Month: March 2019

And yes, avocado is a mainstay

Athletes are often told to stay away from simple sugars—like the kind found in white bread—unless they need an immediate energy boost. But after years of exile, the stuff may have a place in the world of sports nutrition after all. Allen Tran, registered dietitian and chef for the Olympic ski team, says that a piece of plain white toast will provide quick energy just as well as any shot block or gel.

But when you aren’t headed to a workout in 30 minutes or less, Tran suggests you use your bread (preferably of the nutty or whole-grain variety) as a vehicle for truly nutritious ingredients. That means the toppings should provide protein and healthy fats. Many athletes have taken that advice to heart, making nutritionally stacked toast a staple in their diets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Mikaela Matthews

U.S. Ski Team freestyle skier Mikaela Matthews prepares toast several times a week for lunch. She tops sourdough bread with two eggs over easy (the runny yolk is key, she says), goat cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper, and smashed avocado. Since Matthews always stocks these staple ingredients, lunch is ready in less than five minutes.

“I usually do my workouts in the morning, so the added protein from eggs helps me recover after a hard gym session, and the remaining fats and carbs help replenish my energy and leave me feeling full and satisfied,” Matthews says. Tran seconds her take, saying she’s crafted a near-perfect balance of the macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fat—that are key for performance.

Avocado Toast with Rosemary and Goat Cheese

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 1/2 avocado, smashed
• Goat cheese
• 2 eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Fresh lemon juice

Toast bread, if desired. Meanwhile, fry the eggs until over easy. Top each bread slice with one egg and half the smashed avocado. Sprinkle with goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice for extra zest.

Stephanie Howe Violett

Ultrarunner and sports nutritionist Stephanie Howe Violett goes all in by baking her own sourdough bread, an especially great base because it’s slowly fermented to make the nutrients in the bread more absorbable, Tran says. If you can’t make your own, snag a loaf from your local baker or farmer’s market.

Before a run, Violett tops her bread with peanut butter, molasses, and a sliced banana. The peanut butter serves as a good source of fat and protein to keep you full, while the molasses adds a few minerals to the mix, like iron, magnesium, and potassium, which support your body during hard efforts, Tran says.

Sourdough Bread with Peanut Butter, Molasses, and Banana

• 2 slices sourdough bread, homemade or bakery-bought
• 2 generous tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 banana, sliced
• Molasses

Toast the bread. Top each piece with one tablespoon peanut butter and half the banana slices. Drizzle molasses on top.

Jessie Diggins

As an Olympic cross-country skier, Jessie Diggins has made fueling a prime focus. She incorporates toast into her diet once or twice every week, usually accompanied by a salad.

Diggins adjusts her meals based on her training routine. Her favorite toast recipe—seedy wheat bread topped with avocado and cheese—comes into play before endurance-based efforts. “If I’m headed out the door for a three-hour ski, I make sure to get a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fats ahead of time so I don’t run out of energy during such a lengthy aerobic activity,” she says.

Tran says this meal is a high-calorie gem, with healthy fats from the avocado and cheese and fiber from the whole-wheat bread providing sustenance throughout the day. To add extra protein to this meal, Tran suggests adding some plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with Italian seasoning, chili powder, or Sriracha.

Seedy Whole-Wheat Bread with Avocado and Cheese

• 2 slices seedy whole-wheat bread, thickly sliced
• 1 avocado, mashed
• Cheddar cheese, sliced
• Hard goat cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Toast the bread. Spread avocado evenly on each piece. Place cheddar cheese slices on top. Sprinkle with goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Rob Krar

Rob Krar is an endurance-running legend, once holding FKTs for both the single and double crossing of Grand Canyon. He’s an almost equally prolific late-night snacker, often turning to bread to stave off post-dinner hunger.

While Krar will try just about any combination, his go-to is a savory concoction that includes tahini and sesame seeds, especially helpful in spurring recovery after long runs and tough workouts.

“If you’re not familiar with tahini, it’s like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds,” Tran says. Combined with whole-grain rye bread, it’s a fantastic way to mix up the usual nut-butter-on-bread combo, while still providing a good source of protein, carbs, and healthy fats, all key for performance.”

Rye Bread with Tahini, Honey, and Sesame Seeds

• 2 slices rye bread
• 2 tablespoons tahini sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Sesame seeds

Toast the bread. Slather each piece with one tablespoon tahini. Drizzle the tablespoon of honey across both slices. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top for extra crunch.

Steph Davis

Steph Davis lives for avocado on her toast and opts to let the nutritionally gifted ingredient shine on its own. All she adds to a piece of whole-grain Ezekiel bread are avocado, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. While Tran gives this his stamp of approval, he does note that it could use some protein, especially if you aren’t using a bread with a nut or seed base.

“This avocado toast gets you most of the way there for a balanced breakfast. You just need to add a protein source, such as a fried egg on top, to make it complete,” Tran says.

