{"id":165627,"date":"2018-07-02T11:47:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T11:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=165627"},"modified":"2018-07-05T06:35:16","modified_gmt":"2018-07-05T06:35:16","slug":"the-mighty-arch-2-arc-intro-to-one-of-the-hardest-ultra-endurance-triathlons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/07\/02\/the-mighty-arch-2-arc-intro-to-one-of-the-hardest-ultra-endurance-triathlons\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mighty Arch-2-Arc: Intro to One of the Hardest Ultra-Endurance Triathlons"},"content":{"rendered":"

This 3-part series is an account of Perrine Fages\u2019 attempt to complete the Arch-2-Arc challenge. In this ultra-triathlon, solo athletes are expected to link the London\u2019s Marble Arch and Paris\u2019 Arc de Triomphe. The race starts with <\/strong>an 140-kilometre<\/b> run to Dover on the Kent coast, then the athlete has to do a cross-Channel swim (shortest possible distance is 33,8 km) to the French coast, and then the challenge is finished with a 289,7-kilometre bike ride from Calais to Paris. Over the course of this <\/strong>series<\/b>, we\u2019ll find out what it takes to prepare for such event and experience it first hand through the eyes of Perrine Fages and her team. In this part, however, we\u2019ll talk to Edward W. Ette, the<\/strong>\u00a0man<\/b> who came up with the idea for the Arch-2-Arc in the first place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What was the idea behind creating this over-the-top event?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“I got involved in Triathlon during the early-to-mid 80\u2019s. At the time, it was new and exciting and after a while, like many others, I found that standard distance commercial events were becoming tedious and becoming less of a challenge and more of an exercise of going through the motions.<\/p>\n

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simplygiving.com\/every-mile-matters-288<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I missed the excitement of the early days. I also felt that once you have peaked in terms of speed, the only improvement that you can make as you get older is to extend your endurance.<\/p>\n

I’d had an idea of a journey – an adventure: London to Paris by muscle power. So I coined the phrase “Go further – you will find your way.” That’s how the event started.<\/p>\n

What defines the Arch-2-Arc at its core?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In essence, the “Enduroman Arch-2-Arc\u201d is like those 1980’s American Road trip movies where an underdog – an unlikely adventurer – overcomes hostile environments, unforeseen circumstances and triumphs against seemingly impossible odds.<\/p>\n

New friends are made along the way and, at the end, the athletes become part of the Enduroman family, an ethos which extends throughout all our events.<\/p>\n

Our triathlon isn’t about swimming over the competition and barging others out of the way to gain a second. It’s about building yourself into your best possible version.<\/p>\n

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#Arch2Arc<\/a> #LeleuMarine<\/a> Plenty of shipping about. Have a look at https:\/\/t.co\/atoQIqqEGc<\/a> to see what's out here. pic.twitter.com\/EuAPXNob4e<\/a><\/p>\n

— Enduroman Events (@EnduromanEvents) June 24, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n