Tyler Mayforth

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Category: Texas Water Safari

June Means Teamwork, Texas Water Safari

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On June 14, 2015

In Texas Water Safari

June in San Marcos, Texas means two things: oppressive heat and the Texas Water Safari. I found out both of these things quickly at the start of my lengthy Texan stint.

When temperatures soar past the 100-degree mark, locals take to the San Marcos River to float and hang out or they stay inside in the comfort of air conditioning. As a Yankee, the first option appealed to me at first, but the second grew on me.

Come to think of it: Is there a better way to enjoy the river than to paddle 260 miles on it from San Marcos to Seadrift during “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race?” Well, probably — but there are hundreds of paddlers each year who accept the challenge.

Back in 2013, I was one of those folks testing their will against the unforgiving river. As part of the British reality TV show “Go Hard or Go Home,” my team (consisting of a 22-year-old female bartender from England and I) had to make it 85 miles from San Marcos to Gonzales in two days. We made it 33 before they pulled the cord.

Teamwork means everything in the Texas Water Safari and suffice to say, Emma and I didn’t have what it took. To be fair, we only started paddling together two days earlier and after flipping the canoe three times that day, I knew it would be an incredible feat to complete the challenge. Needless to say, I gave it everything I had.

Even before I jumped in the canoe with Emma, I knew teamwork was a cornerstone of the Texas Water Safari. Not only does that go for the people in the canoes, but all of the auxiliary team captains, support staff — plus journalists covering the event.

Every June I put a lot of effort into making our Texas Water Safari top-notch. From previews to features to everything in between, no one was going to do it better.

The last Safari I covered was probably my best because of the resources I had. Not only did I always have my trusted freelance photographer Gerald Castillo on the hunt, I hired Joe Vozzelli a few months earlier and like myself, he has a strong work ethic. We canvassed Friday’s check-in for features, staked out incredible vantage points for pictures on Saturday, then turned out what I’d say was a stellar section.

Take a look at that section and tell me you wouldn’t want to read everything in it.

I’m a bit crestfallen I don’t get to cover it this year, but 6 years of memories endure.

SBS: Enterprising the Texas Water Safari

By

On April 21, 2015

In Story Behind the Story, Texas Water Safari

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a series chronicling the story behind the stories I feel are some of my best. Here is a tale of how my involvement in the 2013 Texas Water Safari and the British reality TV show “Go Hard or Go Home” came about and turned into “Go Hard or Go Home: A Paddling Adventure.”

I already conquered Warrior Dash, had 10,000 volts of electricity shot through my body not once but twice during Tough Mudder, whizzed past trees at break-neck speeds while zip lining and then skipped all pretenses when I jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet with an instructor and a parachute strapped to my back, so why not do something in the “To Kill a Yankee Series” that could actually kill me?

That’s what I thought when I replied to an email sent to the sports department at the San Marcos Daily Record by producers of a reality TV show. They wanted to place an ad looking for a paddler to join one of their cast members in the grueling Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile canoe race from San Marcos to Seadrift. Those in the show wouldn’t have to go the full way, just to Gonzales (still a 90-mile paddle).

A few days passed and the producers responded, saying they’d welcome me with open arms. I was sure to let them know that if a better, more suited option replied that they should take that person compared to me. After all, I hadn’t paddled more than 10 miles in a single day before then and while strong, my technique isn’t great.

Whether I competed in the race or not, I wanted to keep my usual routine of stories previewing the event. That meant an introduction to the race on Tuesday, a more in-depth look through the eyes of an expert on Wednesday, a wider scope the next day, a true preview for Friday and then a feature heavy section on Saturday.

Here’s how it went down that fateful week in 2013.

  • Producers interviewed me at my desk on Tuesday, which gave me an easy idea: Why not return the favor and ask why they picked the TWS?
  • On Wednesday I spoke with a paddler with the most finishes in the TWS as well as the race organizer about how tough it would be on a true novice.
  • I met my teammate on Thursday and paddled with her throughout the afternoon, which allowed me a true look at the lower San Marcos River.
  • Then I brought it all together on Friday for Saturday’s advance.
  • Tuesday allowed me a chance to recap my experience and the full race.

If you’re a paddler or just enjoy extreme challenges, take a look at the Texas Water Safari. Thankfully it didn’t kill me, but the last installment of the “To Kill a Yankee Series” was truly the best and most involved of them all.

Not Just The World’s Toughest Canoe Race

By

On January 29, 2014

In Texas Water Safari

Look, Ma! I'm on TV.

Look, Ma! I’m on TV. I mean, it’s my TV — but the point remains!

What’s in a nickname?

Apparently everything for the Texas Water Safari.

This 260-mile trek in the Lone Star State from San Marcos to Seadrift is affectionately dubbed “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race.” Each year hundreds of brave paddlers test their emotional, mental and physical fortitude in this truly life-changing event that gives contestants four days to complete the task.

Last summer I took part in the race as part of a British reality TV show called, “Go Hard or Go Home.” Now if you want to learn how I got involved, go ahead and check my enterprise work on the subject.

After months of wondering when the episode would air, it finally appeared on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom on Jan. 27, 2014. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, I was able to have a full copy of the show just a few hours later.

It was the third episode in the series and each episode runs about 48 minutes. Most of it, as expected, is dedicated to those changing their lives training for the event, with the final 10 minutes centered around the actual event. Due to the fact that I joined the cast late — after one of the contestants failed a drug test (anabolic steroids) — my appearance lasted those 10 minutes, punctuated by a monologue in which I spoke the fateful words, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Needless to say, those words came back to bite me as I got well acquainted with a tree and capsized once on camera (many other times otherwise) going through a dangerous section of rapids. Perhaps the toughest aspect of it all was that I didn’t get to complete the challenge and had to pull out after 33 miles.

Truth be told, I should have asked, “What’s the best that could happen,” because that would have been more fitting. I got an experience that will last a lifetime, and this summer, I will return to the Texas Water Safari with a new teammate (possibly teammates) and finish the entire race.

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