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By Brent Freedland OK, so you have a race on the calendar, and you've roped a friend or willing stranger into running around in the woods with you for a few hours. Or days. Maybe you've binge-watched World's Toughest Race, Expedition Alaska, and all the old Eco-Challenges you can find on youtube. What comes next? We’ll touch on skill-building, the basics of training, and the pandora's box of gear in future installments of this “New to AR Series.” Today, let’s make sure you really understand the nuts and bolts of how a typical adventure race works and some of the basic terminology you will hear. Supported, unsupported, sprints, expeditions, clue sheets, passports, CPs, TAs, RDs, TACs, ABCs! It can all be a bit overwhelming. The good news: most races have a lot in common. True, every race course will look different in AR, and each race director may have their own spin on a particular discipline, but the components and language are generally quite similar. As noted in the first installment of this series, AR is a sport that really benefits experience. Unlike a running event, you can’t just show up at the start line and follow the markers. You need to understand how a course is laid out, what those complex instructions mean, and how to speak some basic language. Type of Race The first thing to figure out is what sort of race you are getting into. Adventure races tend to fall into one of three primary categories: sprint races, one-day events, and multi-day expedition races. Ask ten adventure racers what constitutes a sprint race or how long a race must be to be considered an expedition, and you will likely get ten different answers. One of those racers will also insist that it’s not an adventure race at all unless it takes ten days to finish, includes leeches and flesh-eating bacteria, and is situated in the jungles of Fiji. Don’t get sucked into this banter: pick a race that feels manageable to you. If six hours is enough, seek out your local sprint. If twelve feels manageable, visit the USARA calendar to see what's in your region. You’re an adventure racer regardless of the length of the event! As you figure out what makes the most sense for you, consider these key differences: Sprint Races: Typically, these tend to be shorter events, usually with a maximum duration of 6-8 hours. (Adventure races tend to be defined by their duration rather than distance, since navigation, route choice, and strategy can radically alter the length of any given team’s race compared to what the race director intends.) Many sprint races are billed as beginner-friendly events, and some have special divisions to encourage families to come race as a team. Such events are usually hosted in local parks that are more accessible to beginners. Odds are good that you’ll never be far from a trail, there won’t be any massive climbs, and you could jump into one with relatively little training. Don’t be deceived, though. Teams coming to compete are FAST, and racing at the pointy end of these events can be harder than competing in a longer event. Navigation can still be quite tricky, and mountain biking can be technical. Still, the challenges tend to come and go before you know it, and a good attitude is usually all you need. Twenty years ago, these sorts of events were hard to find, and many adventure racers jumped into the deep end with Eco-Challenge or another major expedition as their first race. Now, sprint races tend to be a great way to enter the sport; they are more affordable, much less gear intensive, and unless you want to take a shot at winning (go back and read "New to AR: How to Get Started" for my thoughts on that), these races really can be completed by anyone with the basic skills and the right attitude as long as they have a basic level of endurance fitness. One Day Races: While some purists still will argue that you are not adventure racing until you are five days in, a 12- to 36-hour event really will give you more of a “true” AR experience. Stages will be more than a rapid fire run around a local park; race directors can take you to more interesting, wild, and challenging environments; and in most events, you will at least contend with dusk or dawn, if not outright nighttime racing. Your body will be taxed, and you will have to contend with more of the mental challenges that make adventure racing unique. Of course, once you cross that 12-hour threshold, you are typically faced with a night of racing and the hurdles that come with sleep deprivation, prolonged nighttime navigation, and the challenges of managing your team. At some point, someone will likely bonk, slow down due to the normal aches and pains that accumulate over 12-24 hours of racing, or struggle with sleepmonsters (see below for an extensive glossary of AR lingo). While these events can feel daunting, they are more accessible than you might think. Fewer people can jump off the couch and get through them as is possible with a sprint AR, but the fact that you are changing disciplines and that the pace tends to be slower means that you still don’t have to be a professional athlete training 10-20 hours a week to complete a one-day event. Expeditions: Anything over a day and you are entering into the realm of expedition races. It should be noted that defining races that are in the 36- to 48-hour range is challenging. They are unique as they provide additional challenges beyond the one-day event, but they do not quite fit into the expedition race category either. Some would even argue that a race is not a true expedition