Avocado Toast with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

• 2 pieces sprouted whole-grain Ezekiel bread
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Toast the bread. Split the avocado slices between the two pieces of toast. Drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

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Days after breaking his neck in a freak surf accident in December 2014, Australian Steve Plain made an odd decision: to climb the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each continent. And he wanted to do it faster than had ever been done before. It was an audacious goal. Plain had multiple fractures to his C2, C3, and C7 vertebra, a contorted spinal cord, a dissected arterial artery, and torn ligaments, among other injuries. His doctors told him to prepare for life in a wheelchair. Plain’s SevenSummitsresolution was all the more strange because he had no mountaineering experience to speak of.

Still, he needed a big goal to fuel his recovery.

Last May 14, Plain stood on the summit of Mount Everest, 117 days after he began his Seven Summits quest, breaking the previous record of 126 days set by Polish climber Janusz Kochanski in 2017.

“I guess I would have expected to feel elated or excited having completed the summits in record time,” Plain said after the feat. “But I don’t. I actually feel somewhat sad that it has come to an end.”

Plain started with 16,067-foot Vinson Massif in Antarctica, summiting on January 16, 2018. He then flew directly to 22,902-foot Aconcagua in Argentina where he met up with his British guide, Jon Gupta. “Steve is the strongest person I’ve ever climbed with in the big mountains,” said Gupta. “He is very fit and acclimatizes well.” While in South America, they made a side trip to summit 22,615-foot Mount Ojos Del Salado, the world’s highest volcano.

The pair ticked off the next few mountains in quick succession: 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro, 16,023-foot Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s 7,310-foot Mount Kosciuszko, and 18,513-foot Mount Elbrus in Russia. (There is some debate about whether Carstensz Pyramid or Kosciuszko should be considered one of the seven, so Plain climbed them both to avoid any controversy.)

But it wasn’t until they summited Alaska’s Denali on April 3 that breaking the speed record came into focus. “Until then I was simply focusing on each climb as we got to it, one by one,” Plain recalls. He and Gupta climbed from the 14,000-foot camp on the West Buttress route to the 20,320-foot summit in a blazing time of 20 hours.

Plain and Gupta arrived at Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side in mid-April to begin the acclimatizing process. He needed to summit by May 22 to break the record. They made several climbs to Camps I, II, and III before setting out for the summit on May 14 along with Pemba Sherpa. They made the summit without incident and were back at the South Col by 11:00 a.m. For extra credit, the trio even went on to tag Lhotse on their way down from Everest.

“For me, the entire journey has been much more rewarding than simply achieving the record itself,” Plain said. “I always had the belief that I could do it. I knew it was going to take a lot of work in terms of training, planning, preparation. But it was that goal and determination to succeed that spurred me on during my recovery.”

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When I reached Superintendent Dan Wenk at his office in Yellowstone recently, I was half expecting a gloves-off rant from a man who is known as a cool head. Earlier in the month, Wenk had received a memorandum from National Park Service Deputy Director Dan Smith saying he was being reassigned to an executive position in Washington, D.C., despite his request to serve out his career at Yellowstone until his March 2019 retirement date.

“It’s a hell of a way to be treated at the end of four decades spent trying to do my best for the Park Service and places like Yellowstone, but that’s how these guys are,” Wenk told the Bozeman-based Mountain Journal. By the time I caught up with Wenk, he was candid but a little more reserved. “I expected a conversation,” he told me, referring to his retirement proposal to his superiors. “I expressed many times, ‘Can we just sit down and talk?’ The conversation I requested never happened.”

Wenk first heard of the potential reassignment in April but thought he could preempt it by announcing his retirement. At his age, 66, Wenk told me he has no interest in relocating to D.C. for a position that would take years to master. He had already been planning to retire and had even bought a retirement home two years ago near Rapid City, South Dakota. Wenk hoped publicly announcing his retirement would provide a little certainty to the many stakeholders who deal with the park on long-term issues and who had been treating him like a “lame duck” amid the rumors of his reassignment. If they knew he was staying on until March, Wenk figured, he’d have time to tie up loose ends, prepare the ground for his successor, and, perhaps most important, see through his long-standing commitment to relocate a group of Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Reservation in northern Montana.

But the Park Service rejected Wenk’s proposal. In a letter dated June 4, signed by Dan Smith and Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Wenk was given 60 days to accept his reassignment or retire.

I spoke to several current and former career Park Service officials at various levels, and none could remember someone with Wenk’s prestige and position being removed without cause—which is to say, without that person having done something really wrong to justify removal. Former Park Service director Jon Jarvis, who served throughout the Obama administration and retired in January 2017, says what is happening to Wenk fits a pattern in the Trump administration of “attacking the career civil servant.”

If Jarvis is right, then Wenk’s removal is indeed a major scandal. However, even if all of this amounts to nothing more than a mishandling of personnel matters—if Wenk’s outspokenness on controversial issues had nothing to do with the decision to remove him—the message to the rank and file and to other career officials is still chilling.

