.

[Travis] Getting across, you know,

a river like this,

that's maybe 50 yards with wet rocks

and moss, and it's up to your waist,

that's really hard,

and currently a little bit risky.

I think it would be like last night,

where, you know,

we'll finish well after dark.

You-- you repel or something

down into, like, a canyon,

and then you kind of wallow through this--

[Shane] It's basically a swamp.

Knee-deep to chest-deep.

And giant boulders

that you're trying to get through.

[Mark] Wow, I don't--

You're half swimming,

you're half crawling,

you're half hopping from rocks.

[Travis] Four miles of that in the river.

Four miles in a river?

- [Travis] That's what it looks like.

- Wow.

[Shane] It's a lot.

Jeez.

We're all getting cold, not moving

very quickly to generate body heat.

This is a really risky situation.

And we don't know whether we, as a team,

can make it through this together.

- So, what do you think?

- I guess we go. I don't know.

We're worried about you.

Getting your a*s through that.

Well, you know

then we're DQ if I don't do it.

[ helicopter whirring ]

- [Dannelle] They're like flying solo.

- [Travis] Look at that.

[Dannelle] Oh, my God.

[Shane] It's a team.

There's legs sticking out

[Dannelle] There's legs sticking out.

[Mark] You think there's

somebody injured in there, or just

[Travis] Yeah.

[ thunder ]

I'm shak-- I'm shivering.

[ exhales ]

[Grylls] At the end of the swimming

section and in excruciating pain,

seeks medical attention

at the nearby checkpoint.

I have a headache.

[Carachi] You want to get this off?

Who is the team captain here?

- Shubi.

- [Carachi] Shubi. Yeah.

Everybody's kind of injured.

Every-- each of them has a little thing.

- I can't leave it straight.

- [Carachi] Your leg?

[Shubi] Karina's knee is super big,

and Nora has all these cuts and wounds

and all got infected.

And Jose was really cold,

and now he's kind of weak.

This here looks particularly warm.

See, I just wonder if you might have

a bit of cellulitis?

He was, like, shivering the whole time.

Yeah.

I can see him shivering.

- Also, he hit his head around 10 p.m.

- Yeah.

[Thorne] What year is it?

I'm in Eco-Challenge.

[Thorne] What year is it right now?

Uh you're

assisting me.

Okay. Um

Like, I can't say it's done already

but it doesn't look

that we have many chances.

How long have you been suffering for?

Uh, since yesterday.

[Thorne] Yesterday.

[Carachi]

You've got very limited movement.

But do you think if I tape, I can

it goes better?

[Carachi] You can't fully extend.

I don't know what to do.

I'm kind of confused.

I-- I don't know what can happen.

Okay. All right.

But I don't want to drop out the race.

[Carachi] I think you've come

a long way, all right?

You've done exceptionally well.

Obviously, there's a combination of

fatigue, exhaustion, and injuries. Okay?

The infec-- the sepsis

that you've had previously, um

I think we can't go any further.

Yes, Nora.

I-- I think you're probably right.

You can keep

your heads held high

that what you've achieved so far

is phenomenal.

- Yeah.

- [Carachi] All right.

[Thorne] Really great job. [ applause ]

Are you glad you did this again?

I'm not sure.

Uh, yes, I think-- I think

I'm glad I did that again, and, um

Yeah, this time, we went way much further

than we did last time.

But, uh

Yeah. This part of Fiji is pretty rough,

pretty tough,

and the weather didn't help

- Yeah.

- so, we need to look after ourselves.

And, uh, you know,

we need to look after our lives.

Doing this race now, like,

almost 20 years older with a kid at home,

like, I kept thinking about him

during-- like,

I told him that every time I look

at the moon, I would remember him.

[ voice breaking ] And

Uh but it's good,

because we have to go back home healthy

to take care of him, and, you know?

I have someone to look after.

[ music ]

[Aaron] Climbing up the river

is legit hard.

Going over a bunch of huge,

like, slippery, wet rock,

big o' thing, you step about

We were just trying to take it slow,

so we didn't twist anything or

bruise or break an ankle

or anything, so

Wow.

One small thing

and it can be really dangerous.

It's like the worst

I've ever seen in jungle.

Rocks and water it's so damn slippery.

You step on one fricking stone

and it moves.

You take support from the other,

that moves.

It's like you're shifting

all of the time.

Very difficult.

