The Amazon Prime series World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji marked the competition reality show's return after nearly 18 years. The original Eco-Challenge aired from 1995-2002, created by Mark Burnett, the producer behind reality tv juggernaut Survivor. All 10 episodes of the revived show, hosted by Bear Grylls, are available now on Amazon Prime. A whopping 66 teams, and 246 people in total, competed in the endurance race. Particularly notable was Team Onyx, a result of captain Clifton Lyles' goal to put together a boundary breaking team for the show.
On the official Team Onyx website, Clifton says he was inspired watching Eco-Challenge Morocco in the 90s. Prior to appearing on the show himself, Clifton had 20 years experience as a racer. Throughout his career, he noticed a glaring lack of diversity in the sport. Given the opportunity to appear on a major show's comeback, Clifton decided to inspire potential future athletes. Team Onyx is made up entirely of Black members, a first in Eco-Challenge history as well as the global expedition racing scene as a whole. Clifton also made sure the team would include members of the LGBTQ community.
Social media was instrumental for finding the other members of Team Onyx. Clifton is active on Instagram, and it was through the social media platform that he reached out to Coree Aussem-Woltering. Coree has an incredibly accomplished, record-breaking career as an ultramarathoner. As the first openly gay Black trail runner, he relished the opportunity to represent Black LGBTQ athletes. The other racers on the team were mountain biker Samantha Scipio and Crossfit gym owner Chriss Smith Jr. Both Chriss and Clifton are veterans. Clifton is a former Marine, and Chriss a former Navy SEAL. In addition to 4 racers, each Eco-Challenge team also has a support person. Team Onyx's was former Div 1 NCAA basketball player and filmmaker Mikayla Lyles, Clifton's daughter.
As expected from the title World's Toughest Race, the challenge is incredibly dangerous and can lead to injuries and health issues such as trench foot. While mountain biking, Clifton fell, seriously injuring his limbs. Samantha noticed the fall also cracked his helmet, and Team Onyx went back to the camp for medical assistance. Several months before the show, Clifton suffered a concussion after falling off a bike. That serious injury, coupled with the fall on the course, made it far too risky for Team Onyx to carry on.
They may not have won the race, but Clifton's team has still accomplished its goal of opening doors. Team Onyx will surely inspire future World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge contestants, and athletes in general, for years to come. And Clifton himself still plans on racing again as soon as the pandemic is under control.
Source: Clifton Lyles, MEA WorldWide, Team Onyx