Category: Race

  • Inside Honey Badger, a Performance Energy Supplement Company

    I’m fascinated by the world of extreme sports. Not just by the athletes and their adventures, but also by the brands that help to power them. The heli-skiing companies. The obstacle race providers. The gear and apparel companies. And in this case, Honey Badger, an all-natural energy supplement drink.

    honey badger energy drink

    I’ve been in touch with the folks at Honey Badger for a while now. I’ve seen their recent website launch and have had the chance to chat with them on the phone. I’ll be honest – these guys seem fun. They have a really cool product, different than what you might initially think, and they’re poised to do some pretty big things in the extreme sports community.

    I fired some questions at Luke Cote, Honey Badger’s Director of Sales & Marketing, to learn more.

    What is your company mission?

    Our mission is to become the best supplement company in the industry. We have a game-changing concept that needs to be introduced into this ever-evolving market. Artificial sweeteners must go; sugar needs to be used in moderation and from natural sources. We feel we can help make an impact on people’s lives as well as have fun doing it. We intend to lead the charge in positive change within the industry. We also want to help grow our charity partner The Mark Forester Foundation. Mark was a roommate and best friend of Robert in the Air Force. All proceeds from our Liberty Bottles go straight to the MFF. We feel very strongly about the organization, as it is personally connected to us.

    How did Honey Badger get off the ground?

    Founded by Anthony Bonello.

    He enjoys living an active and health-conscious lifestyle. He worked long hours with his job in Nuclear Power and had trouble finding the energy to get in productive workouts. He started using PREWORKOUT Supplements and was hooked. After using several different brands he noticed that there were some issues with the formulas. It did not meet his criteria, and he thought that he could do better. He envisioned a PREWORKOUT that fit his personal preference and figured others would follow suit. The criteria consisted of being as natural and clean as possible, no fluff ingredients, and no sugar. Each ingredient had to be absolutely essential to the entire blend or it wouldn’t be added. After finagling with many formulas, many trial and error runs, on family and friends, he eventually created the premise of a formula.

    Excited with the results he called upon his most trusted allies; his Brother’s, to help form a company to develop this formula further. Then, came the most important question, what do we name this exciting new formula? There were so many names being tossed around. Nothing would stick. We knew the name had to bold and stick out in a very crowded market.

    The story begins with a uniquely fierce animal, which symbolizes everything our company represents. This animal demonstrates characteristics of fearlessness, determination, and resiliency. It can fend off deadly venomous snakes, predators twice its size and endure hundreds of bee stings, stopping at nothing to snack on its favorite foods. It’s lean and mean, resilient, full of energy and never stops moving forward. The fearless attitude and prominent characteristics are what caught our attention and proved a perfect fit in naming both the company and product line, HONEY BADGER. We secured the rights to the name of our category of products and the rest is history.

    How long have you been operational?

    The Company was Founded October 1, 2011. After a little over a year in development our first product was launched in December 2012.

    And you have sponsored athletes?

    Many sponsorship opportunities are popping up all over the place as we have a product that can be used by many athletes. We are looking at sponsorship opportunities, but since we are a small brand still, we have to focus on building the company first. We have several segments of business, which we have started to separate and focus on individually.

    So far, they are as follows:

    • Obstacle Racing
    • MMA
    • Extreme Athletes
    • Conventional Athletes
    • E-Gaming

    Our present sponsorship roster:

    • Jake Rhyner – Professional Triathlete
    • Adam Schindler – Professional MMA Fighter
    • Darrell Montague – Professional MMA Fighter
    • Claire Hewitt-Demeyer – Professional Snowboarder

    How did you find these athletes?

    Claire Hewitt-Demeyer was the first athlete to embrace Honey Badger. We had sent our friend Mad Max a few jars of Honey Badger. He let Claire try it and she was hooked. He put her in touch with us and the rest was history.

    Jake Rhyner is a friend of Robert Bonello, Co-Founder of Honey Badger. They originally met during Special Forces Air Force Combat Controller training. When searching for talent, Robert had mentioned Jake and described him as a “Beast” of an athlete. We reached out to Jake and got him on board with our product. Jake recently placed first in a triathlon in May. He’s going to be our secret weapon for an upcoming event, non-related to a triathlon. Not giving it away just yet. All we have to say is, “watch out!”

