May 24, 2020|Adventure Racing, Outdoor Activities
What a great way to spend the day!! Today I participated in my first virtual adventure race (not my last). I have already posted a little bit about virtual adventure racing with the race by Rootstock Racing, The Lockdown. I have not had the chance to do this one yet (it is a 21 hour race). I thought I might ease into things with the Virtual Adventure Challenge, organized by Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge and Iron Bull.
Just a quick review on virtual adventure racing. You register for a race (if you want to participate in the above listed races, you have to register by May 31st to get a shirt and complete the race by June 30), then they will send the details. You pick where you complete the activities and when. The specifics on this race are as follows:
2 hour Road or Mountain Bike
1.5 hour Hike/trail run
1.5 some other activity
There are a couple of things that you should look for along the way (i.e. a bridge, a hill, some cool feature). Once you start, you have 48 hours to complete the above challenges. You can break the activities up over 2 days or knock them out in one day. Once you are done, you post on the event page to show you did everything.
My race started at 9:22am at Black Hill Regional Park. I was surprised at how crowded the parking lot was already. I actually almost bailed, but decided to get out on the trails to see how they were. I started with mountain biking. I guess everyone from the parking lot was fishing because I barely saw anyone out on the trails (yay!). I was a little tired from my ride earlier this week (and slower). I also did the whole Ten Mile Creek trail instead of riding out and back. The last mile before you hit Rt. 121 is a bit much for already tired legs. I arrived at the parking area about 15 minutes before my 2 hour mark, so kept going and hit Hamilton Trail. I ended up with 10.5 miles.
Went back to my transition area (Dave’s truck) and swapped biking gear for hiking gear. I also thought this would be a good time to enjoy one of my special treats (a bowl of greek yogurt, blueberries, cherries and almonds). I realized I forgot a spoon. I searched Dave’s truck everywhere for an emergency spoon ( I have several in my truck; you never know when you might need one). Can you believe it?! Dave does not keep emergency eating utensils (or anything even close) in his truck. I had to resort to a (clean) dog poop bag :). Yes, I went there.
Next I did my hiking leg. I somehow managed to time it perfectly to 1.5 hours. I completed 4 miles and still encountered very few people. I was thankful that I was heading to the kayak next as my ankle was starting to yell at me a bit.
My final leg was kayaking. I had brought my SUP too, in case I wanted to switch out. After I felt the temperature of the water (very cold), I knew the SUP would stay in the truck. I might have a tendency to fall into the water when on a SUP ;). I completed over two miles in the 1.5 hours I was on the water. My watch notified me that it was low on power. I thought I could push to she shore to capture my entire paddle before it died. I was wrong. It died about 3 minutes before I made it, erasing the entire section. Blah!
Overall, it was a very good experience. I pushed myself like I was in a race. I know that I could go out anytime and do the same thing, but sometimes you need that extra something. I am looking forward to doing the Lockdown next. There is one other virtual AR that I know of, the Quarantine Adventure Challenge by Adventure Enablers, if you want more options.
One final thing! I am really hoping that at least one person has actually read this. The first person to comment, either in the comment section below, or on the FB post, will win a FREE first aid kit!!!!!