06/11/2026
Join us in cheering on former Insight (IRG) staff member (and registered nurse, wilderness medicine instructor, and badass adventurer) Eric Strickler as he tackles the Race to Alaska, a 750 mile boat race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska! With no engines allowed and no support provided, R2AK describes the race as, "cutting through true wilderness, past logging towns and empty shorelines, through orca country, grizzly country, and currents that can run over 20 knots. Rescue is hours—sometimes days—away. Out here, self-reliance isn’t a virtue. It’s survival."
And because Eric loves a challenge, he's not using a boat, but racing the entire 750 miles on a stand up paddleboard! What might motivate someone to take on this audacious challenge??! Eric explains that he first got into SUP in 2015 after a climbing accident, and "since then, I’ve crossed Lake Michigan twice, explored Lake Superior, rivers in the Midwest and Southeast and completed the 7048 race three times by SUP. I love the exercise of being on a SUP and how it engages all my body and senses and it’s also just real dang fun. Endurance challenges have always attracted me and I plan to continue to attempt them. Real excited about this one!"
The race kicks off Sunday 6/14 in Port Townsend, you can follow Eric AKA Team Apple Bottom Boy at https://r2ak.com
Wishing you fair winds and following seas, Eric!! See you on the other side!
