It’s this team ‘thing’, along with wilderness navigation and multiple disciplines over vast distances, that separates adventure racing from its multisport cousin.

Adventure racing’s evolution began in the 1980s and was cemented in 1989 when Gerard Fusil, the man who breathed life into the sport of adventure racing, organised the first Raid Gauloises. Fusil describes it as “an adventure competition for people who would only use physical and mental strength and no mechanics”. Building on the foundation of multisport, which was well established – particularly in New Zealand, Fusil introduced three new concepts:

• mixed gender teams of five, including at least one woman;
• the team must stay together throughout, finishing the race together; and
• the race would last several days and cover hundreds of kilometres, where the course is guided by checkpoints that must be located by means of wilderness navigation.

Currently, the established standard for multiday adventure races is mixed-gender teams of four. Newer short distance and staged races accommodate all-male teams as well as pairs.

There is no ‘I’ in team

If teams are a defining element of adventure racing – sprint races included, why do we repeatedly see teammates waiting, one of them running off – sometimes separated by a few hundred metres – to punch a checkpoint? What don’t they understand about the word together? The written rules of adventure racing stipulate that teammates may not be separated by more than 50 metres at any time during an event – yes, every event no matter what the distance. Penalties can, and have, been applied for infringements.

Why teams?

Aside from being part of the sport, the team format is for safety. Remember that adventure racing didn’t grow from the bottom to the top in terms of distance. The first races were expedition-style and they covered anything from 600 to 1,000 kilometres, taking over a week to complete. Teams are fundamental. Sprints, which are 20-35 kilometres in distance, are an offshoot. And, just as you inherited traits from your folks, so have sprint races – from their expedition-race parents.

In the first book written about this sport, Derek Paterson’s 1999 ‘Adventure Racing: Guide to Survival’, the author says, “Personal success will only come with team effort. There are all too many instances of team members being abandoned, sometimes in dire circumstances. Other teams, perhaps with individually less-talented athletes, have succeeded beyond their own – and anyone else’s – expectations because of their commitment, compassion, respect for each other and ability to communicate”.

Adventure racing legend Ian Adamson similarly notes in his 2004 book, ‘Runner’s World Guide to Adventure Racing: How to become a successful adventure racer and athlete’, that the biggest reason why teams fail to finish a race is not injuries or equipment failure; it’s their inability to work together. But, he adds, that provided the team is cohesive, focused, organised, motivated and well-led, just about any problem a team encounters during a race can be surmounted.

Team dynamics

The key to a successful team? It takes time to get to know people and how they react and interact at 4am, in near sub-zero conditions after 24 hours of racing, and a night of no sleep will certainly be different to their ‘social bike ride’ and ‘let’s do coffee’ personality.

Look for teammates who are evenly matched physically, mentally, emotionally and competitively; and, in preparation for a multiday event, test them pre-race on all-day and through-the-night training activities.

Finding your ‘ideal’ team for multiday races can take a year or two and through regular participation you will meet people on course who race at a similar pace; you may want to hook up with them for other events. Teammate selection for sprint races is a far more casual affair as even a top-notch athlete should be able to tolerate the slower pace of midfield teammates at a fun two-hour race.

If you’re happy to abandon teammates, making them wait while you go ahead, or if you find yourself thinking, “I wish they would allow solo entries,” then consider yourself more suited to multisport and triathlon.

Teams are as much a part of adventure racing as navigation, mountain biking, trekking and water disciplines. Great teamwork and resulting friendships produce the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Author: Lisa de Speville | Published in Go Multi magazine,  May-Jun 2010, Volume 14.2

Pre-race, entrants are provided with lists of compulsory gear and a list of disciplines included in the event. As far as gear goes, you pack compulsory stuff and then add ‘logical’ items to this, like socks, cycle shorts, running shorts, gloves, tees, warm clothing, extra batteries, drybags. So far, so good.

The race location may only be disclosed a week before the race; but upfront you’ll know it is a two to three hour drive from a major centre.

