Charlie Wittmack has been organizing major expeditions for almost twenty years. As an explorer, Charlie is best known for being the first person to complete "The World Triathlon," an 8,000-mile triathlon that stretches from rural England to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. In 2010, Wittmack became the first American to complete the "Peak & Pond," a rare sports-double composed of swimming the English Channel and climbing Mount Everest. Wittmack is also the first American to have swum the length of the River Thames in England.  

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)