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When Even Ted Said “Maybe Not” — The English Channel & The Ice Waters of Siberia The Swim That Never Happened The English Channel — Dover, England Some adventures are conquered.Others are wisely declined. When Ted and Vivian traveled to Dover, England, they were invited to meet the longtime organizers of the legendary English Channel…
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Swimming Against the Tide — and the Pollution Hong Kong Island Swim, May 17, 1988 Ted didn’t just chase challenges.He chased meaning. While visiting Hong Kong in 1988, Ted set his sights on an ambitious goal: swimming around Hong Kong Island. But this wasn’t only about endurance — it was about awareness. The harbor’s pollution…
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Swimming — The Sport Ted Refused to Let Beat Him Ted Epstein had striking light blue eyes — the kind most people never noticed because they were usually hidden behind thick glasses. And those glasses were exactly why swimming terrified him. But triathlons don’t care about fears. When Ted signed up for a quarter triathlon…
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Stair Climbs — Turning Skyscrapers Into Mountains Ted didn’t always need a trail, a mountain range, or open sky to test himself. Sometimes, all he needed was a stairwell. Singapore, May 8, 1988 — A Vertical Marathon In 1988, the tallest hotel in Singapore was the Westin Stamford, and it hosted one of the most…
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Conquering Pikes Peak — Again and Again 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 Most people are satisfied to stand on top of a mountain once. Ted Epstein wasn’t most people. The Pikes Peak Ascent is not simply a race — it’s a vertical test of will. It begins in the charming town of…
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The Leadville 100 — A Test of Grit and Character (1988) Five years after his first attempt at the legendary Leadville 100, Ted was ready to take on the brutal 100-mile mountain race once again. This time, he wasn’t alone. A close friend had decided to try Leadville for the first time and asked Ted…
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The Leadville 100 — Learning to Endure the Mountains Leadville, Colorado | 1983, 1984, 1988 In 1983, Ted lined up for one of the toughest endurance races in America — the Leadville 100. One hundred miles through the Colorado Rockies meant relentless climbs, icy stream crossings, thin air, and strict cut-off times. Runners who didn’t…
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Eco-Challenge — When Teamwork Became the Toughest Test By 1995, Ted had climbed mountains, crossed oceans, and pushed his body through limits most people never approach. But the Eco-Challenge would test something very different — and far less predictable. This wasn’t just a race. It was a 300-mile, nonstop, multi-sport survival challenge that had to…
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Climbing Mount Vinson — The Top of Antarctica (1987) One Arm, 100 Pounds, and the Coldest Mountain on Earth Mount Vinson is the highest point in Antarctica, rising 16,050 feet above one of the harshest places on Earth. It sits 750 miles from the South Pole on the driest continent on the planet, where temperatures…
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Climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro – 1986 Before Ted ever set foot on Africa’s tallest mountain, he had to conquer a different peak — his fear of flying. Years earlier, Ted had been on an Air National Guard plane that suddenly lost cabin pressure. Passengers became violently ill, and Ted ended up in a San Antonio hospital,…