    Darrell “The Mongoose” Montague is an up-and-coming flyweight MMA fighter. This young man has tremendous potential and upside as he shows quickness and explosiveness. He recently won a big fight. He has a great manager, Steve Lara, CEO of WSMFights.com, doing his best to help get him into the UFC as he deserves a shot to fight the best.

    Adam Schindler is a friend of Ryan Bonello, Co-Founder of Honey Badger. Ryan was in Thailand, training in one of his passionate styles of fighting, Muay Thai. During his time at a training camp, he met Adam Schindler. They immediately became friends and stayed in touch as they both are from the US. Adam Schindler has been in the MMA scene for several years and had some major fights in the Bellator franchise. He suffered an unfortunate knee injury that set up back a while. He just had his return to the octagon recently and suffered another knee injury. This guy shows the true heart of a Fighter. His future in MMA is uncertain. But he’s a friend to us and we support him either way.

    How are you different than other energy drink and supplement companies?

    Our product is more than an energy drink. It’s a hybrid of performance and energy. The benefits of our synergistic blend can help with energy, endurance, focus, intensity, hydration, and recovery. We are marketing it as the ultimate PRE meaning it can be used PREWORKOUT, PREGAME, PREACTIVITY. We purposely designed it to be open-ended for use, and not isolated for one function. The versatility is what makes it unique as it can be used for many applications such as lifting, running, biking, dancing, driving, and gaming to name a few. It is very versatile.

    Our flavoring system is what sets us apart from the rest of the pack. No other comparable formula contains Stevia as the only sweetener. We’re breaking the mold of what everyone else is doing. Each ingredient in our formula has to be essential and serve a purpose. You can literally feel our formula working and quickly. We cut out all the fluff and it shows in the results. What I mean by fluff are filler type ingredients. We refuse to use ingredients that are beyond artificial and pose health risks. We will not compromise the health of our customers. We make products that we use ourselves.

    No marketing hype with Honey Badger, just pure, proven ingredients, in their superior forms for everyone to see. All the ingredients are sourced from reputable companies with proven track records of providing safe and pure ingredients. All ingredients are analyzed at the manufacturing facility to test for purity. We do not use proprietary blends. We list all the active ingredient amounts for all to see. We say, “active ingredients, because we do not disclose the amounts of the other ingredients in the supplement facts.” We feel it’s important to be as transparent as possible.

    Our approach and interaction with the customer is different. We are breaking the mold of traditional corporate models. We connect on a personal level with each and every customer. We try to go above and beyond for everyone. Building real relationships with real customers goes a long way. Social media allows us to instantly connect with people. We also use it to provide customer service by responding to people where they’re spending most of their time. Take a look at our Twitter feed @HoneyBadgerBev and you’ll get an idea of what’s going on with Honey Badger.

    What are your plans for the future?

    We are actively pursuing several sports. We like to call it the Three-Headed Monster. It’s Obstacle Racing, CrossFit, and MMA. All three are the fastest-growing sports out there.

    Our main focus is sponsoring Spartan Races beginning fall 2013 (Sacramento, Malibu, Fenway Park Boston, Austin). We feel Obstacle Racing is the least saturated within our product offering, and we have a huge opportunity to cement our brand within the sport. The Spartan Race presents one of the most challenging Obstacle Racing courses out there. The Honey Badger brand fits well with the rugged sport of Obstacle Racing.

    Some other Events we will be sponsoring and attending are a few big supplement events such as the Olympia and Arnold Classic, as well as an up and coming CrossFit league based out of Atlanta (AAL – Atlanta Affiliate League – Championship Series 6/29/13).

    One of our other very promising markets to pursue is the gaming industry, as we have recently generated significant interest from some reputable gamers who contacted us directly. This has led to a test marketing phase and so far we’ve begun to make some noise. Since a large audience within that market is teenagers, we’re confident their superiors/ parents would approve of our all natural, health conscious products over other brands, who take less of this into consideration.

    What is your company culture like?

    Right now our company culture is very family-oriented. We are aggressive, young, relentless, and get things done. The three founding members are all brothers. They’re very competitive amongst each other. Put them together and they synergistically work. Each team member brings value to the table and strives to succeed. At the end of the day it’s all about the customer! We truly stand by that, 150,000%!

