Fatal Tide: When the Race of a Lifetime Goes Wrong [Hardcover]

"A fast-paced tale of an adventure race gone wrong." -- Jerry Kobalenko, author of The Horizontal Everest: Extreme Journeys on Ellesmere Island

"A must-read for extreme-sports enthusiasts and armchair adventurers." -- Colin Angus, author of Beyond the Horizon, Lost in Mongolia, and Amazon Extreme

"Drawing on dozens of interviews and years of painstaking research, Leach provides a nail-biting account of the fateful day." -- Geoff Dembicki, Canadian Geographic, April 2008

"Five years of research, combined with some excellent writing, have produced answers worth reading." -- Garth Woolsey, The Toronto Star, April 20, 2008

"Leach's cautionary tale explores the knife edge that separates glorious fun from tragedy in the outdoors." -- Bruce Kirkby, author of Dolphin's Tooth: A Decade in Search of Adventure

On June 1, 2002, dozens of "weekend warriors"and other after-work athletes set off from Saint John, New Brunswick, for a day of competitive adventure: trail running, mountain biking, and sea kayaking on the legendary Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides. However, as a storm swept across the coast, what had begun as a fun introduction to the fast-growing sport of adventure racing turned into an anxious struggle to survive that ultimately drew two young men together in a fateful encounter. The shocking conclusion to the race continues to reverberate throughout the international community of outdoor adventurers and extreme athletes.

Fatal Tide: When the Race of a Lifetime Goes Wrong dramatizes, in the storytelling style of such non-fiction bestsellers as Into the Wild and The Perfect Storm, precisely what happened at the controversial Fundy Multi-Sport Race. The book transports readers onto the turbulent Bay of Fundy, as competitors fight against the elements and face their deepest fears, while race organizers, Coast Guard crews, and fishermen rush to their rescue. As the tragedy unfolds, Fatal Tide also uncovers the genetics and psychology of risk-taking, the rise of reality-TV guru Mark Burnett, the dark history behind the science of hypothermia, as well as the emotional and legal fallout from the first death of an adventure racer in North America.

The former managing editor of explore: Canada's Outdoor Magazine and now a writing professor at the University of Victoria, David Leach has a long and passionate interest in wilderness travel, outdoor sports and adventure writing. Magazine assignments for a variety of international publications have led him to kayak through polar-bear country; mountain bike across the Andes; compete at the TransRockies Challenge bike race and the Canadian Ski Marathon; and profile many of North America's top explorers and adventurers. He lives with his family on Vancouver Island.