race unless it is a minimum of three days long, or even four. Regardless, expedition races are the pinnacle of the sport. Most participants never experience a true expedition race, but for those who make this final leap, they get to experience adventure racing as it was originally conceived: epic courses, covering massive swaths of terrain, complete with varied ecosystems, additional disciplines like caving, advanced ropes work, mountaineering, or horseback riding, and unique strategic considerations including sleep-strategy, dark zones, and body and gear management that transcends what is necessary to complete a shorter event. Expedition races tend to be less accessible to the less experienced competitor with steeper entry fees, significant travel expenses and logistics that can be daunting to say the least, more robust gear requirements, and a need for more expertise to remain safe and simply finish. Whereas anyone can get off a couch and complete a sprint race, and most competitors can work their way through a one-day event, it is considerably more challenging to finish an expedition race, at least those at the level of an Adventure Race World Series event or an Eco-Challenge. It is not unheard of for a rookie team to finish these races, but more often, less-seasoned teams end up on significantly shortened courses or fail to reach the finish line. This isn’t to say that less-experienced teams shouldn’t consider signing up for one of these epic adventures, but this is where setting realistic goals, doing your homework, and gaining as much experience as possible through one-day racing can really impact your experience.
into five stages or fewer. Occasionally, stages are designed in such a way that they require teams to participate in multiple disciplines within a single stage. There might be an embedded foot section within a bike stage, a detour off the water to complete an ascent and rappel, or a caving section within a long trek.
What tends to be true regardless of the layout of the event is that each stage will include checkpoints that need to be found while on that stage. In between stages, teams usually check into a transition area, and there you usually have access to your gear. Once you have completed a stage you rarely can return to that stage to find a missed checkpoint. Whatever the format of the race, this is one of the characteristics of adventure racing that makes it so fun and exciting: with few exceptions (the local race director that uses the same park year after year and doesn’t mix the course up much), every race feels like a unique, unexplored adventure. Next time, we'll dive into some of the sport-specific lingo that comes with AR. There is a lot to learn, and some of it will have to wait until you actually start racing in person. But we'll get you started next time with some of the basic words, slang, phrases, and acronyms that you will come across as you dive deeper into the sport. Articles in the New to AR Series: If you haven't already, like or follow USARA's Facebook page, join the AR Discussion Group, sign up for our newsletter, or consider becoming a USARA member to stay up to date on everything AR-related. And stay tuned for future articles in the "New to AR" series including:
By Brent Freedland So, you want to be an adventure racer! If you haven’t already heard, adventure racers have a mantra. Well, we actually have a number of mantras, but that’s for another article. The relevant one here goes like this: “the hardest part of adventure racing is getting to the start line.” As you ponder jumping into the amazing, crazy, inspiring, roller coaster world of AR, keep this saying in mind. As is true of any new endeavor, the biggest hurdle is getting started, and adventure racing, as you likely know, offers some unique challenges. In addition to picking a race, new racers often feel the pressure or need to acquire new skills, add to their gear closet (or start one from scratch), coerce some friends or strangers into joining them, and then figure out how to train for an event that, even at its shortest, might be hours longer than any other event they have completed. This basic list doesn't address the endless details of adventure racing such as foot care, sleep deprivation, and nutrition. It can be daunting, overwhelming, and even downright terrifying. The good news is that the AR community is one of the most welcoming groups of athletes out there. There are few, if any, sports that sees new racers rubbing shoulders with the elite on the start line. The AR community is small and well connected, and we all are always happy to talk gear, training, and experiences with new racers. So, welcome to our first article in our series aimed at helping newcomers dive into the adventure racing. Throughout the fall, we will be creating resources to help acclimate you to some of the foundational questions facing new racers as they find their way into the amazing AR family. Keep an eye on our blog for future articles and more, and welcome to AR!  