Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 442 is my conversation with Mike Dunlap, founder of Barefoot Adventures and one of only five people to ever complete the Everglades Challenge on a stand-up paddleboard. The Everglades Challenge is a 300-mile expedition race from Fort De Soto near St. Petersburg down the coast of Florida, through the Everglades, to Key Largo. Mike finished it in 96 hours on roughly two hours of total sleep, paddling through thunderstorms and choppy water. We get into the mental game and what pushes someone that far.
Listen now: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
Mike Dunlap is the founder of Barefoot Adventures and one of only five people to ever complete the Everglades Challenge on a stand-up paddleboard. A Florida native, he is known for pushing the boundaries of what a paddleboard can do and for experiencing the water in the most intimate, physically demanding way possible.
The Everglades Challenge is a roughly 300-mile unsupported expedition race that runs from Fort De Soto State Park near St. Petersburg down the Florida coast, through the Everglades, to Key Largo. Competitors use small human- and wind-powered boats, and completing the full distance on a stand-up paddleboard is an extremely rare feat that only a handful of people have achieved.
Mike Dunlap finished the 300-mile Everglades Challenge in 96 hours on roughly two hours of total sleep, paddling through thunderstorms and choppy water. He credits specific mental preparation techniques that kept him moving through the moments he wanted to quit, treating the race as a test of pushing past his own limits.
Mike explains that the physical training is only part of it. He leans heavily on mental preparation, breaking the enormous distance into manageable pieces and using specific techniques to stay focused when exhaustion and weather make quitting tempting. His Florida upbringing and lifelong love of the water shaped his ability to endure.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 442 with Mike Dunlap is available on Megaphone, Spotify, YouTube, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I wanted Mike on because what he did is almost hard to believe, 300 miles on a paddleboard, through the Everglades, on basically no sleep. When you hear him talk about paddling through thunderstorms and fighting through the moments he wanted to quit, you realize this is someone who understands what it means to push past your limits. I wanted listeners to hear the mindset behind that kind of effort.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Mike describes the route from Fort De Soto to Key Largo and what the body and mind go through on a board for 96 hours. He gets specific about the hardest stretches. Hear it in the episode.
Mike walks through the mental techniques that kept him moving when everything told him to stop. He explains how he managed exhaustion and weather. Listen to that section of the conversation.
Mike connects his upbringing to his drive to experience the water in the most intimate way possible. He explains where the obsession comes from. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Mike is honest about the moments he wanted to quit and what got him through. His perspective applies far beyond paddleboarding. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
What stuck with me about Mike is that the race was really a test of the mind, not just the body. Almost anyone can paddle, but very few can keep paddling for four days on two hours of sleep.
If you are drawn to endurance and the mental side of doing hard things, this one delivers. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 442 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Mike Dunlap · Barefoot Adventures · Everglades Challenge · Fort De Soto · Key Largo · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Mike Dunlap is the founder of Barefoot Adventures and one of only five people to ever complete the Everglades Challenge on a stand-up paddleboard. The Everglades Challenge is a roughly 300-mile unsupported expedition race from Fort De Soto State Park near St. Petersburg down the Florida coast, through the Everglades, to Key Largo. Mike completed the full distance in 96 hours on roughly two hours of total sleep, paddling through thunderstorms and choppy water. A Florida native, he is known for pushing the limits of paddleboarding and for his deep, lifelong connection to the water.
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