Wenk’s successor, Cameron Sholly, was officially named on June 13. Currently serving as the NPS Midwest regional director, Sholly will step into his new role amid controversy. The conservation community in the Yellowstone area and members of regional native tribes are alarmed by what they perceive as the disrespectful treatment of a leader who was able to move the needle on critical issues like the reestablishment of wild bison populations on native lands, who advocated for the creation of quota districts on the park’s northern border with Montana to shield wolves from hunting and trapping pressure, and who offered a lone dissenting voice in the interagency debates about removing the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear population from the endangered species list. (The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted Yellowstone grizzlies in June 2017, and Wyoming and Idaho will hold grizzly hunts later this year for the first time since the 1970s.)

For Caroline Byrd, director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a nonprofit focused on wildlife issues in the tristate region surrounding the park, the Wenk ordeal is, at best, an example of gross mismanagement. “It’s yet another rash decision that didn’t need to be this way,” Byrd says.

“I personally see it as an attack on the park,” says Jason Baldes, a research biologist and member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe who consults the tribe on wildlife and conservation issues. “[Wenk] was very supportive and understanding of our efforts and the reasoning behind wanting to restore bison for Native Americans.”

Over his seven and a half years at Yellowstone, Wenk earned a reputation as a peacemaker, liked and respected even by people who disagreed with him. John Varley, founding director of the Yellowstone Center for Resources, who first met Wenk in 1980 and worked with him in various capacities until his retirement in 2006, told me Wenk made more progress on the bison issue than any of his predecessors. “Solving a 90-year-old problem, even just getting it on the tracks, is hero work in my view. And Dan is that,” Varley says.

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead, a conservative Republican, praised Wenk for his successful resolution of long-simmering conflict over winter snowmobiling in the park. “We’ve had agreements and disagreements, and I have great respect for him,” Mead recently told the Washington Post. “He’s worked through some very difficult issues. I think he’s done a very good job.”

Recently, Wenk took on what may be the most thorny issue of all: Yellowstone’s surging visitation, up 45 percent since the turn of the century, surpassing 4 million per year. The boom has strained infrastructure, negatively affected visitors in the form of long bathroom lines and traffic jams, and put increasing pressure on wildlife. In response, Wenk commissioned scientific studies to learn how the park can better cope with the flood of visitors while preserving the wildlife, scenery, and natural resources “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations,” as the park’s mandate requires.

There is a significant chance that the data produced by the studies will lead to proposals to reduce or limit park visitorship, especially at popular spots like Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. Any effort to limit visitorship is bound to cause conflict with concessionaires, commercial permittees, and businesses at the park entrances—but that possibility did not deter Wenk. “Everything you do in Yellowstone is controversial, and I follow that with thank God,” Wenk says. “Can you imagine if nobody cared?”

It might be that Wenk’s willingness to consider limiting park visitorship rankled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who favors privatizing campgrounds and raising park entrance fees, and who has made it clear that he sees public lands as profit-generating entities. If that was the case, no one ever told Wenk. “I’ve never had any expression that they weren’t satisfied with what I was doing in my job.”

Conservationists and others concerned about the fate of the bison program may take some solace in the knowledge that Sholly, Wenk’s replacement, presided over the the transfer of some 800 bison from national parks under his administration to state and tribal lands in the Midwest. Secretary Zinke has also maintained support for the bison relocation program dating back to his time as a Montana congressman. I asked Zinke’s press secretary, Heather Swift, if he still supports the bison relocation program, and she replied, “Of course he does.”

But there are also the internal ramifications to consider. One senior park official, who asked not to be named, told me that Zinke and the top brass were sending a clear signal: “The message is keep your head down,” the official says. “There are things I’ve been doing that are just a normal part of my job…things I do that I need to get supervisor approval for, and it comes back as, ‘No, don’t do it, you may not survive this, and we don’t have the firepower to protect you.’”

For his part, Wenk, who has been in the Park Service for nearly half its existence, sounded an upbeat note for young park employees who may feel discouraged by the Trump administration’s conservation approach and by controversies over personnel issues. “The commitment they make to public lands will reward them many times over…It’s incredible that we have these places. We’re in the perpetuity business. Because of our protection, these places will be around—if we follow law, regulation, and policy—unimpaired for future generations.”

I asked him what he plans to do with his free time after August. “I used to have a single-digit golf handicap,” Wenk says, “so I’d like to get that back again.”

Honoring the athletes, moments, and Twitter accounts who really deserved to take home the gold this year

Mea culpa time. We predicted this would be our best Olympics ever, and then it was a little underwhelming. It’s not been all bad—we were especially thrilled by medals from Chloe Kim, Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins, and Mikaela Shiffrin (twice!)—not to mention Lindsey Vonn’s emotional bronze. But it hasn’t quite been the flurry of gold we expected.

Still, we’re good sports and Olympic enthusiasts until the end. So we decided to end the Games by awarding a few gold medals, honoring the most exciting and ridiculous moments that really made the 2018 Olympics.

Best Call by an Announcer: Chad Salmela on Women’s Cross Country Skiing

“Here comes Diggins! Here comes Diggins! Yes! Yes! Yes! Gold!” It’s up there with “The Giants win the pennant,” “Down goes Frazier,” and “Do you believe in miracles?” as one of the best calls of all time.

