What is USARA sanctioning?

Why do a 12 hour adventure race?

Will there be aid stations?

Why do a 12 hour adventure race?                                                                                                                  return to top

First, because getting outdoors with your friends for a long excursion beats another monotonous workout.. Second, the racing aspect forces a team to make pressured decisions that sometimes make for good memories. Third, you get to use all that cool outdoor equipment you've accumulated. Last, the endomorphins kick in at the strangest moments. 

How is it different than a duathlon/triathlon?                                                                                                      return to top

AR’s usually go from point A to B. It isn’t always the same two or three sports and certainly not in the same order. Navigation and/or orienteering usually plays a part. There isn’t a set trail to follow in AR.

Is the equipment expensive?                                                                                                     return to top

No, the equipment should be fairly easy to rent or borrow. EGADs Alaska races are designed to be easy for budgets of first timers.

Are these relay races?                                                                                                    return to top

No, each team has to complete the entire course together.

Will maps be provided?                                                                                                    return to top

Depends on the course. Maps will be identified either on the courses webpage, during the Pre-Race meeting or at the start. Occasionally a commonly purchased map may be used.

Are racers required to have a USARA license?                                                                                                    return to top

Not yet. EGADs Alaska is applying for sanctioning. The safety guidelines we'll follow and insurance benefits are worth having the license.

Why is there a range of miles for each event? (trekking 10-20 miles)                                                                    return to top

So you can't plot the exact course ahead of time.

Will there be cutoff times?                                                                                                    return to top

Not very often. If so, you'll be warned on the courses webpage, the Pre-Race meeting and/or at the Start.

I don't have a team but want to race.                                                                                                    return to top

How much navigation or orienteering is there?                                                                                        return to top

At the minimum, you'll have to navigate the trails, roads, and other obvious features. If orienteering, you'll need at least one teammate that can navigate off topography alone. You should at least know your compass and magnetic deviation so if you can navigate to safety during an emergency. The orienteering club has friendly meets every Wednesday night and is perfect for brushing up on those skills.

I've never done an adventure race, how do I know I'm ready?                                                                       return to top

If you get endomorphin rushes from rainstorms, laugh after making it through a mile of bush-wacking and don't even know what channel NBC news is on, you're a good candidate. If you get motivated from reading course descriptions at AR sites, that's a good sign.

Physically, you should be able to workout for two hours straight, whether multi-sport or just one sport. Prepare by doing a Tuesday night mountain bike race, a Wednesday night orienteering meet or a 10k trail run. When you finish any of those but are ready for more, you're a good candidate.

Only your teammates truly know this. They've probably worked out with you enough to know you can hang for the courses challenges. Many teams just want the 'adventure' and are in it to finish.  You don't want to be exhausted half way through a course, get separated then lost. Look at the distances of the course legs, if just one is at your limit, you may not be ready.

Will the course be marked?                                                                                                    return to top

Marking a course is usually to avoid private property or safety risks. Maps are usually validated for accuracy of trail markings beforehand. But moreso, it's usually wide open terrain open for best route selection.

How hard will the navigation be?                                                                                                    return to top

GPS's generally are not allowed. So your team needs someone who can maintain your position all the time. You'll need to know how to use a compass and map. Getting isolated from your team is VERY easy to do. The consequences can be deadly in Alaska.

My team had a guy go 15ft to the right around a boulder after a snack break during the winter Hammer. The other guy and I went left. Two minutes of rock scrambling and suddenly, we had no idea where the first guy was. The 70mph winds befuddled the shouting attempts. We had to retrace down and around that boulder. The guy had gotten disorientated in the blowing wind and slick rocks. When we hooked back up after only being separated ten minutes, he was mentally shook up. He immediately recovered but if we hadn't rejoined, he would've had to navigate himself off the mountain.

Will there be aid stations?                                                                                                    return to top

No. This separates adventure racing. Though, the transition areas have volunteers who can activate the EMS system. Food and drink are the teams responsibility to pack into their gear ahead of time. Stategy includes what supplies to pack into which drop bags (that are retrieved at the transition areas.)

Can I use GPS?                                                                                                    return to top

What do you prefer? Would you want it as a safety back-up? I have methods to secure it with a seal that gets inspected at the end of the race. If someone used it in an emergency, they'd be saved yet incur a time penalty or DQ. By sealing it, it'd preserve the orienteering/navigation element. What do you think? Would you be more likely to race with that peace of mind? Would not not race because it'd take away from the 'purity' of the event? Let me know. 

What is USARA sanctioning?                                                                                                    return to top

This is the national governing body. It's standards for course safety and professional race management have helped AR grow. Racers have confidence a course will meet certain safety guidelines. Management standards include safety plans being submitted to local EMS and having permits in place from local authorities. Regional and National qualifying races allow us to rank our Alaskan teams. Check out their racer code of ethics. www.usara.com