Adventure Racing (AR) is a multi-discipline endurance sport, combining mountain biking, cross country running/trekking, paddling, such as kayaking, canoeing or white water rafting, and often some form of ropes course (e.g., rappelling, ascending, rock climbing). Additionally, Adventure Racing requires orienteering and land navigation skills to navigate the race course. Therefore, there is typically not a set course which competitors must follow, rather, racers have numerous checkpoints (CP) which they must find using topographical maps and compasses. Racers must determine which path they will use to get to each CP.

For a more comprehensive description of AR, please go to our ABOUT: ADVENTURE RACING page.

Our adventure races vary in time, with the shortest sprint race being 4 hours and the longest race being 72 hours. Our races also range in distance, from approximately 30 combined miles to over 200 combined miles. To find the length of any race, including a breakdown of the distances for each discipline, please check that race’s specific page.

Every race is different. For our races, we usually have a combination of point to point and Rogaine formats. Point-to-point means that checkpoints (CP) must be punched in a specific order, whereas Rogaine means that CPs can be punched in any order that competitors see fit.

Yes, every race has a cut-off time. A race director determines what the penalty means for finishing after the cutoff time. It may just be a loss of points, but often, racers who come in after the official cut-off time are considered to be unofficial and are not eligible for official placement.

All mandatory checkpoints (CP) and optional orienteering points (OP) count as one point. To be official, teams must visit every mandatory CP and finish the race by the cut-off time. For every “official” team/racer, placement is broken down by category (i.e., solo male, solo female, 2-person male, 2-person female, 2-person coed, 3-person male, 3/4-person coed Elite, 4-person male) and then determined by points. A tie for points is broken by the fastest time.

You will always need: a mountain bike, a bike helmet, a lightweight pack, a hydration bladder or bottles, a map case, a compass, food, water, a first aid kit, and a headlamp (if at night). As every race is different, a race-specific mandatory packing list is available on every race page.

Our race categories are: Male solo, female solo, 2-person male, 2-person female, 2-person coed, 3-person male, 3-person female, 4-person male, 4-person female, Elite (3/4-person coed).

Adventure Racers are individuals who have a passion for being fit, enjoying the outdoors, and challenging themselves. Adventure racers come from all backgrounds, age groups, geographic locations, and socioeconomic levels.

Come to our Adventure Race training with TeamSOG in the Spring of 2012! Contact us for more information.

The key things to work on in Adventure Racing are your orienteering/navigating skills. In addition to orienteering skills, basic multisport training is required. Learn how to paddle a boat in the type of water conditions you will be racing. Learn how to ride a mountain bike. Basic mountain bike will work just fine. Learn to trail run or hike. If your event has a rope section, become familiar with the particular skills you will need. Endurance is a more important aspect than speed. The secret to becoming an Adventure Racer is finding like-minded people to train (and possibly race) with. Ideally, these individuals share your passion for the outdoors, being fit, and pushing limits.

Want a more comprehensive answer? We asked an expert:

“Be honest with yourself/your teammates. Train every discipline, while focusing on your weakenesses. Train for adversity!

• Identify the event(s) in which you want to compete and why you’re doing this. Is your intent to challenge yourself, race for the podium, or just to have a good time?
• Build on the athletic/training background that you already have. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and how that correlates to the event you’ve chosen. Train for all disciplines, but focus on your weakness. This is not typically the most “fun” way to approach things, as we all have that discipline that we love the most, but if your intent is self-improvement and being an asset to your team, then it is necessary. The race rarely goes to the best biker, runner, paddler, etc. Rather, it often goes to the best “generalist” and that team that can make the best decisions over time.
• Train in adverse conditions and be willing to deal with adversity. This all stems from a mindset and an attitude that CAN be developed. There is both a mental and physical component to this and they can feed off of each other. There are countless techniques you can use. At a minimum, I would recommend: train in poor weather conditions. This will make you mentally and physically stronger as well as prepare you for the times during the race when you’ll face those conditions…or worse. Adventure races will go on day and night, rain or shine. While pushing yourself and enduring discomfort from exertion on any day is beneficial, performing at that same level while dealing with 45 degrees and rain will stress the mind and body in a different way. Force yourself to go out and train in the elements. Performing in these conditions will help to familiarize your body to those stressors and help you to familiarize yourself with dealing with them – both mentally and physically. Practicing this will help you to prove to yourself that it can be done, that the limits that exist are those which you put upon yourself. With persistent efforts you can develop the mental toughness needed and learn to thrive on the adversity as opposed to trying to survive it. Competition day comes and your planning, packing, and performance all benefit. After X hourse of racing and darkness comes (along with rain and falling temperatures) YOU will have the knowledge, confidence and mental toughness to know how to best get your team through that part of the race.”
  -Toby Angove, TeamSOG

For additional training tips, check out our TIPS page under the “FAQ”.