The rocks are super slippery.

[ yelling ]

No, no-- What is it?

I just slipped, and my legs got saved,

but my

fricking chin hit the rock.

Hit her chin on on a rock.

It got a laceration. It's bleeding.

I just hope it's not infected.

[Praveen] We'll get dry. Let's go.

[Grylls] Only a couple of hours behind,

Team Endure's progress in the river

has slowed to a crawl.

You know, I hate to think that

I'm the one who's

wrecking things for you guys.

Dad, you're not wrecking anything.

You're-- you're the one who's made this

an awesome experience for all of us.

[Shane] Don't worry about that part.

You're not letting us down.

I think we all went into it,

just, like, with an open mind of, like,

let's see what happens.

- Yeah.

- [Travis] What do you think? Walk

I mean, I say, right now,

we keep walking, and

- Might as well.

- Let's do it.

- Do the cave?

- Keep rolling.

If I stopped, you know, adventure racing

or ultra running,

or all that other stuff that I do,

my life would be gone.

Anything that happens in life

and anything that happens, you know,

up in these mountains, and

You know, you're sliding around

and falling in mud, and hitting rocks

Yeah, you got you just got to

suck it up and go with it.

My back is bad.

[Shane] He would never stop.

- Three days.

- Three days.

[Shane] He would never stop.

He would crawl up there.

You know that, right?

I don't have any doubt about that.

You said it earlier, you're like,

"He's not gonna stop."

Man, it's hard to walk around.

[ guide speaking Fijian ]

The question is, does he have

the physical tools now, right?

I don't know.

[Travis]

He's still moving forward, and

you know, being around

these kind of races over the years,

I've seen a lot of times

where you look at someone,

and, you know, clearly, it's like,

"sh*t. That person

should not be moving forward."

And they still are.

You know, I'm not surprised.

This is what he does.

- This has been incredible.

- Oh, yeah.

You know, we've made it seven days

through all this stuff.

Yeah.

I mean, I truly have had

one of the best weeks of my life.

- [Shane] You've got to tell him that.

- Yeah. I will.

All right, buddy. Let's do it.

Yep. Well

[Grylls] Just 7 kilometers ahead upriver,

at the top of the Vuwa Falls,

is Team East Wind of Japan,

whose captain, Masato,

has adventure raced for 25 years

and participated in five Eco-Challenges.

But now, his team is waking up

from a hellish night,

after walking 12 extra hours

while lost on the river,

and they're facing the difficult decision

of whether they should

or even can continue this race.

She and he, foot is padded foot,

like trench foot.

So

Skin is breaking down.

So

No recover.

We should call for help.

I'll radio.

It's very hard.

Can't keep racing.

Headquarters, headquarters

this is Team 31,

East Wind, calling for help.

[ radio static ]

Go ahead, 31. We hear you loud and clear.

Uh

My team member

two team members

has a trench foot.

Can't

Cannot walk.

So, I decided, uh

we dry out, breathe,

pick up my team in the helicopter.

copy. You need a helicopter.

Do you know your location now?

My location is top of the waterfalls.

Recorded, copy that.

HQ, HQ copy on the heli.

Top of Vuwa.

Number four. Highland.

[ laughs ]

Our last medallion.

[Grylls]

Back 22 kilometers short of Camp 3,

Team Stray Dogs has only 6 hours

before the cutoff time,

and Bob's energy level has plummeted.

The team is barely moving,

so they're exploring a local village,

desperate for a solution.

So, we're interested in getting a horse

to go to, uh Lutu.

And you can take our backpacks?

- Yeah.

- Yes? [ rooster crows ] Okay.

Looks like we're going off road with

multiple river crossings.

With our faithful horse carrying our bags

and Mark, our trusty guide.

I am the slowest

member of the team, and

if I had just paused at that time I drank

that tainted water

That was a very crucial moment

in the race for me,

and I should have known better.

[ music ]

[Marshall] Doctor Bob is one of

the toughest human beings.

I think he's the toughest human being

out here.

But he was just suffering greatly,

and sweat was just pouring down him.

He just motored through it,

wouldn't say a thing, very quiet,

and so we finally threw Doctor Bob

on the horse, and,

you know, he became a cowboy for,

you know, a limited amount of time.

[guide] Okay, let's go.

He's pretty good at it, actually.

And the color started coming back

in his face too, so,

we began to, uh,

recognize him as Doctor Bob.

