A satisified Sarah Tantillo at finish line of the NYC Marathon. Hey, is that a Heatsheets blanket?

AMK employees, Sarah Tantillo and Kyle Peter, enjoyed their NYC marathon experience.  Sarah breezed thru in 4 hours and 9 minutes, about 7 minutes faster than her goal time of  4:15. Sarah is hoping to break 4 hours next. Kyle blistered the first half in 1 hour and 30 minutes and jogged home the rest of the way to finish in 3:44. Kyle said if he saw any outdoor stores on route he was going to  stop in and check them out.  Next year we are going to challenge him to do it in under 3:30 while writing 3 orders on route.. That would be a productive marathon!

Check out the letter below from Trip Jennings, an AMK sponsored athlete and  National Geographic Young Explorer.  Trip needs votes in order to be the recipient of a Nat Geo grant that will help fund an expedition to the Democratic Republic of Congo to collect elephant DNA that can help protect these animals from the ivory trade.  Trip is an amazing filmmaker, explorer and also just happens to be a great guy. Please support him by voting – plus you area entered to win an adventure of your own!

Letter From Trip:
Hello friends,

American Climber and founding member of International Mountain Guides (IMG), Phil Ershler, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his epic ascent of the North Side of Everest.

Phil Ershler on the North Col of Mt. Everest, 1984
photo courtesy of International Mountain Guides

Phil is one of the world’s most renowned climbers with a career that spans almost four decades.  His achievements are simply awe inspiring – including being the first American ascent of the North side of Everest (solo ascent), more than 400 summits of Mt. Rainier, 25 summits of Mt. McKinley, being one of a handful of climbers to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents and the first to do it twice!

AMK would like to congratulate J.J. Kelly and Josh Thomas on the completion of their film Paddle to Seattle which chronicles their 1300 mile journey by kayak from Alaska to Seattle. We are proud supporters of their expedition and can’t wait to see what they decide to do next.

Check out the review below from the Adventure Blog writer Kraig Becker and watch the trailer to the new film.  Don’t forget to check out the Screenings page to find a location near you where you can catch the film!

AMK’s own Kyle Peter and his teammates from Team iMoat are currently in 4th place overall in the 2009 Eco Primal Quest taking place in the Badlands. Check out the video below of the ropes course portion of the course yesterday.

You can track their progress here and view their team profile for more information about the team.  We’ll keep you posted on their progress – Good Luck Kyle and team!!

Here is a recent testimonial that we received from Travis Macy – a Professional Multisport Athlete, racing for Team Salomon/Crested Butte.

Let us know if you have a similar story to share!

“Two years ago, amidst a hailstorm in the middle of the night, I hunkered down and pulled out my space blanket, only to be showered with little metallic shardes that had once been part of the useless clear sheet I held in my hand. Needless to say, that was a miserable night!

It’s Official… The Crew is thrilled to report that Rebecca Rusch has won her third Solo Mountain Bike 24 Hour World Championships!!!

AMK is proud to sponsor Rebecca and congratulates her on this epic win! More details and photos to come – you can get updates and read more on her blog.

AMK was proud to sponsor documentary film makers Josh Thomas and J.J. Kelley  on their recent 1,200 mile kayaking expedition from Alaska to Seattle. Yesterday Josh Thomas was interviewed on NPR member station KTOO in Juneau.   Josh explains the challenges and highlights of the freshly completed adventure documentary, Paddle to Seattle: Journey through the Inside Passage.

Listen to the full interview on their website:
http://www.dudesonmedia.com/PADDLE_TO_SEATTLE.html

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Paddle to Seattle: Journey through the Inside Passage is a feature documentary chronicling the progress of two intrepid adventurers paddling handmade wooden Pygmy kayaks from Alaska to Seattle.

AMK is proud to sponsor Camp Patriot - an organization that was formed to take Disabled U.S. Veterans on outdoor adventures.  On July 5th, they will have their annual fundraiser kick off dinner.   This phenomenal event at Quest Field will feature Ed Viesturs as the guest speaker and functions as a fundraiser and kick off for their 2009 Mt. Rainier climb. This year’s climb scheduled for July 7th-10th includes three injured veterans. Read their bios and the 2009 Quest info below.

Camp Patriot’s adventures are made possible through donations and volunteerism. Follow along with the team at CampPatriot.org and help “Give Back to those who have given”.

North Pole 2009: John and Tyler Detail Their Last Days on the Ice
From the Adventure Blog

A few weeks back John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to complete an unsupported expedition to the North Pole, reaching that point just hours before the last flight out of Barneo Station was set to depart for the season. At the time, we knew that it was a dramatic race to beat the clock, but we really didn’t know exactly how crazy it was until the duo recently updated their blog on the Victorinox North Pole 09 website.