Thomas Bastis
For Thomas Bastis, sitting in front of the television changed his life forever. He credits watching a broadcast of “Eco-Challenge: The Expedition Race” for his inspiration to compete in adventure racing. His curiosity was peaked and a passion for outdoor adventures was created.
As an accomplished cyclist, he is a natural fit into a competitive team of adventure racers. Thomas, along with as many as three other teammates, competes in adventure races around the world. Racers in these events may bike, trek, run, kayak, swim, climb, rappel and even spelunk. Every team member has a role to play and Bastis’ main role is the team’s cartographer/navigator. He has competed in dozens of events of varying lengths and disciplines including:
- The Rim2Rim2Rim,
running a 47-mile ultra marathon across the Grand Canyon and – then back again!
- The Everglades
Challenge 2011, a 300 nautical mile expedition kayak race through Florida’s
Everglades where Bastis and his partner, Karl Royer, registered as BluByu & BluByu2 and took 1st place
in their class.
- The 2012 & 2013 Patagonian Expedition Race, considered by many as one of the most extreme eco-endurance challenges, is a 565-kilometer adventure race involving trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, and climbing through one of the world’s wildest places.
Even when he’s not off on some far-flung adventure, Thomas still spends a lot of time outdoors training, and working as the “head weed puller” (aka superintendent) for the California Golf Club in San Francisco Bay area where he lives with his wife and two kids.