As for distance of legs, order of disciplines and types of maps, you’ll find this out at race briefing when you receive your race instructions. There’s no need to fret about it before you get there because it is out of your control. When you receive the race instructions, then you start planning.

Due to the number of navigation courses I’ve taught recently, I’ve come into contact with more enthusiastic – but hesitant – novices than usual.

A few weeks ago I was caught in a discussion around why he has to take part in a team, and not on his own (he has never done a long race; only sprints). My answer, “Because this is adventure racing, not multisport or triathlon. Adventure racing is a team sport and that’s just how it is”. The extended answer refers to safety, but essentially, adventure racing is a team sport. Full stop.

Tonight, at AR Club, I met a new team and they had some good questions – things I take for granted. But, what I found interesting was the one guy’s questions on knowing everything; the disciplines, the distances, the maps, the location, the equipment to take on each leg…

His enquiry was well founded as he assumed that I’d know the answers because of previous events. But, here again, every race is different even if organised by the same person in the same country. There’s different areas, seasons, distances, disciplines, terrain and topography and number of checkpoints.

I told him not to worry about all of these things, to pack the stuff he is told to in the race instructions and to come prepared for the disciplines included in the race. More than this you just don’t know pre-race so it isn’t worth thinking about it. All is revealed at the race in the briefing and instructions, which will tell him exactly what to do when and what to take – in addition to mandatory gear – on each leg.

The other side to this is not only the pre-race unknown, but also the variable elements within a race that participants have to cope with. Less desirable weather conditions that develop a day into the event, an ill or injured teammate, nasty vegetation, extended hike-a-bike sections, navigational mistakes, tiredness and fatigue, team personalities, spending double the time on a leg than expected, swimming on a paddle leg and losing a paddle, mechanical problems with a bicycle… Teams that cope the best and adapt well to these variables will finish.

The most difficult part of adventure racing is getting to the race: packing, gear, food, support crew, organising people and related admin on top of family, responsibilities and work. Once you’re there, all you have to do is race and eat. It’s nice, very nice, to just have to deal with what is in front of you.

So, make like a river, go with the flow, moving around and over rocks and obstructions. Don’t overthink something outside of your control and embrace the unknown for rewarding (and successful) racing.

Entry Fees & extras

Entry fees vary according to country, currency, event duration and add-ons. Locally, we pay an entry fee and anything else (meals, accommodation) is extra; foreign events include everything – from airport transfers to hire of special gear – in a package. 

Fees range from US$2,000 (R15,000) to US$7,000 (R52,000) for a four-person team. Paired teams may pay upwards of US$1,500. This doesn’t seem so bad when you consider that Cape Epic, a single discipline (mtb), full-service event on local turf is R25,200 per pair.

“Fees for races in less developed nations are generally lower, so these are always quite attractive,” says Team Cyanosis’ captain Nicholas Mulder. Indeed, you get more for your Rands if you’re paying in Pesos rather than Euros.

Support Crew

It is far easier – and less costly – to race abroad without support crew in unsupported events where race organisation transports team equipment. “I would always choose an unsupported race over a supported one because all the teams are in the same situation,” says Tatum Prins, an experienced international racer in Team McCain Adventure Addicts.

Participating team members customarily cover the costs of their support crew, sharing the extra expenses for their crew’s accommodation, travel and food. And don’t forget the hire fee for the support vehicle and fuel.

“Unfortunately,” adds Mulder, “unsupported races seem to be less and less common”.

Flights, visas and buying power

Flights and travel packages get you to major airports at reasonable rates. Once you tag on that second flight, to another country, city or smaller town, that’s when costs escalate.  Keep in mind too your desired destination’s tourist season and the benefit of purchasing tickets months in advance to get better rates.

