Sea to Sky: 2,365 meters to legend
How Kemer became the stage for hard enduro – and why Graham Jarvis belongs to this race as much as Tahtalı belongs to the horizon.
Cover image: Sea to Sky 2025, rocky course by the sea. Image source: T.C. Kemer Belediyesi. The photo gallery shows historic racing moments from 2023 and 2025; it illustrates the retrospective and does not document every race described in the text.
Below lies the Mediterranean. Above awaits a mountain whose final slopes look as though someone had tipped a load of boulders across the landscape. Between them, a motorcycle, two tyres and an increasingly tired human being must find their way. Sea to Sky turns this simple idea into one of hard enduro’s most impressive challenges: from the coast near Kemer up to the 2,365-metre Tahtalı, also known as Mount Olympos. The classic route links beach, forest and rocky high mountains. Race report and route profile, Australian Motorcycle News
It is a race that changes character with every metre of elevation. At the beach, the start matters. Higher up, line choice decides. And at some point, it becomes about riding the next difficult section with as much focus as the first.
That is precisely where Graham Jarvis’ territory begins.
An idea that reaches all the way to the summit
The story of Sea to Sky goes back to 2010. A contemporary report from spring 2011 already mentions the race organised by the Kemer club following the previous year’s Turkish Enduro World Championship round. In 2011 came the edition then described as the premiere under the name Red Bull Sea to Sky. This distinction explains why both years appear in retrospectives. Contemporary report at Enduro News, Race report from October 2011
The sporting promise was exceptional from the outset: a holiday coast becomes the starting point of a race whose finish lies far above the tree line. The Beach Race, Forest Race and decisive Mountain Race give the event its dramatic structure. The format, routes and scoring evolved over the years; at times, an additional Sky Race day was added.
In 2011, Jarvis won ahead of Jonny Walker and Chris Birch. The race report from CROSS Magazin at the time names twelve riders who reached the summit finish. A number that describes the character of this early Sea to Sky better than any superlative: here, simply reaching the finish could already be an extraordinary achievement. 2011 result and report
Jarvis and the art of keeping going
Jarvis’ particular strength is best understood through his own description of racing. In an interview with Husqvarna about the Erzbergrodeo, he emphasises line choice, dealing with mistakes and the ability to remain calm under pressure. He also talks about how much energy is lost when a rider works too much against his motorcycle. Interview with Graham Jarvis
That is a good explanation of why his riding style is so fascinating. Hard enduro constantly demands small decisions: Where does the ground provide grip? Which line leaves enough room for the next change of direction? How much momentum can be carried without losing control?
With Jarvis, this work takes on an almost composed form. As a spectator, you see a rider whose greatest strength lies precisely in the slow sections. A cleanly cleared obstacle saves a second attempt. A smart line saves energy. Over a long day of racing, such small advantages can turn a result around.
Ten seconds between triumph and defeat
After his successes in 2011 and 2012, Jarvis experienced in 2013 just how close things can get even in this extreme terrain. Jonny Walker won the Mountain Race in 2:17:14 hours. Jarvis followed in 2:17:24. Ten seconds after more than two hours of racing. Husaberg team report at KLIM
The following year, Jarvis struck back. In 2014, he had to work his way forward after a weaker start and eventually caught Walker. The report describes a duel in which both made mistakes and swapped positions. In the end, Jarvis won in 2:43:20 hours, with Walker following 1:29 minutes behind. 2014 race report, MCNews
These encounters give the race's history its tension. Jarvis was the benchmark against which his rivals could measure themselves. At the same time, he had to earn every further success anew. His keen instinct for difficult terrain did not make him invulnerable either.
2017: The mountain comes last
His instinct for the decisive phase of the race was particularly evident in 2017. Billy Bolt won on the beach, Wade Young in the forest. Jarvis finished fifth and fourth respectively. In the final Mountain Race, he took the lead late on and won ahead of Mario Román and Young. Red Bull recorded his fifth Sea to Sky victory at the time. 2017 final report
This contains one of the great stories of the sport: the standings at the beginning of a weekend reveal little about who will be on top at the end. A fast beach lap and a difficult rocky ascent require different skills. Sea to Sky brings them together in one competition.
2020: The sixth victory – with a decisive twist
In 2020, Jarvis, aged 45, entered another chapter of this story. Before the Mountain Race, he was around four minutes behind Billy Bolt in the overall standings. Bolt had won the first three races; Jarvis had, among other things, endured a crash that damaged his motorcycle. Nevertheless, he remained within reach before the final. Husqvarna review from 27 September 2020
Then came the twist. According to Enduro21's contemporary report, Bolt and Mario Román took a wrong turn because of old course markings. Jarvis seized the opportunity, won the Mountain Race and claimed his sixth overall victory on the combined times across the four days. He later acknowledged that luck had also played a part. Enduro21: 2020 result and race report
This particular detail belongs in an honest retrospective. The victory cannot be explained solely by a romantic story about experience. It came from endurance, a strong final ride and a situation that changed the race. Jarvis was still there when it happened.
The World Championship comes to Kemer
In 2024, Sea to Sky reached another milestone: for the first time, the race became part of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. The FIM announced Kemer as the sixth and penultimate round of the season. The competition, long known internationally, thus also became a stage in the battle for the world title. FIM: 2024 calendar announcement
Manuel Lettenbichler won this edition. Graham Jarvis stood directly behind him in second place, ahead of Mario Román. The result may be the finest footnote to his long connection with Kemer: 13 years after his 2011 victory, he was still competing for the very top positions here. Sea to Sky 2024 result, Husqvarna
Lettenbichler won again in 2025; Jarvis finished fifth. The generations have changed, the competition has moved on, yet his name still appears near the top of the results list. 2025 race report and result, KTM
What remains from this race
Sea to Sky has a rare setting: the sea as its starting point, the mountain as its visible goal. Even looking up from the coast, you can understand what lies ahead for the riders. The distance gains height, the effort gains direction.
Jarvis has given this course a face over many years. His story in Kemer is one of victories, narrow defeats and the ability to remain in the race even after setbacks. It shows how long a rider can stay competitive when experience and skill come together.
And it provides a good reason to look closely at Sea to Sky: sometimes a great race is decided in a small spot between two rocks.
Experience Kemer for yourself
Anyone wishing to follow Sea to Sky as a spectator or plan an enduro stay in the region can find information about accommodation at Erendiz Garden Hotel on our page on Enduro and Sea to Sky in Kemer. Race registration, current spectator areas and the respective event programme are determined by the organiser.
Historical magazine article. Research status: 5 October 2026; race results considered up to and including 2025.