—Matt Skenazy, senior editor

Best Social Media Presence: Adam Rippon

Yes, I know this is a predictable one. But I spend a lot of time on Twitter (much more time than I’ve spent watching the Olympics, if I’m being honest) and figure skater Adam Rippon is a small bright spot in that dark place. If you need convincing that Adam deserves the gold in this category, I’ll just let him speak for himself:

—Molly Mirhashem, associate editor

Best Worst Athlete Who Should’ve Been in the Olympics: Krishna Sai Rahul Eluri

This figure skater has such a heartfelt story about how he practices primarily on roller skates since his hometown doesn’t have an ice rink. At Slate, Justin Peters wrote an ode to Eluri’s performance in the 2016 International Skating Union Junior Grand Prix: “Even without adjusting for those limitations, he gave the crowd a fun show characterized by an authentic joy that many skaters lose as their routines become more polished.” 

—Jenny Earnest, social media manager

Best Worst Athlete Who Shouldn’t Have Been in the Olympics: Elizabeth Swaney

You’ve likely already seen the clip from the women’s freeski halfpipe event. Swaney drops in and approaches each wall with hesitance. Her skis barely leave the snow at the lip of the pipe—a stark contrast to the electrifying 900’s and 1080’s performed by medalists Cassie Sharpe of Canada, Marie Martinod of France, and the USA’s Brita Sigourney. Turns out that Swaney, an American, figured out how to get into the Olympics with the help of loopholes, self-funding, and competing for Hungary. All of the other athletes, and women’s freeskiing in general, were left unjustly overshadowed by this self-promotional stunt. At least it was funny?

—Christopher Thompson, visual producer

Worst Sportsmanship: Mathieu Faivre

This week, I learned that you can get sent home from the Olympics just for being a bad team player, as French skier Mathieu Faivre was after he placed seventh in the giant slalom and told reporters he didn’t care how his teammates did: “I’m here for my own personal interest, to build my career.” I also learned that FIS lists all skiers’ zodiac signs. (Faivre is a capricorn—maybe this explains his bad attitude!) Most importantly, I learned that Faivre is dating Mikaela Shiffrin, a pisces who clearly deserves better than this. 

—Erin Berger, senior editor

Best Spectator: The Curling Husband

At every Olympics there are fans who rise above the crowd—last summer we got Aly Raisman’s nervous parents, this year it was the glorious “curling husband.” In what is my favorite moment of the Games, Canadian curler Rachel Homan’s husband was seen double fisting beers as he cheered her on at a 9 a.m. match. Nothing but respect for you, sir. 

—Marie Sullivan, associate video producer

Most Team Spirit: Leslie Jones

From jamming with Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir to pulling zero punches on Pierre McGuire’s mid-game women’s hockey interview fail, Jones is here for Team USA.

—Aleta Burchyski, senior copy editor

Best Finish-Line Celebration: German Mandrazo

The guy picked up cross-country skiing last year, competing for Mexico and training with Tonga’s famous greasy flag bearer, Pita Taufatofua. Mandrazo came in dead last in the men's individual 15K race, nearly doubling the time of the first place finisher. But when Mandrazo crossed the finish line he celebrated like a champ, throwing his arms into the air and grabbing a Mexican flag from a fan, before his Tongan pal hoisted him into the air. 

—J. Weston Phippen, senior editor

Best Olympic Athlete-Artist: Alexi Pappas

Distance runner Alexi Pappas is giving her followers a taste of what life is really like at the Winter Games as one of the four athletes selected for an artist residency this year. Her Instagram is full of training shots on forest trails and photos of her lounging in her Olympic Village bed. And she gets bonus points for flashing her bicep tattoo of the Olympic rings, from when she competed in the last Summer Games, at every chance she gets.

—Abigail Wise, online managing editor

Wildest Snowboarding Lingo: Jamie Anderson

Including: “putting it down,” “winning double gold would’ve been gangster,” and “bless the rest.” She killed me. It was like another language.

—Mary Turner, deputy editor

Most “WTF? Seriously?” Moment

As we know, Russians were banned from competing under their own flag because of the state-sponsored doping conspiracy. You’d think they’d take a season off. But Aleksandr Krushelnitckii says, Idi k chertu (roughly: go to hell) and doped anyway. He was caught and stripped of his bronze medal in… curling.

—J.W.P.

Most Entertaining Overall Commentary: Bode Miller

Clearly I disagree with Deadspin’s opinion on this. Sure, he’s made some bad jokes, but listening to Miller talk is so much less painful than it used to be watching him ski. A pretty great moment was his self-deprecating acknowledgment, during the women’s alpine combined event, that he was probably being too hard on the competitors because at least they were getting themselves down the slope cleanly, which he could only do half the time.

—Svati Narula, assistant social media editor

Greatest Feud We Didn’t Know We Needed: Kirstie Alley vs. U.S. Men’s Curling Team

Kirstie Alley said curling is boring; the men’s curling team said Kirstie’s movies are boring. To be fair: The U.S. beating Canada for a place in the gold-medal round is the opposite of boring. And Kirstie Alley was really good in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

—A.B.