Set a goal - find a raceFirst, there tend to be two primary types of rookie adventure racers: those who dive into the abyss and sign up for a multi-day expedition race like those in the AR World Series, and those who decide to start small, test the waters, and build up - whether the ultimate goal is a multi-day event or mastering the six-hour sprint. There is no right way to do it, but unless you are an experienced endurance athlete with a well-established aerobic base and strong skillset in mountain biking, bushwhacking, paddling, and other wilderness skills, there is something to be said for finding a local sprint or half-day (12-hour) adventure race to determine whether AR is for you. It will be considerably more affordable, the stakes are much lower if your teammates don’t work out, and you will have a much higher chance of success (more on this later). Where do you begin? USARA publishes a calendar of USARA sanctioned races, but you can find many other local races on the Adventure Racing Cooperative’s comprehensive calendar. This resource includes adventure races great and small; it also lists AR-adjacent events like rogaines and other single-sport navigation based events. These races tend to be foot-only events and can provide a taste for what AR is like without the hassle of all the gear and usually with lower entry fees. Most importantly they can introduce you to navigation-centric events. Likewise, local orienteering meets can serve as a terrific portal for adventure racing. These groups host events periodically throughout the year, and some of the bigger clubs often organize courses on most weekends, spring to fall. Usually only $5-10 to enter, o-meets offer a range of courses, from beginner to advanced. While the maps are distinctly different from those typically found in an adventure race, these meets often include hands-on instruction and offer terrific practice when it comes to basic and advanced navigation. Other than some snacks, water, and a positive attitude, all you need is a compass! Ultimately, think about what feels right for you and then explore your local options. Many new racers find a six-hour event to be daunting enough. Others feel ready for a whole day in the woods. And a few feel confident they can take on a ten-day expedition like the World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge. You know what feels doable for you. Find a teammate or twoWhile there are those in the adventure racing community who race solo, AR is, at its core, a team sport. To truly get the whole experience, try to build a team. Many new racers find this to be a challenge. While you may think six, twelve or twenty-four hours in the woods, without sleep, in the rain, heat, or snow, covered with mud and blood sounds fun, don’t be surprised when friends, family members, and colleagues laugh you off as mildly insane. Again, this is where starting off small can make breaking into the sport a bit more manageable. It will be a lot easier to convince your partner, childhood friend, or coworker to join you for a four- to six-hour event than a 24-hour one. Once you knock off that six-hour sprint, the twelve-hour will feel more manageable. After realizing that your body and mind can do more than you expected, going overnight won't feel so daunting. Building this experiential memory with a teammate or two will increase the chances that you find your place in the sport. Ideally, it helps to race with people you know, who you trust and with whom you have a good rapport, but it’s certainly possible that you won’t have any luck convincing someone you are close with to join you for your first adventure race. If you can’t build your dream team from within, look to the AR Teammate Finder on Facebook, or reach out to your local Race Director (RD) to see if they can help you team up with someone. If you're racing with strangers, try to meet up with them first, perhaps go out for a training day or two. You won’t know for sure until you are lost for the first time in the woods or dealing with a nasty bushwhack, but try to team up with people who you are compatible with and who you trust when AR becomes more adventure than race. Finally, remember that AR is also unique for being a mixed-gender sport. Few other sports join male and female competitors on the same team. Embrace this aspect of the sport if you can.  Set expectationsWander around the pre-race happenings of any established adventure race and you are bound to find the rookie team confidently predicting victory. I’m sure it’s happened somewhere, sometime. But in over a hundred races, I’ve never seen a rookie team atop the podium, and it’s rarely been close. AR is a sport that uniquely favors skills and experience; those things vastly outweigh speed, power, and athleticism. Time and time again, the overconfident rookie team marvels at and wonders how the wily, seasoned AR veterans finish hours and hours ahead, at how the winners are able to “clear the course” (complete the entire course as designed) while the less experienced teams struggle to finish significantly modified and shorter courses, and at how efficient those top teams are with navigation, strategy, and transitions. While training and physical preparation are important components of the sport, it’s other things that truly set the more successful teams apart: navigation ability, team chemistry, experience with sleep deprivation, strategy, and the knowledge and experience that comes with racing over and over again. Unlike more traditional races like marathons or triathlons, adventure race courses are always different year-to-year. They are constantly changing, sometimes literally evolving during the race, as unexpected circumstances force Race Directors to adapt and modify section by section. Being able to adapt to rapidly evolving conditions, poor mapping data, unforeseen obstacles, and inter-team dynamics in both art and science; it is a set of skills that can only be refined and developed through racing, and racing with an established team with whom you build a racing and adventure rapport. So, find your people and then set some expectations. Many of the most successful