    ##

    Luke, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about your company. The Nerve Rush community looks forward to your growth! Check out their company here: drinkhoneybadger.com.

  • Coyote Lost at Sea: Mike Plant’s Colorful Sailing Career

    Coyote Lost at Sea: Mike Plant’s Colorful Sailing Career

    coyote lost at seaWhen Minnesota native Mike Plant entered the Vendée Globe, a legendary around-the-world sailing race, he had already completed three solo around-the-world races. He had beat competitors with more experience and with far more funding. To win, Plant had sailed through hurricanes, navigated six-story waves and survived an Indian Ocean capsizing in 45-foot seas.

    In November 1992, Plant had registered for his fourth expedition and in two weeks time was to set sail from France with his competitors. When Plant’s boat, Coyote, went missing in the mid-Atlantic, the sailing world held its breath.

    Now, twenty years later, the mystery and tragedy is unraveled.

    In Coyote Lost at Sea: The Story of Mike Plant, America’s Daring Solo Circumnavigator, author Julia Plant exposes some of the underside of her brother’s hero worship. It’s a fascinating read. Her diligence to understand precisely what happened to her brother adds a deeply emotional layer to the story.

    Julia Plant walks us through her brother’s life, from a solo trip to South America to secretly thwarting authorities in the Greek isles. Mike Plant epitomizes fearlessness and risk-taking of the highest order.

    I had the chance to ask Julia some questions about her book. Thank you to her and to her publishing company for putting us in touch!

    Writing a book is a big deal. What compelled you to kick-start the process? Why now, twenty years later?

    Mike’s life, even when he was alive, was always worthy of a book. He started to write one several times. I have always wanted to write, and this seemed a perfect opportunity for me. I started writing it within a year of Mike’s death.
    The fact that the book has come out only recently has nothing to do with me; I tried to find a publisher for years. McGraw-Hill expressed interest in the book in 2011. They wanted to get it out to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death, but missed by a couple months.

    When conducting research for this book, did you find anything about Mike’s story surprising?

    I never knew Mike was the one who actually lit the match that burned down Danceland, and that he knew Jeff (his friend) took the rap for the crime, while he went to Europe to buy a sailboat.

    Imagine someone has just finished reading your book. What big takeaways would you like him/her to walk away with?

    I admired Mike’s appreciation or love for nature, for the wild places in the world. It was as if he needed to be in those places to feel alive. To many, the southern ocean was/is a frightening place, and Mike understood that it was scary there, but he also wanted to be there, because it was wild, devoid of mankind, and beautiful. In some ways, the absence of man’s presence, allowed it to be beautiful. I think that if more of us felt that way the world would probably be a better place.

    The obvious takeaway is that Mike proved how much a person can do if they make up their mind to do it, and the reason they can make that decision in the first place, is because they utterly believe it is the right thing to do, and he/she is the person to do it.

    Perhaps, the third takeaway would be that sometimes we all need a second chance, and one of the best ways to find that second chance, is in a place where no one knows our past.

    ##

    Julia, thank you again for your wonderful book and for taking the time to answer my questions.

    In 1993, the Plant family launched The Mike Plant Memorial Fund, which honors Mike’s passion for sailing. It offers sailing opportunities for kids who are likely to spend their childhood without ever coming near a sailboat.

  • Silence, from Outdoor Brand ARC’TERYX

    Silence, from Outdoor Brand ARC’TERYX

    ARC’TERYX runner Adam Campbell stars in a short, passion-driven film, shot in Vancourver and Whistler. Well done, team ARC’TERYX.

  • James Clear, Habit Formation and Behavior Change [Interview]

    James Clear, Habit Formation and Behavior Change [Interview]

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    James Clear is a weight lifter, travel photographer, entrepreneur and former All American baseball player. James writes for a community of superhumans about what it means to live a healthy life.

    In this interview we discuss extreme sports, habit formation and behavior change. You’ll learn why eating off a green-colored plate can be a good thing, and how identity-based goal setting is the way to go.

    James put together a special page for the Nerve Rush community, full of links and resources that sync up with the topics covered above.

    Check out the link here.

  • Mark Vermeersch & Team Timex [Interview]

    Mark Vermeersch & Team Timex [Interview]

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    In this interview, Team Timex triathlete Mark Vermeersch chats about his life as an amateur triathlete for Team Timex, attempting the most difficult Ironman-distance triathlon in the world and his non-racing life as a consultant.

    You can find Mark here:

  • Chase Norton Completes 10-Day, 228-Mile Solo Trek Across Death Valley

    Chase Norton Completes 10-Day, 228-Mile Solo Trek Across Death Valley

    This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard of happening here. But we still must charge you a $10 entrance fee. – NPS Ranger, Death Valley National Park

    He did it. Chase Norton did it.

    If you recall, Chase Norton set out just eleven days ago to tackle a 228-mile trek across Death Valley. He set out solo, fully self-contained, prepared to endure marathon-plus mileage.

    I just received a note from Chase himself. The email came through at 9:18pm EST. Below is the email in its entirety. Takes about four minutes to read through. Chase, we salute you, sir!

    Chase Norton Way

    Final Statistics: 10 days; 226.32 miles; 479,919 steps

    I write this out as my last email of a successful journey throughout this incredible region of the world. Last night ended what has been the most difficult but rewarding adventure of my life, pushing myself beyond what I even thought was possible and discovering how truly powerful we as humans are. Moments of doubt and indecision creep into the brains of most attempting large feats but during these times are when I reached deep and pushed through to be smiling at the end of the day knowing the mental mountains I had just summited.

    Two nights ago when I was atop Telescope peak and a strong wind storm destroyed my camp, shelter and scattered many of my items, for once in this long journey I was lost. It was near 0 degrees not factoring in wind chill and I was now completely unprotected. I stopped, let the fear take over for two minutes, then gathered myself and set to figure out how I would survive that night. The personal growth through hardship which occurred throughout the sleepless night will help to define and align myself into the future.

    When the sun rose, I put on my shoes and quickly packed up to finish my journey and get down from this elevation. The summit of the Panamint Range is very interesting. Very narrow at most sections with jagged snow covered rocks. One often decides to either walk directly on the true summit or down slightly on the more broad western side if possible. The snow at some portions was waist deep and required rolling out of it similar to what I might imagine quick sand to be. I reached a peak needed to connect with a saddle and from there I let gravity and snow help while I slid down many portions with my ice axe as my brake. At the middle of a saddle, I dropped down into Water Canyon via a scree slide/dry stream. The dry stream was choked with huge dead trees and going was slowed until I reached a fast flowing stream and known path out to Panamint City. Old buildings, tall chimney and remnants of previous backpackers were scattered across the landscape. Knowing my ride was waiting in Ballarat I picked up pace and headed down Surprise Canyon. This had the most water ive come to find in DV National Park. Waterfalls and deep pools of waters were with me along the remainder of my hike. The sun set slowly as I ran out of the canyon and out onto a dirt road heading in the direction of Ballarat. Around 7pm I notice a distinctly newer car than those surrounding it near an old jail building. With a jovial “Hey, I’ve been looking for someone whose been hiking around for a while” and a smile, Hawkins opened the door and with that ended a chapter to a grand adventure.

    I want to thank the many people involved in this trek. My parents for their love, support and concern enough to constantly monitor my progress. My Uncle and Aunt who took me into their home and treated me like a son then brought me to the start line of our journey. Olivier for his incredible mind and visions by bringing this idea of a DV trek to the table and allowing us to work it out to make it is what we have done. Him and I look forward to the videography and photography our team will provide in the future. Hawkins for her tireless effort and devotion to our team. She has been the one relaying my sat com messages to this great list of supporters and then replaying your messages back.

    And of course, lastly to you all. This was funded, supported and motivated by most everyone on this list. From loving family members to simple adventure enthusiasts, I want to thank you for being apart of this moment in time. When I get my hand on a computer I will be writing back to each and every person who emailed me.

    Tonight I sit in Panamint Valley. The sun has set and the full moon is rising. My time here is only half done but for once I feel complete peace and happiness.

    Aloha,

    Chase

  • Buccaneer Rampage: Newport, Oregon’s First Obstacle Race [Interview]

    Buccaneer Rampage: Newport, Oregon’s First Obstacle Race [Interview]

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    It all started with a muddy mountain biking race. An obstacle race next? Why not.