Countless articles, books and videos describing the methods and theories exist as to what is “the” best way to train for a multi-sport event. One book that I would recommend is Joe Friel’s The Triathlete’s Training Bible. While the unpredictability of Adventure Racing is far-removed from the predictable world of triathlon, Friel’s book covers a number of best-practice principles that are universal to multi-sport training. When it is all said and done, it all comes down to you finding out what works best for you. Here are a few key factors to consider when developing your plan.

Goals: Like any project, begin with the end in mind. You must decide what your goals are for yourself and/or your team for each specific event.

Commitment / Priorities: What are you willing and able to commit so that you can reach those goals? Your level of commitment must be in line with both your established goals and your priorities. What is it that is most important to you?

Balance: We are all just as busy as we want to be. As much as we would like to be able to train on a full-time basis, we all have obligations in our life that can not be neglected. Work to find a healthy balance between them all.

Building the plan: You can easily train for and compete in a Sprint Race with only a few hours / week. Based on what your expectations and current level of fitness are, you will want to adjust that number of hours accordingly.

• Establish hours: You will accomplish more if you plan it out.
  • We recommend that a key training block be first thing in the morning. It is often the time of day that we have the most control over. After that – life starts to happen.
• Train each discipline—you will have to do them all.
• Find your weakest link and seek to improve upon it.
• Tailor training to the upcoming event—distance and disciplines.
• Duration – there is NO substitute for mileage.
• Train as you will race — use the clothing, food and equipment in the weather and environment in which you will race.
• Order – get the mind and muscles used to the transition.
• Nutrition – “Dance with the date that brought you”.

RUNNING:

• We recommend no less than 3x / week.
• If you can only fit in one training session – run.
• Mix distance, tempo (race pace) and speed work sessions.
• Increase mileage by approximately 10%/week.
• Focus on course specifics (trails, hills, flats, elevation).
• Wear a great pair of socks. We recommend you only run in lifetime guaranteed Darn Tough Socks.
• We recommend when running at night, you use the Princeton Tec Apex Pro Headlamp.

BIKE:

• Recommend no less than 2x / week, depending on cross-training.
• Balance between road mileage and technical riding (trails).
• Utilize technical riding to prepare for specific course.
• Know how to fix mechanical problems.
• We recommend when biking at night, you use the Princeton Tec EOS Bike Headlamp.

PADDLE:

• May be most difficult to train for (logistically).
• Cross-train with swim or specific weight-training.
• Train with different seating / paddlers.

Bricks, Transitions and Notes

• Combine two disciplines for bricks at least once / week.
• Train transitions – physically and mentally.
• Periodization – Refer to Friel’s book.

Sample Week: Distances and times vary depending on the event you’re preparing for:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
AM: Run Middle-Dist. (Tempo) PM: Ride (Tech)	AM: Paddle or Swim PM: Strength Training	AM: Run PM: Ride (Tempo)	AM: Paddle or Swim	AM: Ride or Run (Tech) PM: Strength Training	Brick: (Run/Ride) One discipline is the focus	Paddle or Swim

We recommend finding a local orienteering club for learning the basics. Many of these clubs are a part of Orienteering USA. Orienteering meets offer courses of varying length and difficulty with options for beginners and advanced navigators. After you complete a course, be sure to reflect on the decisions you made and the route you took. The best way to improve your orienteering skills is to practice.

You will need a mountain bike! Hybrids and road bikes are not appropriate for our race courses, which include technical single-track trails.

YES! Your safety is important to us. Mandatory items for your first aid kit are listed on each specific race page.

This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on your goals and your strengths. All races can be modified depending on how many optional Orienteering Points (OP) you want to attempt. If you choose to only complete the mandatory Checkpoints (CP), the race can be abridged by a lot of miles! The Blackbeard is a great first race because it is shorter (only 8 hours long) and less technical than our other races. Having said that, racers move faster during shorter races, whereas during a longer race (24 or 48 hours) there is a much slower pace. For this reason, you may prefer to do a longer, but slower-moving race.

It is up to your personal preference whether you would like to race alone or as part of a team.

Yes! We can. The first thing to do is go to AR Teammate Finder and make a posting for what you are looking for (e.g., “Solo male racer seeking to join an Elite (3/4-person coed) team”). In addition, feel free to post on the American Adventure Sports facebook page and the ECARS facebook page. Also, consider the people you know—friends you typically run, ride, or race with. Often times, racing with friends is the best idea; you know them and are likely to interact well with them on the course. We also recommend going to races and meeting people. Lastly, contact us (info@americanadventuresports.com or 724-357-9988)! We know a lot of great adventure racers and may know of people looking for a teammate.

No, all races are unsupported. Outside assistance is not permitted.

