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00:00My goal was to kayak over a waterfall.
00:03I had gone to North Carolina, where Olympic medalist
00:05kayaker Evie Leifard was coaching me through this adventure.
00:08Get that speed, baby!
00:10Paddle!
00:12But it was tougher than I could ever have imagined.
00:16And then things went from bad to much, much worse.
00:22Oh, no.
00:23I felt trapped, speeding out of control,
00:25upside down in a tomb of rushing water.
00:28Underwater rocks threatened to crack open my head.
00:31My lungs were screaming for oxygen.
00:37Before I could even catch my breath,
00:39the rapids yanked me under and swept me away.
00:42Feed up, feed up!
00:52I was totally deflated.
00:54If I couldn't do this, how was I supposed
00:57to ever go over a waterfall?
00:59This is so difficult.
01:00It's crazy.
01:01I don't even know where to start.
01:04But I knew the only way through was straight ahead.
01:07I had to dig deep and give it one more shot.
01:12We're ready here?
01:13All right.
01:14Let's do this.
01:15Oh, my god.
01:16If you feel unstable, paddle.
01:18All right.
01:19Let's go.
01:39I was fighting to make it through the advanced course,
01:41equivalent to class four rapids.
01:44The sheer force of water and constant obstacles
01:47made it almost impossible to stay upright,
01:49let alone in control.
01:50We're going to go down the next drop.
01:52All right.
01:52Let's go.
01:52To stay in control, I had to improve my paddling.
01:56It wasn't just about arm strength.
01:58Every stroke had to be placed perfectly
02:00to steer the kayak straight in moving water.
02:03Awesome.
02:04There we go.
02:05Woo!
02:06There we go.
02:13Yeah, nice.
02:24Yeah.
02:28Yeah.
02:29Come on.
02:30Come on, boy.
02:31Yeah.
02:32Come on, boy.
02:33Yeah.
02:34This is insane.
02:35Truly, truly.
02:36Thank you so much.
02:37It was a great, great freaking day.
02:39Overall, solamente me siento muy feliz.
02:41Yay.
02:42Yeah.
02:43De que nos vamos con una victoria.
02:45This is how we do it.
02:46Porque pensé que nos Ãbamos a ir
02:48completamente fracasados.
02:49Asà que, animo.
02:55Kayaking over a waterfall is a challenge
02:58with real consequences.
03:00People get injured, or worse,
03:02all the time trying to pull it off.
03:04So I went straight to the Red Bull Athletic Performance Center
03:07in L.A., determined to be in the best possible shape.
03:15Call Evie, best kayaker in the world.
03:19Hey, what's up?
03:20Evie, how are you?
03:22Just been on the normal training grind.
03:24I'm about to go do my third workout today.
03:26I know you're packed, so I'm gonna go straight to the point.
03:29I am back in L.A.
03:30What do you think I should work on?
03:32The most important thing is shoulder stability.
03:34So target those muscles to get them ready to paddle off a waterfall.
03:37I'm on it, Evie.
03:46Ever since I was a kid, I've seen Red Bull Athletes performing some of the craziest, most extreme feats.
03:53Training in the same place they did was a dream come true.
03:58For kayaking, you need back strength.
04:00But you also gotta be quick, explosive.
04:02Yeah.
04:03You got a machine for that.
04:04Show me everything.
04:06These were the types of explosive moves I'd have to do.
04:09Ooh, there we go, 345.
04:11As I paddled in the raging currents.
04:13Increase the weight a little bit.
04:16You know what else increases power?
04:17Yelling.
04:18Really?
04:19Yeah.
04:20See?
04:21One hump.
04:22See?
04:23Sweat time.
04:24We're gonna use the sauna right now to amplify all of the things you were just doing in the gym.
04:29This is gonna increase body temperature.
04:31It's gonna help expand the muscle, which is gonna help it grow.
04:34This is like doing a couple extra sets.
04:36Amazing.
04:37All right.
04:38Now we're gonna cool you off.
04:39Hope lunch?