Don’t try to justify what we do in the outdoors. Just enjoy it.

Last Saturday night, I was running one of my favorite trails in the dark. I had gotten a late start, realized I failed to pack a headlamp, and figured I’d just push it as long as I could and then finish by moonlight or iPhone flashlight. I came upon a guy walking about a half-mile from the trailhead, also with no light, and we said hello, and he asked to confirm that he was in fact almost to the correct parking lot by the footbridge. I said yes, and kept running. A few minutes later, I started another lap on the trail and ran into him again and apologized for not offering use of my phone flashlight. He said, “Oh no, that’s okay, I have a phone, too. And I do a lot of walking in the dark.”

I kept shuffling up the road to the summit in the near-blackness, trying to get in some more elevation gain, thinking about my evening and that guy’s evening: I’m in a running vest, shorts, and a bunch of high-tech gear, and he’s in a fleece and jeans. And we’re both kind of idiots, bumbling around here in the dark, both with plenty of experience and wisdom to know what a flashlight is and that one might come in handy when walking in a place with no lights after sunset.

I popped over the top of the trail and the ocean of city lights of Denver lit up the plain below where thousands of people were having nice dinners in warm houses and restaurants and I was just barely not freezing up there, and I thought: This is dumb. But it’s not that dumb, is it?

My dad’s favorite thing to do is golf, and it’s a very different thing from climbing mountains or backpacking or trail running, but every once in a while, I go with him, and although I suck at it, I get it. Yes, you chase a little white ball around an expansive, manicured plot of land in the hopes that you can get the ball in a hole the size of a coffee cup several hundred yards away, by hitting it as few times as possible with expensive and specially-designed pieces of metal. In the best moments, you focus, control your breathing, and put all your mental and physical efforts into doing one thing as perfectly as you possibly can. Which reminds me of the feeling I’ve had in yoga classes sometimes, too. And at the climbing gym, trying to get through one move that I keep falling off of. And whether or not you do any of those things perfectly, the world keeps spinning.

Have you ever tried to explain sport climbing to someone who’s never climbed before? “So, you tie into the rope and climb up the rock about 75 feet to those little chains up there.”

“Why don’t you go to the top?”

“The chains are the top. Of the route.”

“Why doesn’t the route go to the top of the cliff?”

“Probably either the rock quality or the climbing isn’t as good above the chains, I guess. So they put the chains there.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the top of the cliff.”

“Right, but …”

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Really, if aliens landed on Earth and you had to try to explain everything to them, they’d probably have some very reasonable questions for you about the things we do for fun that might not make sense to someone unfamiliar with our societal norms:

“Why do you scream at the television when it has no effect on the sports contest being played far away from you?”

“Why do you pay someone to make a cup of coffee for you when you have coffee and the means to make it at your home and your office?”

“Why do you purchase music on records when you can instantly access every song ever on the internet?”

“Why do you sleep on the hard ground in the mountains when you have a comfortable bed at home?”

Of course, if those aliens understood concepts like joy and fun, you wouldn’t really have to explain anything. Fun and joy are totally subjective, and definitely aren’t universal to everyone. Beyond food, shelter, and survival, everything else is arguably pretty pointless, and if everything is pointless, then nothing is pointless, right?

On the side of Mount Shasta a few years ago, my friend Robb shared a story with our group of fundraising climbers: He had talked to his dad, Gary, on the phone a few weeks before our climb and explained what we’d be doing, that we’d be waking up at midnight to start climbing so the snow would still be firm. Gary, a lifelong midwesterner who has never worn crampons and usually slept until a reasonable hour of the morning, replied in the drawl I had heard so many times during high school at his kitchen table in Iowa:

“That is the dumbest. Goddamn thing. I have ever heard.”

Gary is definitely not wrong. Dragging myself out of my sleeping bag and trudging up the snow in the dark sure didn’t feel that sensible the next morning. But I have to say, that sunrise from just below the summit was pretty damn fantastic.

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Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer, but Father’s Day is a nice weather milestone as well. Show Dad how much you appreciate him by packing up the boats, coolers, and grilling supplies and heading to the nearest body of water to relax and soak up some sun. Here’s the gear you need to do it properly.

Father's Day Gear

Want more ideas? Check out the complete gift guide.

Although this company is headquartered in Boulder, all of Suerte’s tequila is produced in the hills outside Jalisco, Mexico, making it one of only eight tequila brands in the United States with an exclusive agave source. Its Reposado is aged for seven months in white oak barrels and has notes of plum and butterscotch. Check out a few of Suerte’s favorite cocktail recipes here.

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Weighing in at eight ounces, the Lowball has solid heft, as well as a wide base that keeps the tumbler upright when you set it down at the campsite and a wide opening that makes it perfect for cocktails. Yeti’s legendary double vacuum insulation means you’ll need only a few ice cubes to keep your drink cold all night long.

