The voyage begins on July 15, 2012 and marks the last leg of the adventurists' Challenge--which starts in Inuvik, Canada and is scheduled to end 30 days later when the four-man crew arrives in Provideniya, Russia. Along the way, Paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen will be collecting plankton samples for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, part of a venture with Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation. To help the men power through the 1,300 miles of icy ocean waters, ViSalus is providing the crew with its signature Vi-Shape® Nutritional Shake Mix, a high protein, nutrient-rich meal replacement.
"Our purpose is to challenge people to live up to their greatness," says Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of ViSalus, Blake Mallen. "What these guys are doing is incredible, physically, mentally and scientifically. The work that they are doing while out on the ocean will help address environmental, climate and energy issues that affect us all. ViSalus is proud to be able to provide them with the fuel their bodies will need to complete the last 30 days of their 90-Day Challenge."
The crew will navigate unsupported in a high tech 29-foot-long, six-foot wide rowboat. The team will rotate between the two positions, each rowing two hours on and two hours off for 24 hours a day for approximately 30 days. The vessel features a desalinator, which converts 400 pounds of salt water into the 24 liters of drinking water the crew requires daily. Solar panels power a GPS, VHF radio, and laptop for the squad to stay in contact with Facebook, Twitter and blog followers throughout their journey.
"I believe that in order to soar to great heights, you have to lose sight of the shore," said Scott Mortensen. "And, when we leave Canada, we will be out there completely alone, but it'll be nice to know the ViSalus community is supporting us on this historic journey. This will be one of the biggest challenges of my life and while what I'm doing is more extreme than most, knowing that tens of thousands are losing weight and getting in shape with the 90-Day Challenge is really inspiring."
