Two Galway students have been given the ultimate energy challenge as they attempt to cross Europe in a week using nothing but cans of Red Bull as their currency.
NUIG student Hannah Healy and GMIT student Brendan Costello, both 19, make up two-thirds of Ireland’s only team, Green Lightning, to be entered into the Red Bull Can You Make It? competition.
The threesome, which includes 23-year-old Noel Allen from Belfast, set off last Friday from Manchester competing against hundreds of international students from 15 different countries who will each be travelling across Europe from different locations (including Madrid, Rome, and Budapest ) in an effort to reach Paris by 12noon on Friday.
The task does not seem daunting except when you learn the groups have no money, only cans of Red Bull to use to barter, bribe, or sell in an effort to reach their final destination.
Hannah and Brendan, who were both Red Bull student brand managers for their respective colleges, were both sought out on campus to be representatives of Ireland at the event.
“We were approached at college,” said Hannah on the phone Friday en route to Manchester from London. “We were both student brand managers, myself for NUIG, and Brendan for GMIT. They basically just asked us if we wanted to take on the challenge and we said yes!”
“It is something we’ll probably never get to do again and it will be such an amazing experience,” she said. And even though the group does not have a game plane yet, she said “the whole thing is really about being creative.”
The winner in Paris will be decided not according to the quickest travelling time, but using a points system comprising the number of checkpoints passed, number of kilometres covered and the number of votes received via an Internet voting system.
“Everyone has to head to the website and vote for us,” said Hannah. “We’re the only Irish team and England has like 40 teams so we need all the support we can get!”
To keep up-to-date on all the activities of the Green Lightning team and to lend your support head to wwww.redbullcanyoumakeit.com and start voting!
