From Canada to Hawaii by human power - a world first!

"The graveyard of the Pacific" is a treacherous stretch of coast from north Vancouver Island, Canada to Oregon. The regions seas are frequently subject to heavy and unpredictable weather year round combined with rugged, largely undeveloped coastline causing sea conditions which have claimed more than 2000 vessels and 700 lives.

In June, 2010, Greg Kolodziejzyk is attempting to become the first person in history to navigate through this notorious stretch of ocean under his own power. His destination? 3000 miles across the Pacific ocean to Hawaii! Solo and unassisted in a custom made, state of the art pedal powered boat called WiTHiN. Greg expects the journey to take him between 40 to 80 days to travel the 3000 miles between Canada and Hawaii.

Follow along

Through some amazing modern technology like satellite telephones, solar panels and computers, Greg will be updating his blog every day with text, photos, small video clips and audio podcasts direct from the Pacific ocean. Greg's location will be tracked automatically by a special locator beacon and you can follow his progress - live - by tuning into the GregTracker.

Sending a crucial message

No person in history has travelled further under his own power in one day, on land or water than Greg Kolodziejzyk. In July of 2006, Greg earned his first world record by pedalling his human powered vehicle called Critical Power 647 miles (1041 km) in one day. In September of 2008, he did it again, but this time on water when he pedalled his human powered boat Critical Power Two 152.3 miles (245.16 km) in 24 hours around a circular lake course earning him his second world record.

Greg's pursuit of exploring the limits of human power inspires a refreshing 'do more with less' philosophy which he feels is desperately needed to confront a serious issue we are facing as a nation - skyrocketing obesity rates.

Currently 60% of North Americans are overweight and the health care costs associated with this issue cost Americans over 58 billion dollars a year, and Canadians over 5.8 billion! A leading cause of this problem is largely due to our sedentary lifestyles.

Greg cautions that because we've been evolving on this planet for 3 million years leading a very active existence, this sudden shift to a sedentary lifestyle is resulting in some very serious health consequences. Greg references a University of Maryland study that found that early man used to walk the distance of a marathon every day of his life.

"If activity levels of early man even remotely approached walking the distance of a marathon every day, then we could consider that to be the 'natural environment' for this animal called a human being. Just think about how far we have departed from that when today, the average person walks a mere 200 meters in a day. It's WAY out of line!"

"It is my hope that Americans and Canadians will become inspired by what I am able to demonstrate using human power, and perhaps start to incorporate a bit more human power into their own lives."

The solution starts with our children. Together, we can do something about it - one bike at a time.

Donate a bike to a child who can't afford one by sponsoring a mile for $50

Goal = 3000 bikes for 3000 kids in 3000 miles

Do you remember your first bike? There are currently over 8 million families in North America living below the poverty line and for many of these families, providing bikes for their children is a luxury they can't afford. Unfortunately, for many of these kids, sitting at home and watching TV is the most activity they will see in a day which is one of the reasons 1 out of 3 north American kids are overweight or obese. The institute of medicine found that one of the leading causes of childhood obesity is decreased opportunities for physical activity and reduced walking or biking to and from school. We can make a difference!

Let's give away 3000 bikes to 3000 kids! - that's one bike for every mile Greg pedals WiTHiN across the Pacific ocean. You can help! Sponsor a mile for $50 and you will provide one underprivileged child in North America a brand new bicycle through registered charity Kimerlee's Bikes for Kids. Let's ensure that our children grow up healthy, happy, and ACTIVE!

Watch this web site for details coming soon!