Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Gordon’

Bruce Gordon vs. the Moloka’i Channel

by Melissa Gulbranson on October 21, 2011

26 miles of open ocean waters +
15 plus hours of swimming in the pitch black of night +
Swimming a channel only a few humans have ever crossed =
A LOT of Life Shotz.

“Some people live but they’re not really living.”– Bruce Gordon

It takes a man full of determination, strength and passion to fulfill his lifelong dreams. Bruce Gordon is that kind of guy. He’s been training to swim the Moloka’i Channel, one of the Oceans Seven. Our 21TEN family is proud to be sponsoring him every stroke of the way.

He’ll face quite a few obstacles, including unpredictable tides and harmful jellyfish, man o’ wars and all of the elements of open waters.

“The distance (26 miles) is less of a concern to me than the mental aspect,” he says. “I’m out there swimming for hours, in the dark, and I absolutely cannot let my fears get to me. Failure is not an option.”

So what inspired him to tackle such an amazing feat?

“When I was 12 years old my sister’s boyfriend completed this swim. I remember being in awe of it- and just wanting to somehow achieve the goal as well. It stuck with me all these years. Life gets in the way sometimes but you can always return to your dreams. I read Richard Brooke’s book, Mach II With Your Hair on Fire and it gave me the vision I needed to make this a reality.”

Bruce lands in Hawaii tonight and, weather permitting, he’ll start his journey Sunday night and walk out of the water Monday after the 26-mile swim.

Bruce has some serious rules:

He cannot touch the boat or anyone.

He may tread water, but receive no assistance from anyone on his team.

To eat every 20 minutes and make sure Life Shotz is in his system at all times.

Why Life Shotz? Bruce simply loves it. He tried it a couple years ago when he was on a bike ride with another athlete- a common friend of our CVO, Richard Brooke. Bruce forgot his water bottle and his friend encouraged him to try the water- mixed with Life Shotz. He loved it so much he wrote to Richard to see how he could order more.

The rest is history! “The reason I love it so much is that it does something that I call ‘Active Recovery,’” Bruce says. “I really believe it helps your body recover faster while you’re working out, at least I can feel a difference. I couldn’t do this without Life Shotz.”

He also has a serious support team in Hawaii to help him, and they will be decked out in Life Shotz gear. Bruce created his dream team of Chris Kincaid, Mark Rigg, Mike Field, Jim Beaton, JOSS, and Dale Hope. All of these men are specially chosen for their talents or their extensive knowledge of the area. “I grew up with these guys and greatly respect them. They’re all pretty much world-class athletes!” says Bruce.

Not only will Bruce achieve his childhood dream with this swim, but his efforts will benefit the Fisher House Foundation, a charity that helps military families to stay close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Bruce is taking donations here.

Our 21TEN family is proud to be supporting such an amazing and incredible person. Raise your glass of Life Shotz to Bruce while following him on our Facebook page. We’ll post updates on his progress and you can do your part by posting your support. Let’s hear it!

Cheers,
Melissa

4 Comments

26-mile Kaiwi Channel, Bruce Gordon, Molokai Channel

Just How Hard Is It To Swim 18.5 Miles?

by Melissa Gulbranson on August 30, 2011

You all know about Bruce Gordon, the everyday hero from Colorado who has decided to swim the Kaiwi Channel. That’s 26 miles of open ocean between the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Molokai.

It’s filled with sharks. Jellyfish. Dangerous currents and huge waves.

In fact, it’s one of the Oceans Seven, which are seven of the most difficult swims in the world. No one has ever completed all of them, that’s how difficult they are.

So, yeah, Bruce’s decision to swim the Kaiwi Channel is a pretty amazing and ambitious goal, and we’re glad to say Life Shotz is part of Bruce’s everyday training.

But we do more than help Bruce build endurance and recover from intense workouts. Last weekend Bruce came to Coeur d’Alene to swim Lake Coeur d’Alene, and we were there to support him.

For every mile of his swim, 21TEN was beside him, tossing him liquefied food, water, and Life Shotz, and we were there to encourage him, to admire his toughness, and to show him that what he’s doing is so much more than one guy swimming a long ways.

After all, Bruce’s Kaiwi Channel swim will benefit the Fisher House Foundation, a charity that helps military families to stay close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.