Some current air ticket prices

• XP Australia, May 2010.To Cairns, via Sydney and Brisbane – R14,000
• Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, December 2010. Direct to Abu Dhabi  – R6,500

Phone the airline in advance about excess weight. Explain that you’re a South African team, ask for an extra allowance per person and make sure you get a letter confirming this arrangement. “Our last experience, going to Malaysia for the Perak Amanjaya International Eco Adventure, was fantastic,” says Prins. “It took one phone call and they gave us an extra 20kg’s each.”

Some airlines now charge a flat rate for bike transport. “We stuff the bike boxes full of gear as there is no per kilogram charge on weight,” Mulder explains.

Visas can be a pain in the butt – and pricey, at between R650 (Schengen) and over a thousand Rand (UK and US). Some, like those for India, are free-of-charge paperwork formalities. Fortunately, many countries just let us in.

New skills and more toys

Exotic disciplines introduce new skills and additional equipment, which can be borrowed or bought second-hand. “We got our skates second-hand and we had to learn from scratch. It was very amusing,” says Prins. “To train for a new discipline is fun and refreshing as it breaks up your normal training routine.”

Climate determines clothing choices; thermal clothing for colder climes, wet weather gear for rainy places and insulated paddling gear for sea outings. Borrow what you can and while you’re unlikely to get kit sponsored completely, many local suppliers and agents will gladly offer your team wholesale on their products.

Isn’t local lekker?

Local is lekker but the personal and competitive rewards of racing abroad are enormous.

International racing raises your performance.  “You get to see how other teams race, the decisions they make and why and the gear they use. You realise that we don’t do things that differently. We (South Africans) can do as well as any foreign team,” says Prins.

Where travel opens your eyes to the World and participation ups your game, personal experiences and treasured memories are most rewarding. “You make amazing contacts at international races; this creates opportunities later on,” Prins says. In 2005, racing in a team without sponsorship, her team held an auction to raise the funds to get them to New Zealand. Two years later she was invited to join a Danish team in Scotland for the AR World Champs.

“Racing overseas alters your outlook,” Prins adds. “This sport is bigger than you think and when you stand on the start line, with over 60 teams from all over the World, you have feelings and emotions you will never forget.”

Yes, you can!

While you won’t get to race overseas for two grand, international racing is not beyond reach. Plan in advance, save money specifically for the race, organise fund-raising activities and cultivate relationships with sponsors. Et voila!

Author: Lisa de Speville | Published in Go Multi Magazine, MarchApril 2010 (issue 14.1)

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 as it sets the seasonal, climatic (temperature, humidity, weather condition – sun, wind, precipitation) and topographic (relief, terrain, vegetation) tone for the event. It also determines the disciplines included in the race.

To explore strange new worlds

Adventure races offer variety. Participants can experience festivities in rural villages, desolate desert crossings, rafting on raging glacier-fed rivers and trekking through pristine alpine parks. The variety of terrain, even within a race, is an attraction that keeps racers in the sport for years. Course director, race distance and format aside, based purely on location, no two races are ever alike.

Throw in some other challenges

Distance alone is a devil.  Add technical navigation and dense vegetation to the standard mix of long stages, major elevation gain (and loss), extreme temperatures (hot and cold) and high altitude and you’ve got a bar-brawl of challenges. These factors affect the racing speeds of teams; that’s why teams will cover 400km in three days at one race and in seven days at another.

Sign us up for snowboarding lessons

“We’ve done rollerblading in Portugal, slot canyoneering and river boarding in Utah, coastal paddling with a three-metre high swell in New Zealand and glacier crossings in Greenland,” says Team Cyanosis’ captain and navigator Nicholas Mulder.

An event’s location and the season in which it is held opens a range of discipline possibilities. American and European races like to include rollerblading or kick biking; some winter events incorporate snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing or even ice climbing; and many seem fond of throwing wet-suit clad racers into near freezing rivers for adrenalin-rushed riverboarding or tubing stages.