    After a series of successful community events, the Department of Parks and Recreation in coastal Newport, Oregon began mapping out Newport’s first obstacle race, the Buccaneer Rampage. Set to run on August 24th, 2013, the Buccaneer Rampage will undoubtedly be the gnarliest mud/obstacle race on the Oregon coast.

    As Peggy mentions in the interview, “IT’S GONNA BE GREAT.”

    They’re building their own obstacles, and Liam has promised his racers a few clever surprises on the way.

    Oh, and the best pirate costume wins. Sounds like my kind of race!

    To those of you Nerve Rush supporters on the west coast – check out buccaneerrampage.com and register for the race. It benefits a great cause!

    Liam & Peggy – thanks for your time and look forward to following your success!

  • Spartan Race [Race Profile]

    Spartan Race [Race Profile]

    The Spartan Race series recently partnered with Reebok to help bring obstacle racing more legitimacy in the sporting world. The goal here is not to change the way Spartan Race series does their events, but to take it to another level like they did with CrossFit (if you haven’t seen the hot bodies running around at the Reebok CrossFit games you really need to get off the couch…like now). Even with the goal of bringing obstacle racing to the next level, there were people who questioned whether or not Joe and the Spartan camp had sold out. They thought maybe things were going to become more corporate and lose some of the aspects that make Spartan Race series one of the most popular race series out there. Well I am here to tell you that simply isn’t the case.

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    Having run Spartan races before the Reebok partnership and after all I can see that is different is that Reeboks name is on banners and t-shirts. Outside of that the good folks at Spartan Race haven’t changed anything. It’s still the same high energy, hot bodied, kick your ass race series its always been. If anything the Reebok partnership has inspired the crazies at Spartan Race to up their game where it matters, on the course.

    The SoCal Super Spartan in Temecula, CA was the first race since the partnership was announced,and it was a blast. Sure the weather sucked (rain in SoCal even in January is a bit out of place) but it didn’t stop thousands of folks from coming out and getting it done across the 8.5 miles of hills and 29 obstacles (yep 29, that was the official word from the Spartan folks, but honestly it felt more like 40 by the time you were done).

    There was the beer garden after you were finished, some food trucks with great pulled pork, loud music, a swag tent in case you needed stuff, oh yeah and men and women in as little clothing as they could get away with out on the course. No big fancy elaborate costumes at Spartan races, there is no room for them. You aren’t doing a mild jog up and down some muddy hills, no sir. People take these races seriously and that suits Joe and his crew just fine since their goal is to get as many people off the couch and moving as they can.

    Talking to some of the staff they all feel the same way. They are dedicated to using obstacle racing to change the bad habits of the fast food, easy living, millions in America (and the world) who have let themselves go an don’t know what living life is supposed to be like. Most people are hooked after one race. This race has literally changed lives. It is a kick you in your ass and never let up course that demands your respect and your attention. You will push, pull, cry, beg, and yell your way through a Spartan race. When its over you will understand what they mean when they say:

    “You’ll know at the finish line”

  • Lauren Rains, Microadventures and Outdoor Minded Mag [Interview]

    Lauren Rains, Microadventures and Outdoor Minded Mag [Interview]

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    Lauren Rains once told me that she replaced awkwardness with sexiness. Lauren, you’re hilarious.

    In this interview, we cover her two businesses, Outdoor Minded Mag and Wild World Creative, and other interesting projects she is up to, like microadventures and her “Don’t Just Watch” initiative.

    If you’d like to connect with Lauren, you can do so via Twitter or on her website.

  • Chase Norton, the Ko’olau and Death Valley [Interview]

    Chase Norton, the Ko’olau and Death Valley [Interview]

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    A recent contributor to Nerve Rush, Chase Norton hopped on with us to chat about his upcoming solo trek across Death Valley, a 228-mile unassisted journey that will take him about ten days to complete.

    In this video, Chase tells us about his background, about how he ended up the first person to trek across Oahu’s Ko’olau Mountain Range – it only took him a few years to research the most optimal route and logistics – and about some of his gear for Death Valley. I learned a thing or two..a graham cracker stove and Cuban fiber? Huh?

    Chase, thanks again for stopping by and best of luck on your upcoming expedition!

    If you’d like to connect with Chase, you can do so via Twitter or his website.

    Since there are only a few days left on his Kickstarter campaign, if you’d like to contribute, do so soon!