Ah, Adventure Racing.
Part Adventure, part Racing.
All Unmitigated Misery.
I’m kidding, of course. Some of it was mitigated. My point is, I had the chance to do some Adventure Racing this past weekend. And by “had the chance,” I mean I was roped into it by my friend Yvonne, who had done this sort of race before, but swore she’d never do it again. With that promising statistic, I agreed to do it.
The other member of our team was a very fit fellow with scads of outdoor experience named Clark.
The week before, we met to go over recommended gear for the race, which would take approximately 12 hours for the fastest teams, and be comprised of mountain biking, hiking, and rafting.
The gear list was intimidating.
There were things like head nets recommended – which I thought must imply there’d be a beekeeping leg of the race.
Emergency blankets, flares, glowsticks (since you never know when a rave might break out), all of these things we were supposed to provide and carry about with us. Luckily, I have experience as a sherpa.
Nearer to the actual race day, we got even better news; the 40 some odd mile race was going to begin AT MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. So, my Excitement Meter, which was already topping out, became absolutely pegged. Since nothing makes stumbling around in the woods more fun than doing it on no sleep and in the dark.
I will fill you in on the gory details at a later date. Suffice it to say that the Beekeeping Rave was amazing.
It sounds like someone thought they’d take a triathlon to a whole ‘nother level by adding a bunch of extra miles, extremes of Alaskan flora and fauna, and a raft whilst requiring you to carry more supplies than Bear Grylls has ever used in his entire life. In other words, it sounds exactly like something you’d be game for.
I can’t wait to read more about it.