If the discipline is a difficult one to train in South Africa, like snow skiing, options include taking a crash-course in Lesotho or abroad and giving it a bash at the race; or not entering races that include skiing if one has neither the necessary skills nor opportunity to gain proficiency. Most racers would probably select the latter option because travelling abroad to race is a costly investment in time and money and it’s better to go over with well-rounded competence in all of the event’s disciplines and a fighting chance of reaching the finish line.

But it’s a BIG race…?

In 2010, Poland’s Bergson Winter Challenge is hosting the Adventure Racing World Championships. This winter race includes snowy disciplines like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. You’re unlikely to find a South African team attending but you can be assured of seeing flags from Finland, Sweden, France and Spain.

“There are other races, like Bergson, that aren’t high on my priority list,” says Mulder. “I prefer to do races in a temperate or sub-tropical environment rather than a tropical jungle – there were too many horror stories of weird infections and viruses from Eco Challenge Borneo. It would take a special circumstance, like World Champs, before I would seriously consider racing in such an environment. I might not be totally adverse to certain terrain types, but there are others I’d agree to race in much quicker.”

Desirability factors

As much as the appeal of multiday races is the physical and mental challenges, adventure racing is fun and an adventurous way to see the World. The three most important factors that determine the desirability of a race are location, location and location. With these in mind you can select races held in places that interest you, at a time of year that is suited to your temperature preferences and that includes disciplines in which you have reasonable competence.

Author: Lisa de Speville | Published in Go Multi Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010 (issue 13.5)

Before you leave for the race (like a day or two before), read the information provided, check for compulsory equipment and print the race directions. Really. Don’t phone the organiser and pester them because you’re a lazy-butt. They’ve got lots of other things to deal with pre-race.

On arrival, check in at the race registration table to collect your race envelope. It may have instructions, maps, bibs and, most certainly, an indemnity form. Get each team member to sign the form and return it promptly. Read the race instructions. There is also usually a race briefing before the start. I loathe convoluted race briefings as I believe they should just welcome us, thank the sponsors and let us get going. When it comes to instructions and rules, my rule is that if it isn’t on paper, it doesn’t exist. Sure, it doesn’t always happen this way but it should. After 30-minutes (if that!) I can’t remember to turn left, right, right again and left at some obscure white post.

Anyway, don’t stress yourself before the race about the route, the disciplines and the distances. That’s the thing with adventure racing – adaptability and variability. And don’t make assumptions. Just attend the briefing, read the rules and do what you’re told. It’s as easy as that.

Sprint races and short course races (up to around 65km) will probably have a central transition area and are generally unsupported (no support crew required). And becuase of this central transition they’re a bit more spectator friendly. You can leave your bikes and gear for the running and biking disciplines in the transition area. You can also leave a bottle of water to refill your hydration reservoir/bottle and some food, like a banana, extra bars, sandwich and such – you don’t need to carry everything the whole time.

While you’re munching out on course, please take care that your wrappers from gels and bars don’t end up on the ground. Secure in you backpack and place in a bin when you return to the transition. It’s amazing how much stuff ends up on the ground when it wiggles out of pack pockets.

In short races you can expect to have running and biking and maybe some other obstacles thrown in for fun. The running and biking will be split into more than one leg – so even on a short 2-3hr race you could still have 3-4 legs. This is nice because then no one leg will be much more than 10-15km, which is a comparitive drop in the ocean on a bike. Obstacles require no special skills - they’re meant to be fun.

The start could see all the teams on the starting line for a group run/bike or you may receive instructions/maps at the start. If it’s the latter, teams will usually move to one side, read the instructions or the map to decide where to go or what to do first, and then they’ll move off in their own time.

Navigation is included in short adventure races too (multisport events have no nav – and they’re not often team events either). You can be assured that the navigation in short course events will be easy – it is not rocket science – and they don’t hide the controls. They’ll be on significant features like a big tree, fences, road junction and you should notice the control as you approach.

Each time you come in to the transition you’ll have to check-in with the marshal. You may have to check out with them too. You’ll be told in the briefing. If your team withdraws from the race, for whatever reason, be sure to tell the marshal. Very important! Make sure you’re checked off at the finish.

