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| Jared and David with Monkeyface in the background |
So I took a weekend off skiing to participate in Bend Racing's Spring Sting eight hour adventure race. In some sick, twisted sort of way, I don't regret it. How could I? Spending a total of 7.5 hours playing on the natural jungle gym known as Smith Rock is a damn fine way to spend a Sunday in April.
Bend Racing is a small outfit out of Bend, Or that puts on all sorts of races. This weekend's eight hour "sprint" race was billed as a "springtime primer" for upcoming summer season. A couple things I learned about Bend Racing's descriptions: 1) "springtime primer" = cold, wet, and long; 2) "a bit of water" = being partially submerged for 2+ hours; and 3) "fun" = the other thing.
So I guess, first things first, you might be wondering "what is an adventure race?" So far, I've done two in my life, so I call can do is describe my experience. That's because you know almost nothing about the race until you're at the start line...and every race is different. All you really know before hand is what gear you will require to complete the course. Unlike triathlons and most other endurance events, Adventures races are described in terms of time, not distance. You don't know how far you will have to run, bike, swim/raft/canoe/tube before hand. Ultimately, the racecourse itself is up to you and your team. At the beginning of most races, you will be provided a map with identified checkpoints. It will be your job to find the most efficient route between the checkpoints. In addition, most races have portions of the race that require the use of bikes and watercraft. Like I said, everyrace is different, but here's a little more about the 2014 Spring Sting:
