The United World Challenge
So what is the United World Challenge? This spring, Tez is going to row solo across the Pacific Ocean, from San Francisco to Hawaii: no sails, no motors, no stops to refuel, just him, his oars, and his willpower. Covering 2,500 miles, this astounding feat could take up to 3 months of rowing day and night, and Tez will have to carry all of his own supplies to last that time. It’s not surprising that only 7 people in history have previously undertaken this journey successfully before!
The Triathlon That Started It All
10 years ago, Tez experienced a period of depression, lack of direction, and motivation. A friend invited him to take part in a triathlon, and, figuring he had nothing to lose, Tez accepted.
As it turned out, racing gave him a new love for life, and the triathlon soon led to a full Ironman, then another and another. He has since run over 40 marathons all across the world, including a 145-mile ultramarathon. Now, he says he feels like it has all been leading up to this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
Rowing for Scholarships
However, the United World Challenge is not just about testing himself. The adventure to Hawaii will take him directly through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the world’s biggest single accumulation of ocean plastic, which is thought to cover an area of more than 600 thousand miles, an area roughly twice the size of Texas. By sharing his story every day of the trip through images and voice recordings, Tez hopes to raise awareness and inspire viewers to take decisive action to help protect our oceans. 
This will not be the first time that Tez has crossed an ocean; in fact, before taking on his current role as a manager with Deloitte Strategy & Analytics, he spent five years living, studying and working in over 35 countries.
This love of traveling stems from Tez’s unusual high school experience. At the age of 17, he received a scholarship to study at the United World College of the Adriatic in Northern Italy, one of the United World Colleges (UWC), an international group of schools whose mission is to “Make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”
There, he lived and studied for two years alongside students from 85 countries, all of them also on scholarships. He made friends from all over the world and discovered a sense of shared humanity that continues to shape his life to this day. In fact, he describes his time in Italy as the single most transformative experience of his life.
Now, Tez wants to give something back. He is aiming to pass on his experience by raising money for new scholarships to allow students with a passion for ocean conservation to attend UWCs.
PurePower’s Support
We’re proud to support Tez on his mission, and Tez has already become a raving PurePower fan. Tez has been incorporating the PurePower System into his training over the past few months and noticed big improvements in his mindset, endurance, and recovery, unlike anything he’s experienced before.
So much so that Tez is packing a 3 months supply of the PurePower System into his small boat, which he believes will be game-changing during the journey. PurePower, along with several other eco-brands, is offering deals to support Tez that gives you 15% off PurePower plus free shipping, and PurePower will donate 20% of your purchase to Tez’s scholarship fund. Find more about these deals here.
You can also donate directly to the United World Challenge scholarship fund here. To learn more about Tez and follow along during his epic journey, follow him on social media: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or Google Play.
Join us in wishing Tez an inspiring, transformative, and safe passage!