The pace of short events is faster than a 24hr and longer race so don’t be put off and think you could never do a longer race. They are as different as a 5km fun run is to Comrades Marathon.

And then, once the race is done, there’s a prize giving. Most events have lots of luck draw prizes so it is worth hanging around. It’s also fun to sit around chatting with other teams after the race.

It’s a similar setup for longer races – the main differences being that you’ll have a support crew who transports your gear and provides food; transitions will be all over the place as the race progresses; paddling will certainly be included; leg distances will be longer; and navigation will be a little more challenging.

That’s it.

The Brainy Dictionary has this to say:
Novice – ‘One who is new in any business, profession, or calling; one unacquainted or unskilled; one yet in the rudiments; a beginner; a tyro.’

I can’t be any clearer than that. A race that is suitable for Novice adventure racers makes allowances for unskilled participants. Specifically, if you are racing in an event that is advertised as “suitable for Novices” then you can expect the following.

Navigation

• Checkpoints and Transitions will be at easily identifiable points.
• Waypoints will be included to guide less experienced navigators.
• Organisers will be on hand to assist teams with their route planning.

Route Disciplines

• Cycling will not require a high degree of technical proficiency i.e. steep technical downhills, very rocky terrain and such will not be included
• Hiking/Trekking will not require a high degree of technical profiency i.e. you won’t be expected to descend steep scree slopes or spend hours on long bundu bashes etc.
• Paddling will only be on flat water.
• Ropework will be under supervision and will never be of a technical nature.

General

• No place on the course will be more than 20-minutes of hiking from road access.
• Multiple short course options will be planned for back markers – not neccesarily announced at race briefing.

That’s what I mean by suitable for Novices.

Here is what I don’t mean.

Just because…

• You did a 30km offroad triathlon in 2-hours does not mean you can lick a 60km adventure race in 4-hours.
• You rode Sani2C and finished in the middle of the bunch does not mean you can do 30km of AR MTB’ing in 90-minutes.
• You can run a sub 3hr marathon does not mean you can kill a 10km hike in 45-minutes.
• You paddle the club dice every Thursday does not mean you can paddle accross an open lake in a strong wind.
• You did navigation on your sailing course does not mean you can navigate in an adventure race.

Don’t look at the distance. Look at the estimated time to complete. Understand that if the event information lists the estimated duration at 8 – 16 hours then know that the leaders are expected to finish in just over 8-hours and that those back teams will finish in 16-hours. This time estimate does not allow for transitions that take more than 90-minutes or teams being lost for more than 2-hours.

I hope this clarifies the term ‘Suitable for Novices’.

Author: Fred Richardson | Photo by Craig Dutton, Bull of Africa 2005

Introduction
Sport psychology is a broad field of study and application. In what follows I have tried to be as practical as possible ad also to make comments and advice applicable to adventure racing in particular.

Sport psychology or the mind in sport
One myth:The mind and body can be separated – dualistic view i.e. Racing according to a heart rate monitor will not guarantee success because it does not take in to acount your mind. The heart rate monitor may say that you are over-doing it, whilst your mind has the ability to make your body continue regardless.
One truth: Races are lost and won in the head. The “hero” and the “enemy” within.

Nature of adventure racing and impact on psychological approach
What are the differences between adventure racing and other endurance sports?

1. Unpredictability – dealing with unknown external factors.
   • It is a known fact that top endurance athletes have the ability to focus internally for prolonged periods. Why do novices not win major events i.e. Comrades? They cannot strategise because they do not know how their minds and bodies are going to respond to the course.
   • In AR, each race is different, each route is different and it is thus by nature unpredictable, a situation which forces the athletes to focus externally.
2. Team efficiency and effectiveness has a higher impact on success.
   The enemy is within.