We're making our way

up this very muddy, narrow jungle trail.

And, basically, it's quarter to 11.

The cutoff is 4:00, so we've got

five and a quarter hours,

and it's about, uh, 18K, I'd say, so,

we have some chances of making it, but

everything depends on

the state of the trail.

[Grylls] 33 kilometers head,

past Camp 3 and Vuwa Falls,

Team Iron Cowboy

has finally reached the checkpoint

below the difficult section of

climbing up the enormous wall.

It's been taking folks that are tired,

in the dark, around 5 hours.

- To ascend?

- Yeah.

- [Sonja] Is it navigable in the dark?

- It is.

I mean, with a headlamp,

you just follow the ropes.

Um, but it's certainly easier

in the daylight.

- Yeah.

- It's just

It all depends on how much

big wall climbing you've done.

- Yeah.

- It's a lot of little overhangs.

- [Sonja] You have to push your over.

- Yeah. It can just be really challenging.

[Sonja] I was put on this planet

to do hard things.

It's in my core, it's in my bones,

it's in my blood.

I know when I'm out here,

there's no reason not to believe

that I am capable.

- I think we got it.

- Are we all for sure now?

- Yeah.

- We're gonna go for it.

Thank you.

[James] We've never done

something like this. No experience.

We've never done

an adventure race before.

But I'm not super intimidated.

I'm excited.

Hey, guys, let's just be patient.

Take it one section at a time.

Pretty much everything on the race

we're doing for the first time.

So, this is very, very new to us.

You got it, Sonja?

The course is relentless,

so every step is a victory.

We're a gritty--

a gritty little group here.

[Grylls] Just an hour behind,

the Khukuri Warriors and Mad Mayrs

have also arrived at the base

of the Vuwa Falls.

Fuel up, get in a good rest

before you hit the falls,

because once you're on there,

you're kind of just on the ropes.

There's not great places to rest.

And then the weather, you know,

it's about a thousand feet above

where we are down here.

It's quite a bit windier

and quite a bit colder.

I don't think we should

go up, personally.

Because we'll get hypothermic.

Plain and simple.

So, let's do the five-hour

climb early tomorrow morning.

I feel like I could do it,

but it would not be enjoyable, man.

And we only got 30 minutes' sleep

last night.

You guys are welcome to camp

anywhere between here and there.

We're sharing with Team India tonight,

and there's not that much floor space,

but it should be a fun experience

here in the jungle.

[Grylls] While Khukuri Warriors

and Mad Mayrs

head to bed for the night,

trailing just behind is Team Endure,

still struggling to get to the falls.

I've lost my sense of balance

that I've always had,

running around rocks and stuff.

I've been running around rocks and

you know, for years and years and years.

And I was thinking,

"What what's happening?"

I don't know if it's my Alzheimer's or

maybe it is.

Or maybe it's just age.

I think that's probably the case,

Alzheimer's aside.

[Mark] For every athlete, a time comes

Gordie Howe and John Elway

and Joe Namath--

can't leave out Joe Namath--

and time comes.

You know, over the last several days,

I've been unable to keep up with

with you guys,

which is something that

not too long ago would have been easy

for me to do.

I think what's happening is like

the visual/spatial challenges

with Alzheimer's,

like, I think, it's

unless you're balancing,

some of the stuff's just not

coming through.

Like, I don't think you're seeing,

you know,

all the rocks and-- and the roots and

Yeah. That's what it is,

ultimately, that

ultimately that this is--

this is gonna progress,

and I have no idea

what's gonna happen.

Remember when I came here?

I had no idea what was gonna happen.

And I still don't know

what's going to happen.

You did an awesome job.

- You know?

- [Dannelle] Unreal.

You've-- you've made it through

seven and a half days of this.

Unreal.

We faced uncertainty, and, you know

You're right, Dad.

We will face more of it.

We can go in together as a family

and you know?

We can handle anything that comes.

'Cause we're in it together, you know?

I mean, seriously, Dad.

[ sniffs ] It's

You did awesome, Dad.

I love you so much

and I'm so proud of you, Dad.

You know I'm proud of you, Trav,

and I love you.

[ Travis crying ]

When Dad was first diagnosed

with Alzheimer's,

he said, "You know, my greatest fear

with Alzheimer's is that my grandkids

[ voice breaking ]

won't remember who I truly am. [ sniffs ]

And, you know what, Dad?