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The Lowball doesn’t need a straw, but if you want to class up your drink, use one of these reusable straws made from brushed stainless steel and a food-safe silicone tip. If you want a bigger glass, pair it with a Klean Kanteen Steel Pint.

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We love the traditional Chaco style, but for ease of slipping on and off, nothing beats the classic flip-flop. Chaco gives it a unique spin with its signature broad straps, shaped footbed, and sticky rubber soles, which make the Ecotread snug enough to stay on your feet whether you’re scrambling aboard a SUP or tossing a Frisbee on shore.

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Perfect for warm-weather activities, these boardshorts are tailored so they won’t get in the way if Dad is feeling sendy. They’re also made from stain-resistant, quick-drying four-way-stretch fabric that offers UPF 50 sun protection.

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Made from comfy preshrunk cotton and available in nine different prints—from canoes to fish to chambray, so you can match Dad’s style—the Baja is casual enough to sport on the water but can be dressed up for dinner, too. 

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Hobie’s Venture SUP does a little of everything: tour flatwater, surf mellow rollers, even ferry gear on a camping trip. At 24 pounds, it’s fairly lightweight compared to competitors, and the ten-foot board we tested glided great while we paddled on a particularly windy day. It’s also a barge: At 30 inches wide and five inches thick, the Venture didn’t flinch when whitecaps began to form.

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Once Dad sits in this chair, he’s unlikely to get up for the rest of the day. Yeah, it’s that comfortable. The reclined design with the tall back mimics a La-Z-Boy, and the full mesh seats let the breeze keep you cool.

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Slathering on sunscreen on a hot summer day is a must. Beyond Coastal Active is some of the best we’ve tested. It’s waterproof but not greasy and blocks both UVA and UVB rays without toxic chemicals.

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Eliud Kipchoge shares (some of) the secrets to his success

Eliud Kipchoge, the Olympic marathon champion, gave an address last November at the Oxford Union Society, a 200-year-old institution that touts itself as the “most famous debating society in the world.” Though there was no debating as such, attendees nonetheless got to hear two distinct perspectives on marathon running.

The first came from Kipchoge, winner of seven consecutive world-class marathons (and counting), who gave listeners some insight into his training philosophy in his characteristically understated style. The odds-on favorite to win the London Marathon in April spoke with quiet authority about the importance of consistency and discipline before ceding the lectern to David Bedford, the one-time world record holder in the 10,000 meters, who said he was certain that Kipchoge would retire as the “greatest distance runner the world had ever seen.”

For his part, Bedford, who is the former race director of the London Marathon, told the story of his own foray into running 26.2 miles. It was 1981, on the eve of the first-ever London Marathon. A few years retired from professional athletics, Bedford was six pints into the night when someone bet him 1,000 pounds that he wouldn’t run the marathon the next day. This prompted Bedford to “change his lifestyle immediately,” by “moving from beers to piña coladas.” The next morning, things went well for about half the race, but eventually Bedford had to adopt, as he puts it, “a different running style.” Despite being caught on live television puking into a gutter, the former world record holder rallied and won the bet.

Two athletes. Two different approaches to the marathon. The reader is invited to draw her own conclusions about which approach she prefers. For our part, we thought it made more sense to parse Kipchoge’s speech and subsequent Q and A for kernels of wisdom. (No offense to David Bedford.)

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On self-discipline:

“Only the disciplined ones are free in life. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods. You are a slave to your passions.”

On preparation:

“To win is not important. To be successful is not even important. How to plan and prepare is crucial. When you plan very well and prepare very well, then success can come on the way. Then winning can come on your way.”

On thinking positively:

“Pleasure in what you are doing is what puts perfection in your work—that’s a quote by Aristotle.”

On consistency:

“I’m confident to say that if you want to grow in a profession, consistency is the key…I’m strict about my work goals and training. When I miss one [workout session], it’s like missing a discussion with your classmates, where six people are discussing a subject. If I miss one training, then I will not sleep well.”

On “mental fitness”:

“Mental fitness plays a big role during competition. If you don’t rule your mind, your mind will rule you. That’s the way I think about this sport.”

On race strategy:

“In the marathon, the first half is just a normal run. At 15 kilometers, 20 kilometers, everybody is still going to be there. Where the marathon starts is after 30 kilometers. That’s where you feel pain everywhere in your body. The muscles are really aching, and only the most prepared and well-organized athlete is going to do well after that. I’ll go with the pace, but after 30 kilometers, I’ll change to my own pace. And if you’re ready to follow me, then we can go together.”

On adaptability:

“Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Accept change.”

On believing in yourself:

“I believe in what I am doing. To run a big marathon and win takes five months. When I’m on the starting line, my mind starts reviewing what I have been doing the last five months. I believe in my training, and I treat myself as the best one standing on that line.”

On managing pain during a marathon and how even the best marathoner in the world has a tough time the next day:

“When I have a lot of pain, I try to confuse my mind to forget about the pain and think about the distance. I don’t want pain to be in my mind, because I’d really lose focus on running. After winning, you won’t have that pain, but it comes later. The marathon is hard; the second day, you don’t go up or down stairs.”