Individual psychology

1. Approach – embrace the unpredictability and adventure aspects of this sports/racing. Adventure racing by nature involves risks on a physical, tactical and psychological level.
2. Will you ever have a perfect race? It is highly unlikely. Doing well is as much about making the right decisions as it is about dealing with setbacks and wrong decisions. Just as you will encounter physical obstacles, you will encounter psychological obstacles.
3. Focus on the body and learn to verbalise your thoughts and especially how you are feeling. “OK” is a relative answer to the question, “How are you feeling?”. Endurance athletes are by nature more introverted and individualistic.

Managing the team psychology

1. Get to know your team members
   • especially know how they respond to stress (physical and mental)
   • Think and feel boundaries: A group can reach a stage where the individual boundary extenda beyond the individual to become a group boundary, for example: baby and mother, Stockholm syndrome (hostage and captor)
2. Clarify roles and responibilities but do not be rigid about this.
3. Set team goals. The focus should be on how you can get the best out of the team as opposed to where you want to finish in the race.
4. Design a basic game plan based on what you know about members as well as facts and assumptions about the race.
5. Decide on decision making mechanisms and procedures.
6. Constantly focus on ups and downs (inevitable) of individual team members and respond accordingly. Look out for each other and look after each other. Be honest and descriptive.
7. Anticipate scenarios, especially negative ones i.e. getting lost and decide on your response.
8. Support crew: All plans should be discussed with your seconds. Many have never taken part in adventure sports – do not take anything for granted. Give attention to their roles as part of the bigger team e.g. their role during conflict.

Author: Greyling Viljoen

Greyling is with the Institute for Sport Psychology and Adventure Therapy; tldc@mweb.co.za. As a former Sprinkbok canoeist (1981 – 1989), Greyling’s sporting career is littered with canoeing awards for all our local South African events (except Duzi) as well as a number of international events; Stella canoe race in Spain (1983), Devizes to Westminster in England – 125 miles, Murray in Australia – for which he still holds the record and achieved a second place in the Arctic canoe marathon, the longest canoe race in the World. Professionally Greyling is the Director of the Team and Leadership Development Center and a practising Clinical Psychologist specialising in Sports Psychology. He is currently finalising his PhD on “Group Functioning and the Dynamics of Small Groups”.

Three + One = Four
Unlike most sports where separate categories for men and women exist, adventure racing sees women and men competing as equal members in a team. In shorter races where speed is essential, the woman may feel added pressure to perform at the same level as her male teammates but in the longer, expedition-length races, the athletic differences between men and women are neutralised. Sonja Otto confirms this. “Women have a natural endurance because of the way we were put together. We always get stronger as the race gets longer.”

Women are smaller
It stands to reason that the smallest and lightest member of the team should carry less than the others. Michelle Lombardi agrees. “I carry all my own stuff like food, water and clothes but I don’t carry any of the extra weight. I believe that in order not to slow the guys down, that is how it should be.”

Tugging and towing
Almost without exception, at some stage in the race each team-member will go through a phase where their performace is decreased and they may need assistance from their teammates. Assistance could mean handing over your backpack to a stronger teammate for a while or hooking up on a bungi cord over a hiking section or being towed on your bike.

Leave your ego in the transition area (men included)
Adventure racing is about the team, not the individual. Being towed or having your backpack taken from you for a while is an effective way of increasing the team’s overall rate of progress. If you’re offered assistance, take it. Your teammates are trying to help and are not condemming you for being a little slower than them. And guys, don’t refuse assistance from your female teammates. Otto recalls a time when she was able to help Hano, her husband and teammate. “Sometimes we are stronger than the men, especially later in the race. It has happened to me where I was able to help Hano. He’d assisted me many times before this so it really felt good to help him. But Hano was not worried about the fact that I had to help him, in fact he was quite proud of it. If you are insecure about being helped, you are not in the right team.”

Stronger than the guys?
Physically, women (at the same level of competition) are not as strong or as fast as men even though they have exceptional endurance. While it does feel good to be stronger than your teammates Lombardi advises, “If you are stronger than the guys – Go girl, and find yourself a stronger team.”

