INVERNESS, Scotland (Mar. 24, 2009)- On May 9, 2009, modern day rebels and extreme sports junkies will butt heads with 100 miles of grueling terrain and a series of unforgiving outdoor trials including hiking, white-water rafting and mountain biking in the 2009 DRAMBUIE Pursuit.

It’s humans versus the Scottish Highlands in an outdoor adventure race that pays homage to Scotland’s original rebel, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and his flight through the Highlands after a failed attempt at taking over the British throne. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie fled the British army, leaving to his loyal subjects his greatest gift: the secret recipe for DRAMBUIE. Now, nearly 300 years later, American teams will be flown to Scotland to retrace the Prince’s legendary voyage from the Isle of Skye to Inverness.

DRAMBUIE will host teams of four during the Pursuit and is looking forward to welcoming Seann William Scott, well known for his irreverent roles in movies such as the American Pie film series, and most recently in Role Models, to the adventure.

Seann will test his skills against other teams selected to raft, bike, climb and shoot their way through the 100-mile race. Last year’s winning team, comprised of a native Scotsman and three smokejumpers from the American West, proved they had the heart and grit to conquer the Highlands. This year’s teams are looking forward to proving their mettle in the ultimate extreme sports adventure.

Visit www.pursuitof1745.com for more information on the 2009 DRAMBUIE Pursuit competition.

Team ‘Current TV’ Keeps the Spirit Alive in 2008

Smokejumping, Modern-Day Rebels take Victory in Extreme Adventure

INVERNESS, Scotland (May 2, 2008) /PRNewswire/ – A native Scotsman and three smokejumpers who fight forest fires in the American West emerged victorious in the Drambuie Pursuit Sunday. This was the third annual Drambuie Pursuit, but the first allowing Americans to compete.

The 10-stage adventure race across the Scottish highlands pitted 10, four-person teams against one another in events as diverse as white-water rafting, mountain biking, buggy racing and archery. Such a feat proved attainable for Steve Stroud, Brian Cresto and Alex Abols, of Boise, Idaho, who are accustomed to wielding chain saws and shovels for 16 hours a day during fire season.

The men applied to join the Drambuie Pursuit and were paired with ‘Current TV’ personality Scott Logan, a Scot now living in Southern California. He was determined not to be the weak link among his teammates, especially on his home soil.

“Back home, people call me ‘True Braveheart,” Logan said. “I always say to myself, it’s really nice, because all these friends of mine I work with, it’s a nice quote, to be called a true Braveheart. I feel like today I proved that.”

Logan’s sentiment was appropriate, given the history of Drambuie. The drink descended from a formula by the personal apothecary of Charles Edward Stuart, better known to Scots as Bonnie Prince Charlie. After the Prince’s rebel army was routed by the English-led government forces at the Battle of Culloden, he fled across the country for several months with a bounty on his head.

Legend has it he blended spices with Scotch Whiskey to revive himself on his flight and bestowed the recipe on a loyal clansman in gratitude for safe harbor before he fled to France. The prized elixir, handed down over generations, still remains a secret to all but the MacKinnon family.

Team ‘Current TV’ distinguished itself by winning the first two events – the archery round and a land-sea sprint in Zapcat boats – and further established itself as the team to catch midway through the day by beating the other nine teams up an alternately muddy and loamy mountainside.

Naturally, if there was any activity in which the firefighters excelled, it would be dashing up a remote mountain.

“We’re used to this from our work, gravity’s the same,” Cresto said. “It’s just wetter.”

Among the teams they beat were a foursome led by film and television actor Jerry O’Connell and another anchored by 2007 Penthouse Pet of the Year, Heather Vandeven.

For more information on the Drambuie Pursuit, or to apply for a chance to relive the legend of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 2009 race, visit www.pursuitof1745.com.