The fourth Herbacin Challenge led five motivated athletes together with extreme athlete Joey Kelly and his son Luke to Costa Rica to face some sporting challenges: Whether on the trailrun trough the dense jungle of the rainforest, or quad biking in steep, muddy paths or at Standup Paddling into the sunset - at the Herbacin Challenge, the five contestants experienced the adventure of a lifetime.
The team covered almost 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) through the breathtaking landscape of Costa Rica. From the capital San José to the volcano El Arenal, from the rainforest in Monteverde to the white sand beaches in Playa Carillo on the Pacific coast, the participants not only witnessed a wide scenic variety, but also a widely diverse weather. Sultry warm days, when the thermometer climbed well above the 30 degrees mark (86º F), were not uncommon, as well as the daily rain showers in the afternoon, which provided a very welcome and pleasant relief from the humid heat.
But not just the landscape was able to surprise the participants over and over again: Even the two daily sporting challenges were communicated to the tense athletes only at the beginning of each day. However one thing was clear from the first day: The daily adrenalin kick had taken off!
For Carina Bungard (from Cologne, 31 y.o.), Katrin Schairer (Filderstadt, 34), Tobias Krautmacher (Frankenroda, 28) Matthias Roth (Calw, 34) and Christopher Stelzer (Reichersthofen, 24), no day resembled that of others. Especially the 1½ km (.93 Mile) long zipline will be remembered by all: a zipline in which they were able to soar over the rainforest on a wire rope at high speed in Superman-style, ending with the "Tarzan Swing" with its free fall from 40 meters, pushing the extra amount of epinephrine even farther. Of course, kayaking on the Pacific, where only a few meters away dolphins and whales swam, and climbing down several waterfalls belong to other highlights.
Even the musician and extreme athlete Joey Kelly was very enthusiastic about the unique landscape and the diverse disciplines of the Herbacin Challenge . "I have never run through such a dense jungle before. We had to go under Seam trees, jump over roots and always watch out for animals. The trail was at most one meter wide. The trees were towering everywhere. It is unforgettable!"
The unique concept of the Herbacin Challenge, which focuses on team spirit, impresses every year and is already a permanent fixture in several sport circles. We had requested applications already in the spring and received a large number of creative and impressive submissions. Understandably these five athletes were extremely elated when they found out that they were allowed to experience an adventure together with Herbacin and Joey Kelly. One they won't forget so quickly.
Text: Herbacin / Caroline Wetterau
Photos: Herbacin / Thomas Stachelhaus
