Top 8 Nominated For The 2015 Adventurer Of The Year Award

The 2015 National Adventure Awards are coming up on March 18th in Glasgow, Scotland, celebrating those English, Welsh, and Scottish adventurers who made headlines in 2014. Let’s take a look at the short list of nominees for the Adventurer of the Year award and see why they’ve been nominated.

1. Ash Dykes

At only 23 years old, Dykes became the first person to walk solo across Mongolia, an incredible 1,500 mile journey, in the insanely short time of 78 days. That’s 22 days shorter than the estimated 100 days it was believed he would take. With another adventure planned back in Mongolia in 2015, Dykes is sure to be making headlines again in the near future.

2. Sophie Radcliffe

Sophie Radcliffe completed the first “Alpine Coast to Coast” expedition, starting on July 31st before finishing on August 31st. What is the Alpine Coast to Coast expedition? She climbed the highest points in each of the Alpine countries (Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Monaco) cycling between each point to get to the next. Altogether, she biked 1,037 miles, walked 88 miles, and endured nearly 30 miles of ascent. She was joined on her journey by her husband, Charley Radcliffe.

3. Sarah Outen

Sarah Outen plans to travel across the globe using only a rowing boat, bike, and kayak to aid her. She set out for her journey in 2011 from London and it is estimated she will finish her journey back to London by Autumn 2015. After some setbacks rowing from Japan to Canada, she had to abandon her efforts in 2012 but was able to successfully cross from Japan to Alaska in 2013. She plans to set off from Alaska this spring, biking across North America before rowing the Atlantic back to the UK.

4. Dr Andrew Murray

Dr Andrew Murray, along with fellow runner Donnie Campbell, became the first two people to run all of Scotland’s 10 highest mountains, all within a single day. The mountains altogether are 41,441 feet, and they were able to finish in a record nine hours and 10 minutes. The pair had previously run to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, in a staggering seven hours and 16 minutes.

5. Nick Hancock FRGS

Nick Hancock spent 45 days by himself on Rockall, an islet once described by scientist James Fisher as “the most isolated small rock in the oceans of the world.” His feat earned him the distinction of having the longest occupation of Rockall in history, as well as the longest solo occupation. While he originally intended to stay a full 60 days, a storm swept some of his food out to sea and he was forced to end a little early. He undertook the task in order to raise funds for charity.

6. David Berridge

Unhappy with his desk job, Berridge has become an avid extreme runner, crossing the globe in search of the next big challenge. Not only has he participated in Hill Ultra, a race in which runners must complete a grueling 160 miles in 2 days, he has also run a 250km race through the Gobi Desert and a 350 mile in Alaska. When not running, he took time to write a successful book, Fartleks and Flatulence.

7. Will Copestake

Will Copestake is an extreme adventurer, making a year long solo trip around Scotland, first by kayak before switching off and biking back home. Still craving adventure, he then set off for a three-month trip across Iceland with fellow University of Stirling student, Remi McMurtry. During their Icelandic trip, the pair ran into some trouble including one of their tents breaking; they shared a one-man tent the rest of the way.

8. Jamie Bunchuk

Bunchuk, known for his extensive travels across Central Asia, recently completed a trek across the Betpak-Dala, also known as the ‘Steppe of Misfortune,’ from Lake Balkash all the way west to the Sarysu River. While there, he also ran 190 miles, nearly eight marathons in only eight short days. Previously, he and fellow adventurer Matthew Traver completed a 750 mile horseback ride from Ust-Kamenogorsk to Almaty.