Your-- your grandkids are going to know

exactly who you are.

I promise you that.

And I will make sure that they know, Dad.

I'm gonna tell them

what their Grandpa did.

And-- and who he was,

and they're gonna be proud,

just like I am.

It's hard for me to quit something,

because I have never quit before.

Dad, it's not-- this is not quitting.

This is going on with living fully.

That's what we're gonna keep doing.

[Travis] Our family has, um,

an uncertain future,

especially when you look at something

like Alzheimer's, where

we don't know the timeline.

We don't know what's gonna happen.

You know?

We really don't know,

and all we know is [ sniffs ]

that we are in it together.

We are a team, and we are gonna

take on, um, whatever comes.

And doing this race,

this has empowered me

to know I'm--

I'm ready to take that role.

HQ, HQ, Team 52 here.

[woman] Go ahead, Team 52.

Uh, we have decided that going

to the ropes and canyons

is not a good choice for our team.

Copy that. Heading back to Camp 3.

And I want to let anyone know

who's listening how proud I am of my dad

and how much I love him.

It's been awesome, Dad.

That's awesome, you guys. Great job.

Thank you. Over.

[Travis] As a son, you know,

I do have a responsibility

to make sure he remembers this stuff.

[ voice breaking ] And for him to know

that he got out there with me

in the jungle, in Fiji,

for seven days,

and did a whole bunch

of really hard stuff.

That's the story I'm gonna tell him.

[ guides speaking Fijian ]

How far until we get

to the start of the road?

6K.

So, it's 6K to the start of this road,

and then it's about 2 and a half K

from there.

[ helicopter whirring ]

[ horse whinnies ]

- I thought we were going to make it.

- I did too.

I feel like some sort of time warp

happened or something.

I don't know where we lost time.

- So, it's getting dark.

- Yeah.

Getting close to 4:00 now, so

- Yeah, we

- It's not mathematically possible.

So, we're gonna give you guys a lift

back up to Camp three there.

I'll take two of you guys at first

and then come back and

do the rest of the group.

Okay.

I can sit here and say,

we gave it our best shot.

I'm very thankful to be able

to get as far as we did.

I'm very proud of that,

especially at our age.

So, we'll take Bob, and you're going

to come with me as well?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

[Marshall] I think we're probably

the oldest adventure racing team

on the planet.

[Bob] This could be the last big

adventure race for the Stray Dogs, but

we will still continue to be best friends

through thick and thin,

and this will stick with me forever.

I mean, uh I'll bore my grandchildren

'til the cows come home with stories of

Eco-Challenge Fiji.

I saw about half of this racecourse,

and it was pretty dang tough.

It's easy to say you've got to be crazy

to do this, but my wife likes to say,

"The only sane ones are the crazy ones."

And I think she may have a point.

I think this is the most sensible thing

to do with your time.

You experience life

to a much greater degree,

and, uh

I enjoy it and think it's worthwhile.

You made history.

- Made history, yeah?

- Yeah.

I'd say so.

Marshall's right over there, Dad.

Yeah, he's been waiting on you.

Hi.

[Marshall] Aw, Jesus.

[ laughs ] What? How's it going?

[Marshall] Oh, it's going all right.

- You guys still in?

- No.

Yeah, we're not either.

Oh, man, you look like sh*t.

[ both laughing ]

Mark and I used to joke about,

if something happened to one of us,

just like it's happening to Mark,

where we have a dementia or something,

one would take the other one out into

the woods after they've totally lost it

and just leave him.

And that's how we wanted to go.

And I can't do that.

It's I thought, "How silly for us

to think that."

We missed the cutoff.

We were about 4 miles out or so.

So, the difference is, is they came out

and picked us up with the helicopter.

Did you go-- Is that you that

That's how connected we are,

and that's how much

doing things like this means to us.

It, uh, enriches our lives,

it enriches our experience,

it enriches the bond that we have.

When they say "unbreakable,"

people speak casually about that.

I'm not speaking casually about it.

It's unbreakable.

[Travis] I-- I had a blast being out here

with both of you guys.

It meant a whole lot.

Thank you. Thank you both.

I mean, seriously.

[Marshall] Man, I love you guys.

- [Travis] Love you too, buddy.

- [Mark] This is good.

We've got a whole lot of stories to

share, as I know you guys do too.

[ music ]

[ roaring ]