Adventure Racing Anyone???

warcricket

Like a Jerk
i've done two in poland.
one was 6 hours where i was a group leader.
the other was a 2 day event.

both where mostly orienteering based, with lots and lots of trekking, train hopping (longer one), and rope courses. no bikes or kayaks tho...
 

walter

Fourth Party
OK, so the next question is, what are the mtb trails like? Generally speaking of course.

And also, how vague are the maps for the checkpoints? Do you really need mapping/topography/compass skills to get there?

What about the ones that have rope courses, are these all repelling walls?

thanks again
 
N

Neen

Guest
Depends on the race how vague the maps are. I've found (this is completely legal usually) its best to bring your own maps and sort of work with their map & yours together. Their map usually leaves off a lot of trails to make life a little more difficult. I went on a few map reading orienteering adventures (I'll post the link to that when I get home) to brush up on my map reading skills beforehand. It's like $5, they give you a map and a compass (and teach you how to use it if you don't know), you have to hit every checkpoint and punch your card to prove it. That being said, I could get lost in a paper bag and I always managed to figure it out, so your map reading/compass skills do not need to be stellar!
 

warcricket

Like a Jerk
rope courses are situated at check points where a race official watches you do the course and then marks off that you completed the check point.

the ones that i have done included a tight rope, zipline, a tree climb to rope crossing to another tree, etc.
 

MST.ESQ

New Member
I have heard that a good local topo map and altimeter are a great way to help navigate... just not sure if it would be overkill for the local events...
 

axcxnj

Hipster Keys
i did an adventure race at allamuchy last year, it was a 6 hour sprint.

the maps they provided were actually better than any map i was able to find on my own..
the kayak section sucked because it poured the night before, so the river was super flooded, making alot of wrong turns. we were actually kayaking through the woods at one point.

biking section was not too difficult technically,

the hardest part was just orienteering. we got lost for about a half hour during the trek, if it wasnt for another team that helped us, dunno how long it would have taken, but nonetheless we came in 3rd in novice and 5th overall

it was alot of fun, i want to do a multi day one next
 

al415

Banned
I did a few while I was still in the army. The biking sections of "most" adventure races would be a walk in the park for any dedicated cyclist. However, these races can really expose the gaps in your general fitness. Some form of resistance training would be worthwhile for any cyclist looking to have a go... along with the more obvious suggestions of running, paddling and land navigation... But they really are a ball.
 

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
Hi again,
I was away on a paddle trip and missed some of this discussion. The GOALS race that we did last year was all teams. All team members were required to stay with 100 meters of each other at all times.

The mt biking was in PA, so it was moderately challenging. The maps were ok, not great, a few of the checkpoints were tough to find. GOALS does not announce the location of their races until right before. Our 3rd racer went out to do recon and got a general layout of the area which was very helpful.

If you all are serious about doing a race next year, we should coordinate and put teams together. It would be a blast. GOALS offers training sessions also.
 

Sweaty Betty

New Member
I have done a bunch of adventure races over the past few years - mostly sprints (6-8 hrs) and a 12 hour. They are a lot of fun and most of the people are friendly and helpful - in the last one the winners finished hours ahead of us and were still there cheering for us as we crossed the finish line. Generally you compete in teams of 2 or 3 or 4 and you must be relatively close at all times. Genesis Adventures runs some great sprint races, GOALS does some sprint races as well (more entrants), and NYARA has some events in the area. In fact NYARA has a 26 hour race the Sept 27/28 (The Shag) that looks like it will be in Ringwood, maybe I will see some of you out there...just dont forget your compass!
 
S

Shar0se

Guest
XC62701 & Shar0se did an adventure race!!

Yea I don't know why the scene is EXTREMELY low key. There was an adventure race in Wawayanda this season - my backyard where I grew up - and never knew it. Kinda irritates me as I'd like to try one.

Well after I saw this post I wrote Ryan a message and it ended up with us competing yesterday in a GOALS Sprint Adventure Race in PA (6 hours- 20 miles) We had a great time and did well! We placed 5th in the co-ed 2 person division (missing 4th by one minute) and we think 29th overall out of 103 teams (which includes 3 person teams, co-ed and single sex).

To start the race we had to do a wheelbarrow race (I think this was entertainment for the race directors) to determine our order of events. Our race passport had us moving from mountain bike to trail run to canoe to team challenges (a cargo net climb, buddy carry and tight rope walk)-- all while orienteering, bush wacking and crossing rivers to collect stamps at the various checkpoints.

There were a few highlights but my personal favorite is that I had to carry Ryan on my back- all 100 lbs. of myself had to carry all 165lbs. of Ryan!

The people were friendly, everyone was helping each other out and cheering one another on, there was music and food afterwards, T-shirts, goodie bags....all that good stuff plus the race was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

All said and done it was a blast plus we both got a great workout-- I'd definitely do another one!!

And here is a shout-out to Ryan who was a fabulous partner and excellent navigator!! :)
 

axcxnj

Hipster Keys
anybody racing the longest day and night in the catskills this weekend? ive got a 3 person team going....27 hrs, should be fun!
 

Rutli1291

New Member
I was riding with my family this weekend and came across the Genesis fniish line in Wawayanda (and several racers on the trails). It seemed really fun, and the racers were all super friendly and encouraging to try it next year. They had a great day for it. I guess they didn't need their "waterproof map cases" that are required for their events.
 
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