04:40This one's gonna be chilly.
04:41You have the urge to get out.
04:43Mind over matter.
04:49Control your breathing.
04:51There we go.
04:543, 2, 1.
04:57Ready to get out.
04:58Ooh.
04:59Shifting between workout, sauna, and the cold plunge mimics the physical and mental stressors of whitewater kayaking.
05:06Sudden temperature shifts, bursts of exertion, and rapid recovery are critical for success.
05:13Whoa!
05:14Whoa!
05:15Yeah.
05:16Hot.
05:17Hot.
05:18I made my journey from L.A. back to Mexico, traveling directly to El Encanto in Veracruz.
05:25This beautiful jungle is known for its deep canyons and spectacular waterfalls.
05:30I had only one more day of training, and how I performed would determine if I was truly ready.
05:36How are we doing?
05:37Oh, my God.
05:38Hola.
05:39How are you filming?
05:40Yeah.
05:41Antonio and Fernando Reynoso joined us in this adventure.
05:44These hermanos from Veracruz compete in the demanding sport of kayak slalom.
05:49They grew up in these waters.
05:51They know them well, and they're gonna try their best to keep me out of trouble.
05:55No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
06:00Planes, vamos a empezarlos rápidos, por suerte.
06:02Empiezan de menos a más.
06:04Okay.
06:05Muchas piedras.
06:08We're going to try to get loose legs to go up on the stones so that you don't turn around, that you don't balance yourself.
06:15We're going to do the test today.
06:17Okay.
06:18There was no turning back.
06:20It was time to get in the water.
06:22And this wasn't a man-made river designed to keep people safe.
06:26One wrong move, and I could be thrown against jagged rocks
06:30or pinned under millions of gallons of rushing water.
06:34Back in the water!
06:38Oh, no. Watch out for that rock.
06:45Just as Antonio warned, the current already started to gain strength.
06:52Perfect!
06:53This way?
06:54Left, left, left!
06:55A la izquierda, bro.
07:02Paddle, paddle!
07:05Woo!
07:06All right!
07:12It was almost impossible to stay in control.
07:15Trying to fight the current and dodge the rocks at the same time.
07:21Rock, go that way.
07:23My arms were burning, but the river was just increasing in intensity.
07:35We were speeding faster and faster, and rocks were everywhere.
07:40There was nothing I had done in my training that could have prepared me to feel like I was fighting for my life.
07:47Look at the river!
07:49Really?
07:50Oh, my God.
07:51I was underwater getting thrown uncontrollably with no idea where I was headed.
08:07When I finally broke the surface, I was choking on rushing water.
08:12It just dragged me wherever it wanted.
08:16Feed up, feed up, feed up!
08:17Are you okay?
08:18Yeah.
08:19The last one?
08:20Yeah.
08:21Yeah.
08:22The last one?
08:23Yeah.
08:24Yeah.
08:25Every rock was a threat.
08:35Unless I figured out how to read the water and react fast, I was going to keep wiping out.
08:40You see that rock that you just went over?
08:43Yeah.
08:44Did you see how there was, like, some white behind it?
08:46Yeah.
08:47Like, you could tell that the water was breaking over something.
08:48A lot of times when you see that...
08:49That's a rock?
08:50It's a rock.
08:51Left, left, left!
08:55And little by little...
08:56...I slowly started to find the rhythm with the kayak.
09:01Yeah!
09:03I was beginning to trust each movement, each reaction from the water.
09:08Uh-oh.
09:09Woo!
09:10Woo-hoo!
09:11We are now heading to a hidden cave among the rocks.
09:15Look at this, guys.
09:29Wow.
09:30It's amazing, guys.
09:33Yeah.
09:34Woo-hoo!
09:36Woo-hoo!
09:37Well, here we are going to heat up.
09:40If I was going to prove I was ready to jump off a huge waterfall tomorrow without dying,
09:46first, I needed to show them I could successfully drop off a smaller one.
09:51All right.
09:52Let's go.
09:53Nice!
09:54That's exactly what I was talking about!
