ENDracing National Sponsors
 | Alpacka makes the best pack-rafts on the planet. Sheri, the founder, is providing us boats to give away at each of this year's adventure races and also supporting GUP with a fleet for our Youth Adventure Racing Camp in the summer of 2012. This is the piece of gear that single-handedly changed the way I looked at and participated in adventuring. Will it do the same for you? Only one way to find out! Shop for Alpacka rafts at Ground UP and get 5% off! |
 | CocoHydro is powdered coconut water, and coconut water is the best natural rehydration drink there is - tons of natural potassium and other nutrients, calories to keep you going, and NO high fructose corn syrup. But why powdered? Coconut water is 98% water - shipping that stuff from the Caribbean takes tons of fossil fuels and simply doesn't make sense. CocoHydro is the solution. |
 | Ellsworth bikes are hand-crafted in the united states and things of beauty, not to mention function. An official sponsor of Team Yogaslackers, these guys have also been sending stuff to ENDracing events to help make them spectacular. I personally ride an Ellsworth Enlightenment. Visit the Ellsworth page at Ground Up. |
 | Ergon grips make the list of things that you didn't think you need but then never want to do without once you try 'em. We consider them essential gear for any race with long bike sections, cycle touring, or even daily commuting. They make some pretty sweet packs too that are so different (in a good way) than anything else out there that we really don't know how to describe them - you better just see for yourself. Available in Grand Forks at the Ski and Bike shop and elsewhere at any locally owned bike shop worth it's salt. |
 | I (Andy) was introduced to Fenix lights during the 2010 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. I was super impressed - the light I used, the HD20 - was an ultralight package powered by a single lithium battery. The team also had a pair of their flashlights that were unbelievably bright for their size and weight. Team Yogaslackers will be using Fenix lights for the 2011 racing season because they rock. Happily, Fenix has agreed to sign on as a ENDracing sponsor and will be supporting our races! You can find their products online (AMAZON), so you've got no more excuses for not practicing your night nav! The next 24 hour race will be here before you know it! |
 | Have we found the perfect water bottle? Perhaps we have! The Hydro Flask stainless steel water bottle keeps liquids hot for 12 hours and cold for 24, while the outside of the bottle stays at room temperature. Visit Ground UP to buy your custom logo ENDracing or Ground UP bottle from us to get free shipping and help support GUP's youth programs! With each purchase you also get a code that allows you to log on and give 5% of the price to a charity of your choice, including Ground UP adventures! Order at Ground UP. |
 | Ibex makes merino wool clothing that is just about perfect for adventurous pursuits. Their bike shorts and leg warmers are all I wear when racing and their vim pants and jacket are comfy enough to wear next to skin on cool desert nights in Abu Dhabi and warm enough as the sole outer layer on 10 below training runs in North Dakota. These guys are committed to making great clothing as sustainably as possible. Ground Up has worked out a deal with Ibex that allows then to offer custom branded gear for both Ground Up Adventures and ENDracing. We're so excited! Every ENDracing event will also offer a super deal (at least 25% off retail!) to participants on one piece of 'essential ibex' gear - so plan to race 'em all! Not enough for you? Then Get Ibex stuff at Ground UP. |
 | I started running in Inov-8's in 2006 and will never run in anything else. These guys are, well, innovative. They've got perfect shoes for whatever your pursuit. My favorites? The X-talon 212 for AR and the F-lite for everything else. Coincidentally, these guys also happen to make some of the best ever packs for racing we've seen. Get Inov-8 gear from Ground UP. |
 | Sweet sunglasses that are virtually indestructible. Most come with interchangeable lenses of different colors, my favorite of which is low-light Mandarose. Low light is right - I was able to wear mine right through a 24 hour race last fall! The folks at Numa are supporters of ENDracing, Team Yogaslackers, and adventure racing in general. They 'get it', and this shows in the products they make. Visit Numa and enter ENDRACING as the promo/dicount code at checkout and get 15% off! As an added bonus, Ground Up gets 10% of the purchase price - everybody wins! |
 | Nuun makes effervescent tablets that you add to your water to make an electrolyte drink. Sugar free, lots of flavors, and virtually no waste - you now have no reason to buy Gatorade ever again. |
 | Power to Go Energy is one of the best race foods we've found. It combines the easy to eat, calorie dense nutrition with the energy profile of 'five hour energy', without all the chemicals and fake sweetener. I'd been skeptical about how much so called energy food really worked in the past - but this stuff saved me on the Arrowhead race this year. I'm a believer, and you can be too - these guys are huge supporters of our events - come do one and you'll be sure to have a chance to try some out! |
 | These guys are co-title sponsor of END-IT (our winter triathlon) and it's a good thing - they make the best cold weather headgear available for serious athletes. I used their ColdAvenger pro when I rode the Arrowhead 135 bike race in 2010 and blogged about it on their site, here. Bottom line: this is essential head gear for anyone planning on training outdoors through the winter in ENDracing's neck of the woods. Racers registered for the 'ColdAvenger Extreme North Dakota Iceman Triathlon, presented by Due North' will receive a discount code for 40% off of retail prices, so get registered, get the gear, and get training! |
| Stuffitts are another one of those pieces of gear you didn't know you needed until now. And you are going to need them, especially if you do our races. These things will get your muddy, wet, smelly shoes back in service in a couple of days rather than a couple of weeks, and keep them odor free so they can return to the closet rather than the garage. | |
 | Surly is home of the original Fat Bike and we love Fat-bikes! Sure you can do the Iceman on a regular bike, but it just won't be quite as much fun. And you won't fare quite so well trying to take on bigger races like the Tuscobia Ultra or the world famous Arrowhead 135. Wanna cut your teeth and be a big time winter biker - better start making friends with these guys. The may some other pretty damn sweet bikes too - the crosscheck and big dummy are a couple of ENDracing's favorites. |
 | The best socks there are, hands down. I recently wore them on a 35 mile rugged through the boundary waters where my feet were wet the whole time - no blisters, no hot spots - nothing but comfort. What else do you need? We've got some custom ENDracing socks coming soon that will be available for purchase at ENDracing events. |
