Musician Ry Cuming grew up surfing Australian waves, so it’s no wonder that his music has a chillax, beachy vibe. Lately, the 26-year old has been touring with Maroon 5 and One Republic, far from his native swells. But he surfs every chance he gets—mostly in Los Angeles—and will never forget his favorite breaks.
“I think the beauty of surfing is that it’s something removed from a physical want,” says Cuming. “When you’re touring, there’s so much going on. Surfing’s a very pure thing—as close to meditation and spirituality as you can get.”
Want to zen out down under? Check out Cuming’s top three Australian surf spots:
3. Byron Bay “There’s a range of different waves in Byron Bay. My dad lives in a little kind-of tree house stuck on the side of a hill and you can look out and see the waves across this reserve of trees. Surfing in the mornings with my dad is a real special thing.”
This year's Ironman triathlon world champion, Chris "Macca" McCormack, is currently gracing Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes across the country.
The 37-year-old won his second Ironman world champion title this past October, covering the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in 8 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds. Macca has been racing triathlons for almost 15 years, and won his home-country Ironman, IM Australia, five times in a row.
This is the first time an Ironman world champ has been featured on the Wheaties box, perhaps signaling the rise in triathlon as a popular sport among Americans.
None of the above made our list. Only those stories that immediately made us stop in our tracks and learn as much as we could about a subject did. Presenting the top 10 adventure stories of 2010, complete with links to long form features, videos, and interviews, just in case you want to learn more too.
10. El Minero Corredor Reports said that once rescuers made contact with the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground, 34-year-old Edison Pena started to run. Seventeen days after being trapped more than two empire state buildings underground, he cut off the top half of his mining boots, strapped on a miner's light, and ran through a half-mile of dank, dark subterranean corridors in 90 degree heat. "I was running to show that I wasn't just waiting around," he said. "I was running to be an active participant in my own salvation. I wasn't just waiting around. I was running because I was also contributing to the struggle for our rescue," Pena told ESPN. "I also wanted God to see that I really wanted to live."
The group dynamics and collective will of the 33 miners helped a lot, but Pena also had his own way to deal. He ran three to six miles every day. Later, rescuers sent down running shoes and an iPod stocked only with Elvis Presley tunes for Pena. He ran until the 69th day, when he emerged in front of the world as the 12th miner rescued. Soon after, he received an invite to the New York City marathon. He accepted and finished in 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 51 seconds. He ran in the shadows of skyscrapers jutting against the sky, between sunlight enfilading across city streets, and crossed the finish line despite intense knee pain while Elvis Presley belted out of the nearby PA system, "The Wonder of You." Long Form:Way Down in the Hole, GQ
Ever dream of standing atop one of the Seven Summits, winning a marathon, or swimming across the Atlantic Ocean? So did these guys. But instead of following through, they lied about accomplishing their goals.
Presenting the top five adventure hoaxes of all time, because believing isn’t always achieving.
