Aside from wilderness navigation, the other element that makes this sport of adventure racing what it is is the unknown, where successful teams and participants are those able to adapt to situations and conditions as they arise.
If the words ‘International Race’ colour your thoughts with Dollar signs and a feeling of financial despair instead of exuberant optimism, reconsider your options.
This document puts the standard rules and regulations of adventure racing in writing. These have been added to and adapted from Zirk Botha’s original adventure racing rules, which were originally created in 1999.
I put this document together in April 2003, following a number of badly organised races where CPs were in the wrong place, race briefings were delayed and very, very long and unnecessary.
The purpose of a bike tow system is to assist slower and fatigued teammates; faster riders slow down and slower riders speed up such that the team’s overall speed increases. Towing systems are usually anchored to the seat post of the stronger rider’s bike (tower) and attached to the front of the weaker rider’s bike (towee).
I’m not crazy about wet cold and my constitution doesn’t hold up to rolling swell on the open ocean; this explains why you are unlikely to find me doing a race in a wintery Scotland and I hesitate to enter a local event on the Wildcoast if it features a large sea kayaking leg. Race location is an important participation decider.
Your entry is in for your first event and now you’re nipping, not sure what to expect when you arrive at the race venue. Fear no more! These are the basics…
People are magpies – indiscriminately hoarding items that MAY be of use. And when we pack for races we tend to do the same, throwing in this and that ‘just in case’. I asked a number of adventure racers to confess the unusual items lurking in their backpacks and crates, whether practical or sentimental.
Mini gaiters are easy to make, especially this basic design. You can sew these gaiters by hand (or even use fabric glue?) but they are obviously longer lasting if sewn by machine. Gaiters prevent trail debris (stones, sand, grass seeds, sticks) from getting into your shoes.
As a support crew member you have the most important role in an adventure racing team. During the race your talents as a bike mechanic, podiatrist, navigator and motivational speaker will be exploited. You’ll probably eat and sleep less than the racers. You’ll have to turn a muddy patch on the side of the road into a cosy B&B.
