Skateboarding 1000km & Big Adventures

What Adventure?

in 2019 Dylan skateboarded 1000km, Berlin to Amsterdam for 2 charities; Camp Quality & Starlight. You can check more details at Boards on Tour.

The route was from Berlin to Frankfurt to Munster then to Amsterdam. There was a variety of different terrains and environments that he had to overcome. Having the goal to do it in 30 days it was goin to be an intense experience for him.

Adventure Stats

Average Speed: 13km(with injuries), 16km(without)
Top Speed: ~65km
Avg distance p/d: 80km
Total Distance: 1120km (-50km hitch)
Avg Skate hours a day: 10 hours
Total skating days: 14
Rest Days: 16
Common meal: Nuts
Common Drink: German Beer
Common Accommodation: Hammock + Couch Surfing
Spent over the 30 days: $400
Spent over 3 months: $3300

*Spoiler* Dylan completed the skate in exactly 30 days! It proved more intense then originally planned although was awesome because it was a legendary experience.
This is some of the stuff he learnt to overcome obstacles.

Preparedness or Lack of…

For this adventure I was well under prepared. I was skating daily but only ~10-20km. I did some practice skates but not enough to really figure out what to bring. As for the route I went onto google & bike maps the weekend before I left to find the route

So if anyone has been underprepared for a challenge this was it. However I learnt that conditions are never perfect and sometimes even when odds seem against you. Just taking the first step can make a path more clear. Then even things that seem to go wrong can workout.
i.e. In the first 2 days I skated approximately 120km per day. This F’d my knee and forced me to take a few rest days in towns that I visited. In hindsight it worked out really well because if I didn’t need to stop, I would’ve missed some amazing experiences.

You can sit around planning for years to make the expedition to go as smoothly as possible. But there should always be a line where your just say “That’s it, we’re off!”

Challenges & Goals

I giant challenge can seem impossible especially at the beginning where the hole task is in front of you like a huge mountain. To overcome this feeling, having goals or targets to achieve can make it a lot more achievable.

Instead of skating 1000km, each day I’d just skate ~30km three times. After each 30km leg I’d have a break/beer. This made it significantly easier just focusing on the small tasks. Then eventually you can climb the mountain.

Remember also; “it’s not the mountain that wears you out, its the pebble in your shoe” – Muhamad Ali. So don’t forget the little things.

Overcome Overwhelming Feeling

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have doubts. Two days I remember my leg was in so much pain and the task seemed so daunting I was mentally throwing in the towel. There’s a few things that helped me significantly to overcome this;

Friends – When I connected to the internet and got encouragement messages from friends it gave me so much confidence. There honest belief and words really helped. So having a good support crew is definitely a huge advantage.
After is Better & longer – Kept telling myself that before & during the mission is no time at all compared to after. That after the mission no matter how hard it is during that it’ll be so awesome. I was imagining myself that had completed it compared to if I bailed.
There’s Always Worse – For my leg pain where I literally collapsed one day. Just imagining if I got hit by a truck (many passed very close) and how much more inconvenient that would’ve been in comparison to my tendinitis & RSI.
It’s Just an Adventure – No matter what wrong path I chose how many stupid decisions I made. Always remembering that it’s just an adventure and no path you’re walking down can ever be the wrong one.