A La Jolla-based company promoting ultra-endurance and extreme sports is hosting a Feb. 13 bike ride fundraiser in rural East San Diego County benefiting Haiti relief.
Dubbed "80 For Haiti," the 80-mile bike ride starting out in Pine Valley is indicative of the type of events that AdventureCORPS Inc., an athlete-run firm, organizes and promotes.
Firm race director Chris Kostman, a marathon cyclist who did his first big race from Los Angeles to San Diego as a high school junior, established his sport-promotion business to provide "dramatic venues for athletes to have life-changing and (life)-enhancing experiences."
"What we do is organize cycling and running events in wondrous locations giving people a reason to train, live healthfully and enjoy camaraderie," he said. "It seems to work."
Much like concert promotion, Kostman makes money marketing extreme sports via a portion of entry fees and TV and sponsorship rights.
World-class, high-profile events in California that AdventureCORPS has promoted include epic races such as the Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508, multiday cycling lifestyle adventures known as CORPScamps, the annual Rough Riders Rally in Marin County, plus several 100- and 200-mile cycling events in Death Valley.
Kostman said his company had an endurance bike run set to go in Puerto Rico this month but substituted the 80 For Haiti fundraiser instead.
"We just thought, 'How can we go down to Puerto Rico when just a few hours away there are people in Haiti living in absolute misery?' " he said. "So we canceled and put all our time and energy into planning this ride instead."
AdventureCORPS Inc. expects to raise $10,000, which will be donated to Mercy Corps, a team of 3,700 professionals who respond to crises around the world such as the Haitian earthquake.
Kostman's company promotes six to 10 extreme events a year that draw national and international competitive athletes. His business is home- and Web-based involving desktop publishing.
AdventureCORPS Inc. has another inaugural event planned in San Diego County this spring, the Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic on April 17.
For more information about the company, visit www.adventurecorps.com.
Dave Schwab Dave Schwab is a reporter with the La Jolla Light. Contact Dave at (858) 875-5951 or daves@lajollalight.com.
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