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After three weeks of practice runs, two broken records, and one hundred-foot fall, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold became the first people to climb the Nose route on Yosemite’s El Capitan in under two hours. On Wednesday morning, they topped out the 3,000-foot hunk of granite in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 7 seconds after they left the valley floor. 

It’s hard to overstate just how ridiculously fast that is. They averaged a time of 3 minutes and 48 seconds over each of the 31 pitches, moving at a rate of more than 25 feet per minute. For context, most parties take around three days to climb the route. 

Last October, when Brad Gobright and Jim Reynolds knocked the record down to 2:19:44—shaving four minutes off the then-fastest time held by Honnold and Hans Florine—it felt like they might remain on top of the record books for at least a little while. Turns out, they were only on top for a single winter. Last Wednesday, Honnold and Caldwell knocked the time down to 2:10:15. “From the get go, we’ve been talking about sub-two,” Honnold told Outside shortly after that record. “I think we can. We’re going to keep trying a bit.”

On Monday, they climbed the route in 2:01:53, despite a stuck rope near the top that cost them at least two minutes. “We’re both adapting to the level of effort,” Honnold said. “We've been climbing the Nose four days a week for three weeks. This climb felt more casual than our 2:10 climb.” 

If you were following their progress, sub two hours started to feel inevitable, even to the two climbers. “That’s totally how it felt,” Honnold said this morning. “Each time we were improving a bit. Today honestly wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough, so we’re psyched.” 

For his part, Caldwell was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep up with Honnold. “I’m getting kind of old,” he said. "But Alex has a way of whipping me into shape.”

Honnold feels that the true human potential on the route is closer to 1:30 or 1:15, though they won’t be trying again any time soon. “We’re totally over it,” Honnold said. "Not trying again.”

“We definitely did it way safer than we could have and it felt very reasonable the whole time,” Caldwell said. “But it’s been stressful for our family and friends.”

Will Gobright and Reynolds take another shot? “I’m inspired and relieved they got their sub-two-hour time today,” Gobright said. “It’s the proudest speed climbing ascent to have happened in the history of U.S rock climbing. I’m proud Jim Reynolds and I held the record for a bit of time but in all honesty our time is no where close to their time. The level of talent and confidence required to climb El Cap that fast is hard for me to grasp. Part of me would be excited to see someone try to break it but deep down I hope no one tries. At least not in my lifetime.”

Six athletes on how they elevate this dish from plain noodles to delicious, healthy bowls of endurance fuel

The pasta-based carbo load has a confusing reputation. First, an imperative pre-race ritual, then a gut-bombing enemy of PRs, it’s now back in the mainstream as a beloved part of the endurance athlete’s diet—so long as it’s done right.

We’re not talking about a heaping plate of mom’s famous lasagna or your grandma’s chicken parm, which could still lead to some serious GI distress the next day, thanks to high calorie and fat counts. But if you use pasta as a vessel for other nutrient-rich foods, it can serve as a “source of slow-digesting, complex carbohydrates that’s high in fiber, B vitamins, and protein, depending on what kind of noodle you use,” says Maria Dalzot, a registered dietitian, USATF National Trail champion, and member of the La Sportiva Mountain Running team. Even old-school white noodles have a place at the table: the simple sugars offer a quick dose of easy-to-digest energy, making them the perfect choice for a pre-workout meal. 

To prove the power of pasta, we asked six athletes to share their go-to dish for powering their toughest workouts and races.

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Ryan Atkins

Champion obstacle-course racer

So Fresh and So Clean Linguine

Why it works: “I like that the sauce is mostly vegetables,” says Atkins. “It’s delicious, and the large amount of carbs is great for fueling long, hard runs.” Plus, because those carbs are delivered with minimal fat and protein, they take less time to digest. That makes the pasta dish a perfect pre-run meal, Dalzot says. As an added bonus, the herbs provide a hearty dash of polyphenols, protective plant compounds with anti-inflammatory effects.

Ingredients

• 1/2 package linguine (whole wheat or white)
• 1 white onion
• 1 red pepper
• Avocado oil to taste
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese

Directions

Chop up the onion and red pepper. In a pan, fry both in avocado oil for about ten minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Stir in the tomato, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. Fry for four more minutes. Pour contents from pan into a large blender. Add the chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. Blend until smooth. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box. While the pasta is cooking, reheat the sauce in a frying pan. Strain the cooked pasta and serve in bowls topped with the sauce. Makes enough sauce for three but can be stretched to serve four. 

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Suzi Swinehart

Ultrarunner and 12-hour treadmill world record holder

Savory Keto Noodles with Bacon

Why it works: “I’ve been following a ketogenic diet for the past 15 months,” says Swinehart. “Yet sometimes I just miss things like noodles, so I’ll modify some of my favorite dishes.” To get her pasta fix while adhering to her low-carb, high-fat diet, Swinehart subs out whole-grain and refined pasta for traditional Japanese shirataki noodles, a thin translucent noodle made from the konjac yam. If you’re not keto, try this recipe with whatever noodles you prefer.  

