2021 USARA Nationals - Racer Update #1

We hope you are excited and ready to go for the National Championship race next week. This will be the first of two updates between now and race day. All race updates will be available on the website in addition to you receiving them by email. If for any reason we need additional updates they will also be distributed by email and posted to the website.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at info@usara.com.

Now, onto the update!

Embargo
Effective immediately all land within a 30-mile radius of Lakewoods Resort is embargoed to all racers. The intent of this embargo is to keep things as fair as possible for all racers so please respect it. Violation of this embargo by racers may result in disqualification.

If you're curious to at least see what the maps look like for the area we suggest you check out the sample map posted on 180 Adventure's website at this link.

Waiver signing
While reviewing the registration documentation we discovered that some of you signed the USARA waiver, but others appear to have been given the RunSignup standard waiver. We need to be sure that everyone has read and signed the USARA waiver prior to the race. We still want to take care of it online so you can complete your waiver by clicking on the link below. Please note that EVERYONE must complete this waiver.

USARA Waiver

Our apologies for the inconvenience on this one, and thank you!

COVID Code of Conduct
Our COVID Code of Conduct is posted here for you to review. Be prepared to have a mask with you at all times during the race weekend. Please be aware that repeated lack of cooperation with mask guidelines may ultimately lead to penalties for your team up to and including disqualification from the event. We will outline specific guidelines on mask usage in the final race update.

Invoicing for your final balance
You will receive an email from RunSignup for the balance due for your registration in the next day or so. If you believe the amount is incorrect please let us know before you submit payment. We will not be accepting payments on-site, so if you have any issues submitting your payment please let us know as possible. 

Gear List
The final gear list is posted on the website at this link. PLEASE review it carefully to be sure that you have everything you need for the race! You should always be prepared for gear checks at any time.

There are a few specific things pertaining to gear that we want to point out about the gear list:

• Canoe seats - These can be hard to come by if you do not already have one. You will NOT need to carry canoe seats at any time during the race. We will transport them for you if/when required. If the best you can come up with is something like a milk crate you will not have to carry it. Just be sure it fits in the boat.
• Cold/wet weather gear - The weather has been hovering somewhere between the mid-60's and mid-70's for highs, and high-40's to mid-50's for lows in the forecasts for race day. Plan on carrying this gear. You might be warm/hot while moving but you need to be prepared in the event that a teammate is injured and stationary, while potentially being wet. This gear is a safety consideration.
• Writing utensil - Make sure you have a good writing utensil.
• UTM tool - You will NOT have to plot your maps. However, in the event that a last-minute control change is needed we will provide master maps with the new location AND the UTM coordinates for the new location. 
• Bike lights - Note that a front-mounted light is required. This is in addition to a headlamp if you ride with a headlamp. This light does not need to be an expensive high powered light. It is strictly so that others can see you. Small LED lights will suffice. Just be sure you have battery power for the entire race. Be prepared to demonstrate that you have functional front and rear lights at any time during the race, even during daylight hours. Rear red lights will be required to be on at all times, even during daylight hours.
• Maps - You will receive two large maps (18x24 and 36x24) as well as eight smaller supplemental maps (3-8.5x11, 2-11x17 and 3-14x18) for the race. They will have varying degrees of water resistance. Keep this in mind when determining how you want to protect them during the race.

Paddling Gear Request
We made a separate section for this just to be sure that no one missed it. If your team needs paddles or PFD's please fill out the form below so we can be sure to have enough for everyone.

Paddle Gear Request Form

Race Logistics

• Lodging is currently full at Lakewoods. If you have not yet secured a room let us know and we will see what we can do.
• If you are planning on getting supplies on the way to the race your best bet is to stop in Hayward. Cable has a very limited general store.
• If you need to ship your bike you can ship it directly to Lakewoods by contacting us at info@usara.com. You can also ship it to the Start Line Inn and they will even build it for you (for a fee).
• Our intent is to open racer check-in as early as possible on Thursday to reduce crowding. We will also be doing check-in outside if the weather cooperates. The exact times and location will be provided in the final update, but we will do our best to get it open as soon as possible.
• The final schedule of events will be distributed in the next email but our awards banquet will be earlier in the afternoon and be outside, so be prepared if the weather is on the chillier side.
• As always we welcome friends and family to come out and watch you all race! We will have maps and instructions for how they can best see you during the race. If you have any questions about this just let us know.

Tracking and race coverage
As you all know we will have tracking for all teams. We will also have a robust media team out there capturing photos and videos of all of you and posting regular updates. We will release specifics on how to access all of this in the final update. Links and information will be available to you well ahead of the race so that you can share them with family and friends prior to your arrival at Lakewoods.

Team Bio and photo
We would love to post a team photo and brief bio for all our teams on the tracking site. The bio does not have to be lengthy, even a sentence or two highlighting your experience in adventure racing and the National Championship will be great! You can submit all bio information to garrison@usara.com. 

Use of the new Garmin AR mode
Garmin has recently released a new adventure racing mode for many of its watches. This mode allows you to use your watch while recording your route while only having access to basic watch functionality, (time, timer, barometric altimeter, etc.). We're still working out a few details with Garmin but the hope is to allow the use of Garmin watches in AR mode only for the race. Please note that you will likely be required to have the latest version of the Garmin software on your device so make sure it's up to date. We will have additional details on how this will work on race day in our next update.


That's it for your first update. Just a reminder to please complete your payment as soon as you receive your invoice, submit the paddle gear request form (if needed), and complete your waivers as soon as you can.

We have a competitive field of over 50 teams from all over the country and a fantastic course waiting for you. The weather is, so far, looking to be great for racing, and our race director, Paula Waite, has even said that the bugs are "not that bad, for Wisconsin". (Those of you that know Wisconsin bugs will know that this means you should probably still pack that bug spray.) We can't wait to see you all in Wisconsin!

Mike Garrison
garrison@usara.com 
Executive Director
United States Adventure Racing Association