WORLD TOUGHEST RACE - ECO CHALLENGE FIJI
Finally I can share some images of the epic Eco-Challenge Race in Fiji. Man, what a rush that was! A small crew of 9 selected photographers covered this race in September 2019 on Fiji. 66 Teams from 30 different countries raced through a 671 km course through oceans, rivers, jungles and mountains. Each photographer was specialized in at least two disciplines. Working 18 to 24 hours a day with a full heart and lots of smiles while out in the rain, mud, water or sun, often alone for days in a row. Before the race even started, I photographed all 66 teams with 5 crew members as well as the head producers in a pop up studio in the middle of the hotel lobby. Around 450 single and team portraits in two days. What a blast! We had two dedicated photo editors who got our SD cards whenever we where able to get a helicopter, boat or car to send them over to headquarters. A whole of 225,598 images were taken by all 9 photographers over the course of 14 days. And then the Fijians! Always smiling, always wonderful and supporting. There is no way to not fall in love with this island and their people. It was just epic and I would pack my gear right now and do it all over again! And again. And again.
This race will be streamed at Amazon Prime starting August 14th. Grab the popcorn and enjoy!
A team off with an outrigger to a 65 km leg on the open ocean. 6:05am
This race was truly tough and when needed, doctors would fly or drive in and make sure all athletes were taken care of and safe.
One parts the course, the teams had to sail on open ocean from island to island. Crystal clear warm Fijian ocean water.
Trying to be as close as possible to the crews, I spend an average of 6-8 hours in the ocean per day. Three miles out waiting for them to race by.
Eco Challenge host and outdoor legend Bear Grylls photographed in the pop up studio.
One of my Fijian offices. It was heaven. Truly.
This is how the very first image of this post was created.