Filed on 12/17/2007:
It is often said that making it to the starting line is half the
struggle in completing an adventure race. While I'm not sure I'd go
quite that far, there are certainly significant hurdles that seem to pop
up every race. The most important first step of getting ready for any
race is putting the team together. Right now I have two teammates lined
up and am definitely excited to race with them. However, the woman we
were hoping to compete with just found out she has a family commitment
the weekend of the race and will therefore not being able to join us.
This is a huge loss for us since she is a fantastic athlete one of the
most pleasant people I could possibly hope to have on the team. Our next
few weeks will be spent trying to find a compatible fourth teammate. If
you would be interested in joining us, please contact me at
chris@gmara.org.
There's a big snow storm on its way for this weekend - it should make
next week quite the playground for those who can make it to the slopes
and into the woods. I'm sure I'll be spending some time on snowshoes
doing some course work for the upcoming Frigid Infliction Winter AR.
Those of you who are new to the sport and are considering competing in
the Untamed New England Adventure Race may want to consider trying out
this shorter race ahead of time. Even if snow sports aren't your gig,
being in a race environment, practicing your navigation skills, getting
used to eating race food, dealing with transition areas, and ironing out
team communication will be a significant help to you heading into a
longer event.
The last suggestion I'll leave you with this week is to get a good book
about adventure racing and do some reading. I personally prefer "The
Complete Guide to Adventure Racing," by Don Mann and Kara Schaad. A good
number of high-caliber racers contributed to this book and you get a
good sense for the common opinions they share, as well as some of the
important areas where they differ. With lots of snow on its way, its a
nice book to curl up with along with some hot cocoa.
Race hard. Navigate well. Have fun.
- Chris Yager, Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association,
http://www.GMARA.org, chris@gmara.org