adventure racers started off with modest goals: don’t finish last, finish mid-pack, or simply finish. Once they started to build their experiential toolbox, find stable teammates, and fine-tune their skillsets, then they started to set higher goals: finish in the top third, complete a full-course, shoot for their divisional podium, and then, perhaps, shoot for the overall coed podium (FYI: despite what some new racers expect, the premier coed teams often are the strongest teams at a given event, especially when events are twelve hours or longer). watch, read, learnResearch. Watch AR videos on Youtube, Vimeo, and Amazon Prime. Even if you aren’t planning on competing in an expedition race anytime soon, watching films of these events can provide valuable insight into how adventure races work, what sort of gear people invest in, and how team dynamics can shape a team’s experience. Sleepmonsters also provides international coverage of adventure races and other related sports that hosts invaluable information as you start your journey. More valuable for shorter events is the near-ubiquitous “Race Report”. Many adventure racers write them, blogging about their experiences, sometimes in checkpoint-by-checkpoint detail. Others log their adventures on training platforms such as Attackpoint (make sure you are on the AR branch of AP, rather than the orienteering site). The AR Cooperative has built an impressive collection of these accounts, so you might be able to find a report from the last edition of the race you have circled on your calendar. If you can’t find a report there, try googling reports from that event, or read some accounts of other races that are comparable in length, difficulty, style, and terrain. There are also a handful of good books about adventure racing that will help you get started. Some are more relevant than others for the first-time racer, but they all will inspire. A selection of AR-specific books:
 Finally, reach out to your local RD with questions, or post on discussion groups like those hosted on Facebook or Attackpoint. Odds are good that someone reading your post will have done the race and will gladly volunteer to chat. Once you have watched what there is to watch, read through various race reports, and googled your heart out, you probably will still have questions. You might still spend a sleepless night before race day, nervous, excited, scared, or some combination of it all. But you will be as ready as any new adventure racer ever is to toe the line on race day, and experience suggests you will already be hooked! Future Articles in the New to Ar seriesIf you haven't already, like or follow USARA's Facebook page, join the AR Discussion Group, sign up for our newsletter, or consider becoming a USARA member to stay up to date on everything AR-related. And stay tuned for future articles in the "New to AR" series including:
Welcome to our series “15 First Adventure Races” which interviews veteran adventure racers on how they got started in the sport. If you’d like further resources, check out our New to AR? page on usara.com for additional material!  Erl (far right) with WEDALI teammates Justin, Andrea, and Jason. What's your name? How old were you when you did your first adventure race? Why did you want to participate? Scott Erlandson (most people call me Erl), I was about 33 when I did my first AR. I had seen Eco-Challenge British Columbia on TV and was drawn to the teamwork aspect across multiple sports that AR required. I was running road marathons at the time and wanted to try another sport that wasn’t so hard on my body. How did you find your first adventure race? Which race did you pick and where was it? There was a quarterly magazine called Midwest Sports that I received. The magazine included an events calendar for Minnesota and Wisconsin. There was only one adventure race listed and that was a six-hour race at Camp Ihduhapi, just west of Minneapolis. Did you create your own team or did a team recruit you? My Uncle Roe was a triathlete so I asked him to be my teammate. The race was four-person teams only, but the Race Directors helped pair everyone up so the two of us were placed on a team with two others. I don’t remember much about our other two teammates - so they weren’t terrible! Did you need to get any new gear, what did you need, where did you find it? I had a decent mountain bike already, but I bought a Camelbak Mule for my race pack from REI. How did you train for your first race? Did you need to gain any new skills? I was already into running road marathons so I had pretty good fitness, but I added in some bike miles as well. The paddling section in the race was pretty short and my uncle and I felt good about our paddle skills for that distance. Were there any resources (online or in person) that significantly helped you prepare? Please provide links if applicable. I didn’t find anything. After the Ihduhapi race, I wanted to get more involved in AR, so I went to an adventure racing indoor climbing clinic put on by some former Eco-Challenge racers. That’s where I met a guy named Paul, and after the clinic we decided to do a race together. The following weekend, the Minnesota Orienteering Club hosted a navigation clinic, and Paul met another guy named Justin. I reached out to another adventure racer named Amy who I had met at Camp Ihduhapi. So myself, Paul, Amy and Justin formed a team called “We Eat Dust And Like It” which eventually evolved into WEDALI.  Erl (far right) with teammates Andrei and Emily at the start of the 2017 USARA National Champs. How did the race go?