Ingredients

• 6 bacon slices
• 3/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• Garlic salt to taste
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
• Chicken (optional)
• Steamed broccoli (optional)
• Better than Noodles Organic Konjac Noodles
• Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions

Heat the bacon on the stove until it’s cooked to your liking. Set aside. Use the bacon grease to sauté the onion, mushroom, and garlic salt. Remove from heat and set aside with the bacon. Combine and cook the whipping cream, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, and additional garlic salt in a saucepan, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Once the cheese is melted, add to the bacon and vegetables. If you want, add cooked chicken, too. Drain water from noodles package and rinse under cold water. Add the noodles to the sauce mixture and heat to your desired temperature and pasta texture. Plate on top of steamed broccoli, if desired. Top with parsley or cilantro. Makes three servings.

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Alia Gray

Professional runner

Gnocchi with Beef Chuck Roast

Why it works: Alia Gray’s go-to pasta dish is actually potato-based gnocchi. “Potatoes are a carbohydrate, so this dish would provide ample energy for a runner,” Dalzot says. The beef, meanwhile, offers extra protein, iron, and zinc. “Zinc is important in the development of white blood cells, which help to maintain the integrity of your immune system and defend your body from infection,” Dalzot says.

Ingredients

• Gnocchi, premade or homemade (Gray recommends Smitten Kitchen’s step-by-step recipe, found here)
• 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
• 8-ounce can or box of diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Several splashes of red wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Tie the meat with some cotton butcher’s twine (you can ask the butcher for some if you don’t already have it) to help it hold its shape. Place in a Dutch oven. Pour the tomatoes and juice over the meat and sprinkle in garlic cloves (you can leave the paper casing on). Season with salt and pepper and add some generous splashes of red wine. Bake until very tender, usually between three and four hours. The meat should shred easily when you cut it. Place some cooked gnocchi in a bowl and spoon meat and red sauce over it. Add a couple of garlic cloves as well. Serves six hungry people.

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Stefanie Bishop

All-around endurance athlete

Lentil Penne with Butternut Squash and Heirloom Tomatoes

Why it works: Stefanie Bishop’s favorite dish is a meat-free option that’s still hearty and high in protein, thanks to lentil pasta. “Lentils are a one-two carbohydrate-protein punch,” Dalzot says. Lentil noodles can have two to three times more protein than white noodles and twice as much fiber. As such, they’re wonderfully filling, satisfying and a great staple in a vegetarian athlete’s diet. However, beware that if you don’t typically eat high-fiber foods right before a run, you could be headed right back to the nearest Porta-Potty. “I usually make the whole amount, share it with somebody, and have an additional serving for leftovers the following day,” Bishop says.

Ingredients

• 1 small (1 to 1 1/2 pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut into half-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 8 ounces red lentil penne
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss butternut squash with one tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly caramelized, stirring halfway. While the squash is baking, cook the penne according to box directions, or until al dente (about 5 minutes). While the penne is cooking, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Lightly sauté the garlic over low to medium heat, making sure it doesn’t brown. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for two to three minutes, leaving the tomatoes firm. Toss the penne and squash into a pan with the tomato sauce until mixed. Serve sprinkled with the basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Serves three to four.

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Scott and Christin Panchik

CrossFit power couple

Chicken Parmesan with Meat Sauce

Why it works: “This is one of our favorite meals to make after a long, high-volume training day,” says Christin Panchik. Dalzot agrees: this chicken parm recipe is ideal for a post-workout meal, thanks to the large amounts of calories, carbs, protein, and fat. “The protein and fat take longer to digest, so you don’t want the digestive system diverting blood from your working muscles during your workout,” she says.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces hot Italian sausage links
• 8 medium tomatoes, peeled and cored
• 1 medium onion
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic (whole)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup of fine bread crumbs
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms sliced
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Flour
• Italian bread crumbs
• Coconut oil (about 4 tablespoons)
• Shredded cheese of your choice
• Roasted red pepper fettuccine

Directions

Cut sausage into one-inch pieces and brown slowly in a small skillet. While that’s cooking, place tomatoes, onion, oregano, and one teaspoon salt in food processor just long enough to chop onions. Pour into a large saucepan and add tomato paste and garlic. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Drain sausage on paper towels and add to the simmering sauce. Combine the ground beef and fine bread crumbs and add to the simmering sauce, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cover saucepan and continue cooking for about two hours on low heat. About 15 minutes before the sauce is finished cooking, add the mushrooms and remove garlic clove. Preheat the oven to 270 degrees. Pound chicken breasts slightly to flatten. Dredge in egg, then lightly cover in flour and Italian bread crumbs. Melt the coconut oil in a large hot skillet. Pan sear each side of the chicken until golden brown, then place on a baking sheet or shallow pan and top with sauce and shredded cheese. Bake in preheated oven about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. While the chicken is baking, boil water and cook pasta. Serves two.