Why adventure racing is the greatest sport on earth.

Whether you come from a running, biking, triathlon or other endurance background, the next step in your evolution is adventure racing. Why is that?

1. You are a competitive person by nature and you are looking for the next real challenge.

2. AR is more fun. Once you start doing this type of event, you find that you can go anywhere and do almost anything. If you don’t feel like running, go for a bike ride or a walk or a paddle. You can lift weights. You can ride at night. You can go explore areas that you have never been and work on navigation. The world is yours to explore.

3. You will see sites and places that you would never see otherwise. Some of the most amazing sites I have ever seen have been during a race. The Milky Way on a midnight paddle in
Oregon. Mountain ranges in British Columbia. The lights of LA as the sun comes up. Faraway lakes, beautiful sunrises, unbelievable waterfalls and exotic plants. All of these things await you in the world of AR. You would be surprised what wonderful landscapes exist off the beaten path.

4. While most people think that you have to train harder for AR then other sports, it’s not true. Yes it’s important to work out consistently. However, AR is more mental then physical. Having a good attitude is way more important then being able to run or bike fast. Any athletic event that you do is training for AR. Whether you go for a run, ride your bike, go camping or even work around the garden, you are training muscles that you will use in AR. In addition because you are doing things like paddling, running and biking, you are using different muscle groups. This means that you should be able to avoid the kind of soreness that one gets when all you do is run or bike. You also avoid the boredom that comes with doing the same thing all the time.

5. AR is a team sport. That means that it is more then just training with other people. Those people will be part of your team. While picking good teammates is sometimes a challenge, once you do, you will have new best friends. Having people to count on in the woods at 2 in the morning is truly a bonding experience. When you finish an event, you have the benefit of celebrating with your teammates. You also have people to help you and make you better then you would be by yourself. Being on a team is a great motivator for both training and getting out doing races. You will always do more for your team then you would for just yourself.

6. You get to buy cool equipment. You will become a jack of all trades. You will learn to climb on ropes, read a compass, and choose routes through the mountains. You will become a better mountain biker, and a better runner/trekker. You will learn to paddle in a river, on a lake and in the ocean. You will learn how to fix bikes with duct tape and zip ties. Problem solving will become second nature.

7. You will meet and become friends with some of the greatest people on the planet – other adventure racers.

8. You will have a chance to compete on the same field with some of the best athletes in the world. I know I will never go to the Super Bowl, the World Series or any other “traditional” type of championship. But in AR, I can go and compete against the world champions (and have) on the same field. Also, because AR is a thinking person’s sport, it’s not about just being fast. It’s about being smart. That is why a 47 year old ex-runner can compete and place (from time to time) in this sport.

Adventure Racing is the greatest sport on the planet. Get out there and give it a go. It’s completely doable. You don’t have to have all the skills to start. Contact one of the local teams in your area, find someone who is in the sport and go outside and play.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [Permalink]