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| Thursday, Apr 17, 2003 |
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Posted on April 17, 2003 Adventure race
Take the physical exertion and endurance of a triathlon. Add the grit and rough terrain of the television reality show "Survivor." Welcome to adventure racing. Adventure racing combines the sports of trail running, kayaking and mountain biking with the mental challenge of obstacles, math problems and orienteering activities, in which participants use compasses and maps for their events. In most races, teams of three work together to conquer the course, helping each other over obstacles and encouraging each other when minds and muscles grow weary. It's an endeavor that's growing in popularity across the country and in the Southeast. Now it's coming to Spartanburg. A sprint adventure race will be held April 26 at Croft State Park. Sprint races take between three and six hours to complete. Longer adventure races range from eight hours to several days. The race is sponsored by Radical Adventures, a Charlotte, N.C.-based race organizer. The Croft race is the first of the five-race Carolina Challenge series. It will be followed by sprint races at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., Harris Lake County Park in Raleigh, N.C., Tuckaseegee Ford Park and another undetermined location in Charlotte. The overall winners of the five races will receive prizes, so organizers expect nearly 300 racers from across the Southeast to descend on Spartanburg next weekend. The Croft race is being planned and directed by Drew Wilson and Richard Ridlehuber, Milliken & Co. employees during the workweek and adventure racers during their time off. Wilson became interested in adventure racing after he watched the international Eco-Challenge expedition race on television. Eco-Challenge is the ultimate adventure race worldwide. It was created in 1992 by Mark Burnett, who is now the executive producer of "Survivor." The race has been held in the deserts and jungles of South America, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and Morocco. Teams of six compete on a 300-mile course that involves river rafting, mountain biking, trail running, horseback riding, navigation challenges and rope obstacles. It takes between six and 12 days to complete the course. After seeing the race on television, Wilson began inquiring about local competitions. "Four years ago, there weren't many races," he said. "The only one around here was a 30-hour race in Nantahala National Forest. We didn't finish, but it got me into the sport." Ridlehuber, who has always enjoyed bicycling and other outdoor sports, gained interest in adventure racing after seeing some televised races and talking to Wilson. Now, the two train together and compete on the same team in races across the Southeast. In January, they competed in a frigid 30-hour race in northern Georgia in which the kayak portion was canceled because the lake was frozen, and only eight of the 80 teams completed the course. Since they are planning the Croft race and designing the course, they will not participate in the race. Competitors are generally not allowed to preview or explore the course before the race -- the element of surprise is part of the adventure. The race will involve trail running, paddling on Lake Craig and mountain biking along the trails of the park's south side. There will also be "special tests" of the competitors' mental acuity, but those also remain a mystery until race time. In the past, some of the tests have required teams to scale a wall covered in Crisco, solve a Rubik's cube, complete math problems or do a memory test, Ridlehuber said. Those tests require the racers to remain mentally sharp even when their bodies are exhausted or in pain. "You can be going along and you'll think you're cruising, and all of a sudden you'll have to stop and take your bike apart and then put it back together," Ridlehuber said. The obstacles and orienteering challenges are the biggest test of a team's unity during an adventure race, Wilson and Ridlehuber said. Teams must work together to scale a wall or solve a riddle. They also must stick together throughout the race -- teams cannot compete in relay fashion. "The team aspect is done in the interest of safety, and it makes for some interesting teamwork," Ridlehuber said. "The team aspect is something I've appreciated. You can only move as fast as the team can move. You've got to work together to get through the rough parts." While the combination of physical and mental challenge might sound like more than the average person wants to subject himself to in one day, those who have raced say it's not as tough as it sounds. "It's not like a triathlon where you're going full speed," Wilson said. "It's broken up. You're doing other stuff." And since it's a relatively new sport, the races are not too competitive for beginners or "weekend warriors." Sprint races, like the one at Croft, are a good introduction to the sport, Wilson said. "Go out there and do one with the intent of just having fun and learning what it's all about," he said. "Anybody can do these races." But racers beware -- it is an expensive sport. The Croft race costs $50 for individuals or $150 for a team of three. (It may soften the blow to know that all the proceeds will be donated to local charities, such as SAFE Homes Rape Crisis Coalition and the Spartanburg Children's Shelter.) Racers also have to bring their own mountain bike and bike repair tools, helmet, running shoes, life jacket, compass, whistle, first aid kit, food and water. While kayaks are provided at most of the races, many racers have their own for training. "A lot of people think, 'You're going to spend that much money for that much pain?' " Wilson said. But to those who love the thrill of the race, the cost is worth it. "You see some of the most beautiful land you've ever seen -- kind of secret places," Wilson said. "For me it's like being a kid again. Back in the summertime, you'd leave your house in the morning, and you didn't show back up until dinner. That's what we're doing." Bridget Winston can be reached at 562-7269 or bridget.winston
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