His Coeur d’Alene swim was also proof that you can accomplish anything when you want it bad enough. When it becomes part of the vision of who you are and will become, you can make it happen—whatever it is.

That’s why the 18.5 mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene was so powerful. It was the furthest Bruce had ever gone, and he didn’t know how it was going to work. Would his body take it? Would he have the endurance to keep swimming? Was he mentally tough enough?

It was all a complete unknown—like most things in life.

Working in shifts with several small boats, the 21TEN support crew was there from the moment he stepped into the water. As the temperature rose and the lake became crowded with boats, the 21TEN crew helped guide and protect him.

Each time he rested, he told them what he was thinking, about how his vision was keeping him focused and how his body was just doing what it was supposed to do.

But even “resting” wasn’t really resting. Instead he just treaded water. He never touched the boat. All together, he “rested” nearly 40 times—and that added nearly an hour to his total time.

That’s a lot of treading water.

But through all the pauses, 21TEN was there. Chief Visionary Officer Richard Brooke was even there for most of the swim.

And when Bruce felt the sand of the Coeur d’Alene Beach 12 hours later, in the pitch black of an Idaho night, it was an amazing experience to watch him climb out of the water, almost like Superman.

A handful of supporters and surprised beach goers were there to greet him. One girl even asked for his autograph.

And we’re glad she did, because Bruce is the type of hero we all need to admire. Best of all? Bruce says he feels great and can’t wait to keep training, and he swears that he couldn’t have done it without Life Shotz.

Cheers,
Melissa

No Comments

Bruce Gordon, life shotz, Swim

No Land in Sight: The Swim of a Lifetime

by Melissa Gulbranson on June 7, 2011

13 plus hours.
26 miles of open ocean.
Jellyfish and shark infested waters.
And Life Shotz.

On a gorgeous day in Hawaii, Bruce Gordon stands on the lava fields, looking toward the 26 miles of water separating the islands of Oahu and Molokai.

“It’s like I’m standing on a really tall, tall cliff, within millimeters of falling. That’s what the ocean is like. It’s 3,500 feet deep in the channel, and I’m just going to be a little tiny speck. It’s so hard to get my head around it, and that uncertainty becomes my fear and exhilaration. I get butterflies just talking about it.”

And this is even before he’s entered the water.

This October Bruce will tackle one of the most amazing feats of human endurance imaginable, and we’ll be there.

“Life Shotz still surprises me with recovery. When I was training the first time, there was no way I could have done this. I am really happy with Life Shotz.”

With vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant blends, and with key metabolic enzymes driving nutrients deep into cells, Life Shotz helps high performance athletes like Bruce train, recover, and compete at a higher level.

Bruce is going to need the all-natural nutrition and total wellness that Life Shotz provides.

He isn’t a long-distance swimmer. He was training to become one, but bad luck and sickness forced him to give up his training, and he had to go back to square one.

Now he’s back on track and he’s doing it with Life Shotz.

This October he’ll stand on an island in Hawaii, step into the Pacific Ocean, and start swimming. He’ll swim for over 13 hours straight. He’ll battle some of the strongest tides and roughest waters in the archipelago. He’ll swim through shark and jellyfish infested waters. He’ll swim through the absolute dark of night, no land in sight, half a mile of water beneath him.

And in the morning, he’ll emerge on an entirely different island. He’ll walk out of the water, one of just a handful of people to ever cross the 26-mile Kaiwi Channel.

For those of you keeping track, that’s even wider than the famed English Channel and nearly as long as a marathon.

It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to demand everything Bruce can give. That’s why Life Shotz is going on the adventure. We’ll be there for every stroke, every swim, and every triumph and tribulation.

Join us as we follow Bruce through his training, his growth, and his success. We’ll look at the challenges he’s had to overcome, whether that’s fallout from the economic crisis, stress in his personal life, or dangerous illness. We’ll see how Life Shotz supports Bruce and gives him the total nutrition and natural wellness his body demands.

From his training swim in chilly Lake Coeur d’Alene this summer to the endless laps in the pool in Centennial, Colorado, Life Shotz will be there.

So take part. Follow Bruce on Facebook. Bookmark and share our blog posts. Start experiencing the story. See what the human spirit is capable of.

Cheers,
Melissa

1 Comment

26-mile Kaiwi Channel, Bruce Gordon, life shotz