Supreme Athletes
In 2001, Mark Collins was living in Spain, taking part in the many adventure races. In an email to Mark I’d enquired about the women taking part and the issue of towing and assistance. He replied, “All the top teams tow their female member on the bike legs. A misconception is that the female member gets to ‘rest’ by being towed. On the contrary, the person in tow works harder than ever. This system serves to increase the overall speed of the team considerably, especially on the up-hills. This technique is also adapted for the sections on foot and for sprint finishes. Most of the women in these teams are supreme athletes and would be by far the stronger team members in the more ordinary teams further back in the field. It is a testament to the pace of the race that they are towed.”

Girl Power
While the number of female racers is starting to increase, far too many women doubt their abilities. Girls, you’d be surprised. In this game mental strength counts and while your male teammates may have a physical strength advantage, you can compete – and excel.

Author: Lisa de Speville | Photo by Jacques Marais, Swazi Xtreme 2009

“But, over the past few years we’ve seen little crossover of adventure sprint participants to multi-day adventure races,” says writer Lisa de Speville, the founder of www.ar.co.za.

AR organiser Fred Richardson recently remarked that: “The helter-skelter pace of sprints gives new people the wrong impression. They are left thinking that the same pace has to be maintained for long races as well”.

He has a point that may explain the poor follow-through from sprint to adventure races. I have always maintained that adventure sprint races are not adventure races. Here’s why:

Sprints are sprints… speed is inversely proportional to distance
The International Association of Athletics Federations provides substantiative evidence. 100m can be run in 9.77-seconds. That’s 1km in 1:38 and if Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell could sustain this pace they would cover almost 37km in one-hour. But, they can’t. The greatest distance run in one-hour is 21.285km* by Haile Gebrselassie and the fastest 100km time is 6h13, which is a 16.08km/hr pace. Winning Comrades pace is around 16:68km/hr). It is physically impossible to take adventure races at adventure sprint race pace.

* Record set on 27 June 2007, result awaiting ratification

Sprints are races… but only if your objective is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. For most people sprints are fun outings and time is irrelevant.

Adventure races are a totally different animal. They require navigation, strategy, planning, logistics, transitions,taking racers over difficult terrain, with individual sections that take as “little” as six, to more than 24-hour to complete. These elements just don’t have time to surface during a sprint.

If I can encourage you to set one goal for next year it would be to enter an adventure race. Pure adventure racing is challenging, enthralling and liberating. I guarantee too that you will be surprised at what you can accomplish.

Author: Lisa de Speville | Published in Go Multi Magazine, Oct/Nov 2007

Race Type & Distance
What kind of race are you interested in entering? A 3hr sprint, a 24hr jaunt, a 2-day event that will have you out for at least one night or an epic 5-day expedition? Does the event include a discipline that you’ve never done, like sea kayaking, or a discipline in which you’re weak, like swimming? Are you stronger on foot, favouring races with long hiking legs, or do you prefer races in which the mountain biking discipline is dominant? Have you got the experience to handle an event with challenging navigation? Is the race assisted (you need a support crew) or unassisted? While the event information sheet will provide general information, you may have to contact the race organiser directly to confirm specific race elements.

An event series may initially appear attractive because of prize money, but…

• Once you’ve committed to a series, your flexibility in racing events outside of the series is limited as your finances, race time, training time and recovery time will be tied up.
• As the event locations may not be disclosed upfront, you may end up travelling to areas in which you don’t want to race or that demand too much time away due to travelling distance.
• The series coordinators select the event organisers
• Race distances may change – you could end up racing longer or shorter courses than initially anticipated.
• Even if your team falls apart, you’re contractually committed to entering a team in the events.

Event Location
The location of an event will determine travelling time and feasibility. Are you prepared to travel 9hrs for a 24hr race? While you may be prepared to travel 9hrs for a 2-day race, bear in mind that because of the distance it actually becomes a 4-5 day event – including traveling time. Distance traveled is also related to finances and calendar (see below).