09:55Good!
09:56Yeah!
09:57Oh!
09:58Good!
09:59Yeah!
10:00Oh!
10:01Good!
10:02Yeah!
10:03Clearing this final hurdle before tomorrow felt incredible.
10:34And most importantly,
10:35And most importantly, I proved it to myself.
10:37The time had come to begin our journey back.
10:42I felt different.
10:44Yeah!
10:45Yeah!
10:46Yeah!
10:47Yeah!
10:48That's so sick.
10:49It seems like you're really getting, like, more of a sense for where the water's going.
10:52While I'm not sure anything could truly prepare me for kayaking a 30-foot waterfall tomorrow,
10:58I actually started to feel my fear turning into excitement.
11:02Today is the day I have to take the decision.
11:04Today is the day of the sea.
11:05Today is the day of the sea.
11:06So, let's go with everything!
11:07Let's go!
11:08Let's go!
11:09Of all the insane challenges I've done in my life, nothing compared to the danger of being
11:28strapped into a kayak, flying over a raging waterfall.
11:36You hear it?
11:37Oh!
11:38Wow!
11:39I made a lot of progress with my training, but I couldn't stop myself from worrying this could go very wrong.
11:46Falling from a height of 30 feet, I'd be hitting the water at 35 miles an hour,
11:51generating thousands of pounds of force on impact.
11:54Even a slight mistaken body position could translate into a complete catastrophe.
11:58Wow!
12:00Madre!
12:03It's incredible.
12:05This was the Trujita waterfall.
12:07Two and a half thousand gallons roaring over the edge every single second.
12:11That is 22,000 pounds of water slamming down a 30-foot drop.
12:16And I was gonna go over it.
12:19It's crazy because you go back and you go back and you say,
12:23there's no way.
12:24There's no way to...
12:25There's no way to...
12:26There's no way to...
12:27There's no way to navigate humans.
12:29That's it.
12:32Because there were so many ways for this to go wrong, Evie had to show me first exactly what I needed to do.
12:39Evie, have a quick jump.
12:41Hell yeah.
12:42In kayaking, we say good lines.
12:43Good lines?
12:44Good lines.
12:45Good freaking lines.
12:46Have fun!
12:47See you at the bottom!
13:02Seeing Evie plummeting over the waterfall really brought it home what I was about to attempt.
13:08I'm gonna focus on landing and hopefully be able to pop out and...
13:13Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:14If I flip, I wanna try to put in what you taught me.
13:18Stay calm.
13:19Yeah.
13:21There were a dozen ways this could go wrong.
13:23Not only did I have to hold the paddle properly so it didn't smash me in the face,
13:27I also had to make sure to angle the kayak straight down.
13:31A nose first entry slices through the water, reducing the force of impact.
13:35But landing flat or even worse on my side, it could crack my back and cause whiplash.
13:40Oh wow.
13:41Good line.
13:42Brazos, gordita.
13:43You got through.
13:44Venga.
13:45There was no turning back.
13:47Perfecto.
13:49Perfecto, perfecto, perfecto.
13:54Let's go.
14:05Hey!
14:06Aguavo!
14:07Oh, no.
14:08Dale la punta, baby.
14:09Oh, no.
14:14You got him?
14:15Oh, my god.
14:17Oh, no.
14:22Dale la punta, baby.
14:23Dale la punta, baby.
14:27You got him?
14:30Oh, my god.
14:39Woo!
14:40Woo!
14:40You OK?
14:42Yeah.
14:43That was crazy.
14:44Oh, my god.
14:45We've all gone for so long.
14:46Oh, my god.
14:47That was a big one.
14:48That was fantastic.
14:49Oh, yeah.
14:51Oh, my god.
14:52You ran a long time.
14:53I ran a little.
14:54You know what, guys?
14:56When I first met you and we started to train,
14:58I was, like, 50, 50 of doing this.
15:01You guys getting the confidence to be, like, OK,
15:04let's actually do it.
15:06I'm so impressed.
15:08Oh, my god.
15:09So proud of you.
