EXCLUSIVE | 'World's Toughest Race: Eco-challenge Fiji': Travis Macy says racing with his dad Mark was 'fun'
Travis Macy was the team captain of Team Endure in 'World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji'. He is the son of the venerable adventure racing personality, Mark Macy. Travis had the responsibility of navigating his team that also consisted of Danelle Ballengee and Shane Sigle who were racing with him. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Travis talks about the challenges of juggling the role of a team captain and that of a son to his father who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
Just like his father, Travis too is an accomplished racer. He has finished over 120 ultra-endurance races in 17 countries, however, 'Eco-Challenge' was different, especially this edition where his main aim was to ensure his father was comfortable during this race that went on 24x7 over a span of 11 days. Describing his experience during this race and how different it was from the other events he has been a part of, Travis says, "In most previous races, I was racing hard and going for the podium. This time, we sought to finish the race and have a great team experience. The race was long and challenging in many ways."
Mark had a number of issues during the race because of his cognitive functions being affected. He had trouble with his shoelaces, wearing his gloves and putting on a jacket. His back gave out after a point and he was in a lot of pain. The difficult race conditions coupled with his father's health concerns did seem to put a lot of pressure on Travis, however, he admits that the race was a fairly enjoyable experience.
He says, "Honestly, the pressure and anxiety were greater before the race because there was so much uncertainty about how things would go out there. Once we got going and fell into a rhythm, it was generally a lot of fun and I was able to be present and enjoy the experience with my dad." He adds, "I was called 'captain' but we really are a democratic team that makes decisions together, so there was never a conflict in these roles. I've spent most of my life as an adventure racer and all my life as a son, so doing both simultaneously felt pretty natural."
Over the years, Travis has been on dozens on teams, however, he described Team Endure as "one of the best". He says, "Shane, Nellie, and Andrew (our support crew) were all incredible. We fell into roles and worked together." While talking to the camera,s Shane had said that it was an honor racing and supporting Mark, on one of the episodes.
Speaking about his team shouldering the responsibility of keeping the spirits high during the race, he says, "Shane kept Dad eating and drinking and carried a bunch of extra weight. Andrew kept Dad engaged at the camps and made sure all of his gear was ready." He was also all praises for his father about whom he says, "Dad was outstanding, simply by being himself and keeping us all laughing and having fun."
For this race, all teams were about to travel across 671 km of rugged Fijian terrains laced with steep mountains, sheer cliffs, treacherous rivers, and miles and miles of dense tropical jungles. On what the toughest challenge for them as a team during this race, Travis says, "Sections of trekking with technical footing across rivers with slippery rocks proved very challenging." Even though this was a punishing expedition, Travis says, "Fiji is also a WONDERFUL place, with unique ecosystems and beauty plus some of the best people I have ever met."
'World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji' is now streaming on Netflix.