So, we finished under our own power, but were past the cutoff and the finish line had already been taken down and put away. All of the post-race food was gone and the RDs were about to leave. I don’t even think we found half of the checkpoints. Our team just had a lot of fun together on the course. Before the race, I thought the checkpoints would all be on the trail, but most of them were off-trail, and I wasn’t quite ready for that. What hooked you on adventure racing? Honestly, based on my team's experience at our first race, I should have hated it. But I didn’t. Adventure racing was just so different from anything else I had experienced so far. I really enjoyed being in remote wilderness areas with just my team to rely on. I liked all of the different sports that went into AR and wanted to improve in each sport. I liked developing good teamwork and being a good teammate. AR is just fun to me. Since your first race, name one or two AR highlights you’ve experienced. My most treasured AR memories are all of the amazing teammates I have gotten to race with, including meeting my wife! I have gotten to travel all across the US and also internationally for races. Adventure race directors always find the most interesting spots, even in areas that might seem boring on paper. It is so cool to explore new parts of each state or country that most people don’t get to see. Also WEDALI started in 2003, and won USARA National Champs in 2010 and 2012 with myself, Justin, and his wife Molly. Those wins were a highlight because we all started at the same time and worked our way up together. Stay tuned for more from USARA! Visit www.usara.com for more information on adventure racing in the United States. Welcome to our series “15 First Adventure Races” which interviews veteran adventure racers on how they got started in the sport. If you’d like further resources, check out our New to AR? page on usara.com for additional material!  Phil (far right) at his first Berryman Adventure Race in 2004. What's your name? How old were you when you did your first adventure race? Why did you want to participate? I’m Phil Nicolas, and I was about 25-years-old when I did my first adventure race, around my birthday in 2000, I believe. I saw a flyer at work and thought that this 'event' looked pretty cool; adventure suited me well and it looked exciting. How did you find your first adventure race? Which race did you pick and where was it? I saw the flyer on the wall for the Extreme Heart Challenge in Ponca, Nebraska. It was the second running of the sixteen-hour race directed by Dave Sly and my curiosity got the best of me. Did you create your own team or did a team recruit you? I created my own team - I asked my coworker (who happened to be standing next to me), then he asked a friend of his, and then I asked my sister to join. We all agreed that it sounded like fun. Did you need to get any new gear, what did you need, where did you find it? I didn't own a bike at the time. I bought one the week prior to the race, and I used an old backpack of mine that fit everything. I had never navigated anything before, so I bought my first compass, which I still have. Also, I needed to purchase a handlebar-mounted light, which turned out to be worthless! How did you train for your first race? Did you need to gain any new skills? I ran a couple miles per week in the two weeks leading up and a few laps around the nearby corn field - literally four miles total. I rode around those couple corn sections a few days before the race and thought "I'm good to go!" Our team had no plan for navigator or navigation in general; no one on the team had any idea what we were doing. We knew about a rope section and I was pretty comfortable with ropes, so no issue there! I was thinking: Adventure! Were there any resources (online or in person) that significantly helped you prepare? Please provide links if applicable. Internet information was minimal; those were the days when you had to mail in your registration check before the deadline - <yup> old school mail-in registrations.  Phil (far left) and teammate Kevin at the finish line of Untamed New England 2018. How did the race go?