15:11I'd approached this jump with trepidation.
15:13Every step of the training had been a brutal battle, but surprisingly, after running it,
15:18I was living with something unexpected, a sense of pride, and a real hope that this
15:23wouldn't be the last time.
15:25If tagging off a waterfall tested my nerve and my skill, then my next challenge would push my grit
15:32and my endurance to the limit in the most iconic off-road motorsport race in the world,
15:39Baja 500.
15:41Held in the rugged deserts of Baja California, Mexico, this exhausting race spans a grueling
15:47500 miles over unforgiving desert terrain, winding mountains and treacherous riverbeds,
15:54averaging an insane 15 hours to complete, pushing man and machine to the limit.
16:00But the adventure comes with very serious risks.
16:06High-speed crashes, mechanical failures in remote areas, and even boogie traps set by spectators,
16:14with absolutely no guarantee medical access in the middle of the desert,
16:19every mile becomes a test of survival.
16:22And now, I was about to see if this Mexican had what it took to even compete in the race.
16:31My race vehicle was a beauty, but it was nothing like a regular car,
16:36and I had a lot to learn before hitting the course.
16:39Make sure you stop, which is kind of right on there.
16:40This doesn't open.
16:41No doors on this thing.
16:42Oh, it doesn't open.
16:44And Corbin Leverton was the man to teach me.
16:46He's a rising star in off-road racing, he's a world champion, best-in-the-desert winner,
16:51and he'll be racing in this year's Baja 500, too.
16:54You go feet first?
16:55Perfect.
16:56These pumps.
16:57These are...
16:58Yeah, that's your shifters.
16:59Oh, so this is manual.
17:00Yeah, these talons are cool.
17:01You can either run automatic or manual.
17:03You'd be in automatic, so you'd be good.
17:05We've got a four-wheel drive switch right there on the left.
17:07Make sure it's in four-wheel drive.
17:08We always want to stay in four-wheel, right?
17:10Yeah, for sure.
17:11Okay.
17:12These things are pretty easy to roll.
17:13You just turn a little too hard, hit the gas a little too hard.
17:15You can put these things right on their lid pretty soon and be stuck out there all alone.
17:19Have you flipped in the course?
17:20I've had some pretty big crashes.
17:25The big thing is, you're ever up on two wheels, you find yourself in that spot,
17:28your left tires come up, and you're this way, and you turn right down into the gas.
17:31Let's picture this, right?
17:32Mm-hmm.
17:33I go for some reason...
17:35Yep.
17:36And then the car starts going...
17:37Yep.
17:38So what I would do is like this.
17:40Exactly.
17:40Okay, now let's turn it on.
17:41Yeah, go for it.
17:42Once Corby showed me how the car worked, it was time to take a test drive with my navigator
17:49for tomorrow, Gabe Siebold.
17:54All right, one, two, three, one, two, three.
17:57We're not trying to do any hard turns, right, anywhere,
18:00because this thing can roll like a dice, right?
18:03Yeah.
18:03The Baja 500 isn't run on a neatly marked track.
18:06It's a labyrinth of unmarked trails, sudden drop-ups, and even changing terrain.
18:10And at 80 miles per hour, the driver can't afford to look at the map.
18:14Take this little turn.
18:15Yep.
18:15That's where the navigator comes in.
18:17Watch out.
18:17There's a big hole up here on your side.
18:20Yep.
18:20Oh, wow.
18:21I couldn't even see that.
18:22I got you, brother.
18:23They read course notes called road books and GPS cues in real time,
18:28calling out everything from sharp turns...
18:30Bring them up here.
18:31...to cattle crossings, often buckle up while being launched from their seat.
18:35So tomorrow, are we going to have like this, but a bit more rocky?
18:39It's going to be like these mountains up here, about sand.
18:42But they'll be wrapped in whips.
18:45This terrain is nuts.
18:46Hold you as tight to this line as you can, because these whips are deep.
18:50Yeah, you got it.
18:51It feels like I'm driving on Mars.