Location also offers clues as to the type of terrain (mountainous, tropical, forested, desert etc) and climate (hot, cold, humid etc) you’ll encounter. If you’re insufficiently kitted for a mountainous event held in winter, select another event.

Team Format
4-person, mixed gender teams have been the standard format in all events except adventure sprints, which feature 3-person teams. Recently paired team entries have gained popularity and at some stage solo categories may also regularly feature.
Finding four people with the same goals (see below) and similar abilities (see below) is not easy although it does get easier once you’ve been in the sport for a while and have had the opportunity to meet other racers. There are also many more men taking part than women thus all-male teams are not uncommon.
If you’re starting out and are battling to find another 3 teammates, investigate racing as a paired team as an easy-to-coordinate, feasible alternative. Be aware though that racing as a pair has its disadvantages. You don’t have the strengths of a team to depend on and your interaction with the other person must be good as you lack other team-members for “dilution”.
Racing solo is only recommended if you have a lot of experience and are strong in all disciplines.

Calendar
Is the race held over a weekend? A long weekend? During holiday time i.e. Easter or Christmas? Are you able to take leave from work? If a race is held over 2 days but requires two travel days to get there and home, then you’re looking at 4 days away. You may have to apply for leave from work. When travelling long distances you may want to take an additional day or two so that you can split the travelling time or arrive a day early to rest the day before the event start. You may need a rest day after the event before driving home.

The season in which the event is held will affect your gear requirements and if you really don’t handle cold well, give winter races a miss or enter events in warmer parts of the country.

Finances
Your financial situation will limit the number and type of events you enter. The entry fee for longer events is substantially higher than that of smaller events. And, costs for things like transport, accommodation, food and gear add a substantial amount to your expenses. These increase with race duration.

While it may appear worth your while to race shorter events that have lower entry fees, if you add up the costs involved in heading off regularly for a weekend away, you’ll realise that it may work out more cost effective to a few race longer events less often than many short events more frequently.

Goals
It is essential that you and your teammates have the same goals. If you’re content just to get to the finish line and a teammate has his heart set on a top 3 placing, you’re going to have team dynamic issues – an unpleasant situation. You may also have to adjust your goals according to the event and distance. Just because your team places in the sprints, it doesn’t mean that they’ll fare well in longer races. With experience you’ll move up the ranks. In addition, in an event where a discipline in which you lack experience and strength dominates i.e paddling, you’ll have to put in more preparation and realistically adjust your goals.

Ability
Attempting events that are above your level of competence will not only cause you great discomfort, but will also jeopardise your team’s success. If you’ve raced in long events successfully but have been out of training and racing, start small. Regain confidence in your abilities and fitness before tackling a bigger challenge. If you’ve never done a long race, but have been training and preparing, go for it. It’s one way to assess your competence level.

Safety
Your safety responsibilities include competence in all disciplines incorporated in the event and having a first aid qualification. Race organisers are responsible for ensuring your safety on potentially dangerous sections and providing qualified emergency medical assistance at the event. You have every right to ask the following questions of both new and established organisers.

• Who designed the course? What is their experience? Have they, or others, physically done the route?
• Are their sufficient staff on the course? Are their communication systems adequate and reliable?
• Are emergency medics on hand? What are their qualifications? Are they physically able to access injured competitors – on foot if necessary?
• What emergency evacuation procedures are in place?
• Are the local authorities (police, fire, ambulance, hospital) aware of the race and possible emergency situations?
• Are qualified water safety officials on hand? What is their qualification and experience?
• Who rigged the rope sections? What is their qualification?

Finally…
With the range and number of events being presented, it is definitely worth being selective. Although you may have to purchase additional equipment or travel more distance than you’d like to for certain races, if the event has successfully made it through your Where? (location), What? (type of race, team format and distance), When? (calendar), Why? (goals), How? (abilities and finances) decision-making steps, you’ll benefit more from this specifically selected event than another for which you compromised your criteria.