Our first race was a total bust, quite predictably really. Two teammates quit after the first section, my sister and I were allowed to continue as a 2-person team. I was the only one on the team who had a clue how to open and read a map, this is why I was always the navigator in the early years. That first race, I was not aware we could write on the map, and when we would get close to the area of a checkpoint, I would eyeball the checkpoint location and say, “It should be around here somewhere,” and we would search. We were the last two racers to cross the finish line, the race personnel dropped the banner, packed up and that was it! I had packed 2 Gatorades and 2 sandwiches for 16 plus hours of activity, and I was starving. What hooked you on adventure racing? My sister and I crossed that finish line together; my wife was waiting for me and that continues to be a driving force for me when I experience low times in races today. That race kicked my butt and I knew I could better, and yet I had such a blast challenging myself in the outdoors, I knew beyond a doubt, I wanted to do it again. I talked about it for the next month to everyone that would listen. Since your first race, name one or two AR highlights you’ve experienced. There are many memories and lessons I've learned from AR. I'll never forget the beautiful pristine high alpine meadows of my first expedition race in the western Kootenays, and also the lesson on the importance of giving 100% and racing our own race. Stay tuned for more from USARA! Visit www.usara.com for more information on adventure racing in the United States. Welcome to our series “15 First Adventure Races” which interviews veteran adventure racers on how they got started in the sport. If you’d like further resources, check out our New to AR? page on usara.com for additional material!  Mike setting up to photograph teams during Primal Quest 2018 in British Colombia. What's your name? How old were you when you did your first adventure race? Why did you want to participate? I’m Mike Seroczynski, and I was 41 in my first adventure race. At that time, I had been burnt out from running marathons and triathlons (mostly regional stuff). A race that required teammates and orienteering popped up locally here in northern Michigan, and I was interested in something new. How did you find your first adventure race? Which race did you pick and where was it? I had just raced a half-marathon and was drinking beers and a friend mentioned maybe I should check out this local adventure race in Ludington, MI. He said it had maps, bikes, and paddling, and I was intrigued. I needed to know more! This was in 2007. Did you create your own team or did a team recruit you? I went to Facebook and started looking at my friends who were semi-athletic, mountain biked, trail runners etc. I sent out messages to about six people and sucked three friends into racing on a team with me. The only common denominator was me. We met once before the race to paddle canoes, then we all showed up pre-race night! Two guys, two gals. Did you need to get any new gear, what did you need, where did you find it? I borrowed a mountain bike. I had a compass from the Marine Corps. I was a forward observer in the Marines, so I had decent skills navigating. I got a couple large ziplock for map cases, but had all the other basic gear. The nearest store for anything in Northern Michigan is Walmart's. This is pre-Amazon! How did you train for your first race? Did you need to gain any new skills? I started trail riding! Single track day and night, and I became more confident on single track. My whole life previously was all road biking. I also started to refine my paddling skills in canoes and kayaks. Were there any resources (online or in person) that significantly helped you prepare? Please provide links if applicable. Honestly no. It’s hard to imagine, but back in 2007, YouTube wasn't really a thing.  Mike (far right) with Team Checkpoint Zero at Eco-Challenge: Fiji in 2019. How did the race go?
We came in fourth overall. We hiked sand dunes, and we overcame one teammate with heat exhaustion. There was one CP in the middle of the stinky muddy marsh, and we played Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who had to go punch it! What hooked you on adventure racing? The self-suffering that I put myself in and the accomplishing the course. I had dropped running on pavement years earlier, after destroying my knees, hiking with eighty pound rucks in USMC. It felt great to do something physical. And since I'm constantly in the outdoors, adventure racing was another excuse to be there. Since your first race, name one or two AR highlights you’ve experienced. Well, the Sea to Sea in Florida - I've done it four times. Great race. I also value the connections and friendships I've made from adventure racing. It’s allowed me to travel to New Zealand for GodZone, British Columbia for Primal Quest, Ecuador for AWRS Championships, Belize, and so many places in the USA. When I broke my foot, I pulled my camera out and started taking pictures instead of racing. I’ve also helped design races and put on a few races of my own. |
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