Adventure Racing Beginnings

Eco-Challenge was my first exposure to adventure racing. Everything about the sport intrigued me. Running through the mountains, mountain biking, ropes courses, kayaking were all things I would love to be doing instead of watching it on TV. The problem was that I lived in Detroit, not in the mountains where these things are done. So adventure racing faded from my mind just like Eco-Challenge faded away. Years later I read an article in the newspaper that told of a club in Southeast Michigan that hosted adventure races. I tore the article from the paper and headed to the computer to review the club’s web site. Sure enough SMAC (Southern Michigan Adventure Club) existed and hosted adventure races right in my state. Over the years I had been backpacking, hunting and running so I had put together the abilities to navigate and race to a point where I would feel comfortable participating. The worst part is that SMAC had just hosted their event and the next race wouldn’t be until next year. I called my brother to see if he would be interested in joining me in the race. Everything sounded like fun to him so we formed a team. Now we wait for the next race announcement. I waited on pins and needles for the announcement then for the signup. The day it opened, I jumped and signed up immediately. Once signed up, there was nothing to do but train and wait for the race day to come. I searched the internet for everything I could find about adventure racing. I read gear reviews, training tips, race recaps, race calendars. There are races everywhere. The more I searched, the more I found. I just didn’t know what to expect during a race. Many sites indicate that the best way to learn about racing is to volunteer at a race. So I considered volunteering. I was sold on the idea when SMAC offered a free pair of Salomon adventure racing shoes to all volunteers. My brother and I agreed to volunteer the day before the race at the club’s 24 hour race. We would be manning the transition area. We were able to see the flags all the teams were searching for, we saw what the racers looked like when they emerged for the woods, we saw how they transitioned to the next leg of the race, and we saw where the next day’s race would start and finish. So overall it did offer us some insight into racing, but how would we perform the next day? That is the real question.