This is very much a personal preference thing. Eat what your body is used to consuming during training. Energy food (i.e., gels, blocks, bars) usually work well for races up to 12 hours in length. Once you get into longer races, however, you probably want more solid food for two reasons: first, nutrition, and second, too much energy food is hard to eat. Carbohydrates should form the majority of the calories, but your body will need all three macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, protein, and fat). For longer races (24+ hours), packing “6- to 8-hour” bags of the calories you’ll need for that amount of time can help to make sure you’re eating enough and have easy access to your food. Lastly, especially for longer events, pack foods that you like! If there is a transition area that you can access throughout the race, pack a cooler filled with everything you think you might crave. Ask any adventure racer and they will tell you they all have favorites during a race. Chocolate, beef jerky, cold pizza, potato chips—we’ve seen it all. “A bottle of Coke and a sandwich can do wonders for morale at 2 AM.” (Toby Angove)

We recommend using a hydration bladder with a 70-100 oz. capacity, and carrying water and an electrolyte source. Hydration is incredibly important. You can’t race at your peak if you are dehydrated.

The amount you should be drinking varies for everyone. A good guideline is make sure you are sweating and urinating regularly. Find out what works for your body during training (how many ounces per hour) and stick to at least that much water.

Other tips: Carry a hand-bottle for quick and easy stream filling. If one person stops to fill their bladder, everyone fills. Have one teammate remind everyone to drink every 30 minutes during the race. Nuun, Hammer, or other tabs can be carried and easily dropped into bottles or bladders.

Yes, outside maps are authorized.

Race check-in is normally the evening before the race, from 7 to 9 PM. For racers who can’t make it the night before, last-minute check-in is a couple hours before the start of the race.

Part of what makes Adventure Racing so interesting is that teams are self-sufficient and make these decisions on their own. There is no “dark period” during the race—it continues throughout the night, so it is your choice if and when you sleep. The top Elite teams often do not sleep or will only take a brief nap during a 24-hour+ race. Our recommendation is always to stay on top of your body maintenance and take time to make a good decision. Safety is the most important priority. You can and should sleep as much as necessary to race safely.

Yourself, your teammates, and your team’s expectations. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know the same about your teammates. Know what your TEAM’S GOAL is for the event and discuss it.

Take time to make a good decision! The reasoning behind this is first for your safety and second because making a bad decision can cost your team significant time. It is important to make the right decisions, but it is also important to keep a sense of urgency. As Toby Angove always says, “Seconds are minutes, minutes are miles, and miles win the race.” Any time you can save a second or a minute in transition or without having to stop and check something you are improving your chances of success. Forward motion is a big aspect of this. Any time you are not moving forward, you need to stop and think, “Is this important? Can I do this while I am walking?” If a teammate has to stop and fix something, use that time to take care of something you need to do or help your teammate.

AR is largely about risk management and dealing with adversity. You need to be able to avoid problems and solve the problems that do arise. It doesn’t make sense to risk falling off your bike and injuring your leg on a long technical descent just to save 5 minutes instead of walking. If you can’t walk, those 5 minutes don’t matter. You need to be able to manage that risk and determine the best course of action. Same goes with deciding which route to take. You may be able to bushwhack half a mile to your next point or walk around on the trail two miles. You can probably run on the trail, whereas bushwhack may be really thick (or it may not). You need to be able to quickly determine the details of each route and assess the risk to make the best decision.

Teamwork is another important factor to consider. You are only as fast as your slowest piece. You need to work together to get to the next point as fast as possible. This may require one teammate to pull another teammate or carry their backpack; whatever it takes. You need to share the load as much as possible. Teamwork also encompasses problem solving and cohesion. Fighting and arguments do not make positive strides to the finish. Disagreements are ok but have a plan for solving those problems. Be able to make a decision that’s best and stick with it.

Lastly, it is most important to have fun, STAY SAFE, and enjoy the race. One of the best parts of these races is going out into the wilderness and enjoying the natural beauty and the serenity of nature. You get to see some amazing things during races that most people will never see. Take a second to enjoy it. There are also great people involved in the sport of adventure racing. Make friends with other teams while you are racing. It is a long race. Get to know your teammates better. This also helps you work better as a team.

These are organized racing series that add up points throughout the year and determine a winner of the series. USARA is the longest-running series, with their 2011 Championship being held in Kentucky in October. USARA is also a governing body in Adventure Racing (AR); Adventure Races often require you to have a USARA license which covers insurance for races. Checkpoint Tracker is in its second year; their goal is to bring together races across the country and promote the sport of AR. Their 2011 championship is also held in Kentucky in October. The East Coast Adventure Racing Series (ECARS) is new to 2011. Their goal is to bring together race directors across the east coast, building unity and cohesion among those directors. This series includes nine different events. Most of our races are part of the USARA, Checkpoint Tracker, and ECARS series.

American Adventures Sports Founder and President Doug Crytzer, a former professional adventure racer, has been producing races for over 12 years, and has produced hundreds of races.

Ask our racers, some of whom have been with us for over ten years.

The best way to really learn about Adventure Racing is to participate in a race. If you just don’t feel comfortable jumping in that quickly, come as a volunteer. As a volunteer, you will get a better idea of the race format, the rules, the race course, and the varying level of racers…plus, it’s fun! Contact us for more information.