18:54Now, stay around the bushes and just harass.
18:56I felt like I was getting the hang of it, but I had a feeling that the real thing would be much
19:01more challenging.
19:02Yeah, that was about as hard as you could push it through there.
19:04Good job.
19:05And, oh yeah, of course, more dangerous.
19:08The Baja 500 began in 1969, sparked by a rapidly growing off-road racing community
19:14eager to test their machines and endurance against rugged Baja California terrain.
19:19Across the years, thousands have competed, but only a fraction ever finished.
19:23And now, more than 50 years after it started, it's my turn.
19:38Okay, so the tube is connected.
19:41Yep.
19:41My seatbelt's good.
19:43One, two, three, four, five.
19:47It was time to put what I learned yesterday to the ultimate test.
19:50All right, dude, we're about ready to start this race.
19:53All right, brother, let's do it.
19:54All right, dude, we're about ready to start this race.
20:10All right, dude, we're about ready to start this race.
20:14All right, brother, let's do it.
20:28The Baja 500 starts in the city, but you are very quickly inside the desert and on your way.
20:35Holy .
20:36Good job, bro.
20:37I'm gonna get rough.
20:40Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down.
20:43Just keep going straight.
20:45Screw this is where I'll be breaking.
20:47Actually, I'm gonna flat if we go too hard.
20:50That's our road right there.
20:51All right.
20:52Keep going straight.
20:52Keep going straight.
20:53I need to get over.
20:55Yeah?
20:56Yeah, never mind.
20:57Yeah.
20:57Fine.
20:58Yeah.
20:59Just stay on the road.
21:01You're too fast, dude.
21:02You've got to be slow to make decisions.
21:04Understood.
21:05All right, you're good.
21:06I cannot slow down because I knew I had to cover as much ground as possible before the sun set
21:12and the racing became even more dangerous.
21:15I had barely made it 20 miles, but the strain was already starting to take its toll.
21:27Aerodrivers can finish the race in 10 hours or less, but me, if I was just able to finish,
21:33I'd be closer to 18 hours, the course limit.
21:36It was hard to imagine racing for that long.
21:38My arms ached from gripping the wheel, my neck was stiff from bracing against the jarring terrain,
21:44and the heat inside the cab felt like a furnace.
21:49And if the terrain wasn't enough, passing racers can kick up clouds of thick dust.
21:54Stay over here.
21:55Copy.
21:56Wow, I can't see.
21:58Keep on the gas so you don't get stuck.
22:00I can't see, I can't see, I can't see.
22:01Don't go too fast.
22:02Slow down, slow down.
22:03Dust was pouring into the cabin, and I was driving completely blind.
22:07Okay, just keep it moving.
22:09Even though I couldn't see, stopping isn't an option.
22:11Is this crazy or what?
22:13It's nuts.
22:14Another racer could slam into you from behind at 70 miles an hour, so somehow you have to keep driving blind.
22:21You could smash into a boulder, drive off the course, hit a tree, or worse.
22:28Wow, I couldn't see.
22:32Emerging from the dust storm, I needed to pick up the pace and make up for lost time.
22:37Go!
22:37Hard left.
22:40All right, good job.
22:40Copy that.
22:42Down to the gas.
22:43Oh!
22:44Good.
22:48Go, go, baby!
22:49Go!
22:51Holy .
22:52All right.
22:53Yeah, bro, we're probably like three or four feet in the air.
22:55That's amazing.
22:59Easy.
23:00We can't get caught.
23:01Slow down, slow down, slow down.
23:03Almost trying to get around us.
23:04Copy.
23:06Oh, holy .
23:08That guy didn't even hit us on the push-up path.
23:10They just nerfed us.
23:11They just ran into the back end.
23:12I knew this race was intense, but it was way more than I imagined.
23:16No wonder nearly half of the racers do not finish.
23:21Whoa, whoa, whoa.
23:22Whoa!
23:23Whoa!
23:24Whoa!
23:46Go, whoa, whoa.
23:58Go.
24:03Go.
24:04Go.
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