The G-Rant : Grant's Rants on Adventure Racing

March 2006 - Posts

• Team HRAdventure Takes the Red Pill

  We at Team HRAdventure finally got around to signing up for the Moab Expedition Race this October; it's analogous to Neo taking the Red Pill in the Matrix since it will be the longest race we've competed at so far . . . 300 miles from October 5th through 8th and it looks to be a great test of endurance (both physical and mental).  Now, the quest for a strong support person for the race begins in earnest . . . anybody interested in visiting Utah/Colorado this Fall?  We'll cover your lodging but NOT your plane ticket -- which means I'm sure I'll be calling on my friends and family in the Denver area. Also on the Team HRAdventure schedule is a 36-hour race in Maine this June; looks like a great weekend in New England!  I think we'll be doing a few other events too (GOALS etc).  We qualified for USARA Nationals at the February race but I doubt we'll go this year either -- I think the trip to Utah will sap our travel budgets and the Sea & Sand that we're organizing as part of Virginia Beach AdventureFest is the weekend after Nationals.  There's only so many races you can do and still have a "real" life. I should point out the "Team HRAdventure" that participates in the races organized by HRAdventure is not competing in the Race Series because: Some of the team are helping organize and run the events (I fall into this category as race director). The HRAdventure events are a chance to compete with some other friends of ours and let them in on the fun.  The personnel is different.  Only Mike Jones, for example, is racing this Saturday on Team HRAdventure for the Sproute. Posted Mar 29 2006, 11:32 AM by gkillian with 1 comment(s)

• Test ride some sweet bikes on April 22nd

  Trek has finalized plans to be at New Quarter Park on Saturday April 22nd as part of their "Ride The Best" tour . . . you can test ride mountain and road bikes to your hearts content!  This park was the setting for the adventure race last October (TASC 2005) so it's also a chance for you to revisit some of the fun Williamsburg singletrack! It looks like they'll have the Gary Fisher "Cake" model on hand, along with the ever-popular (in adventure racing circles) Trek "Fuel."  Check out the full line up of bikes, including some stuff for the roadies, at http://www.ridethebesttour.com/event_detail.php?event_id=890. Trek's mid-atlantic man, Rick Bartels, should surely be around and you can pick his brain about components, bikes, and even adventure racing (Rick raced the Storm last November and gave the "experienced" teams a run for their money -- at one point I think Team Trek Bikes had the overall lead in that race). Posted Mar 28 2006, 12:46 PM by gkillian with 1 comment(s)

• Yes, we know that SPROUTE is not really a word

  We've had some funny comments from people about the name for our April 1st race . . . officially called the "Spring Route" but we usually shorten it to "SPROUTE."  Some have gently pointed out that "Sproute" is not really a word and that, instead, "Sprout" is the proper spelling.  Thanks for the spellcheck and your concern, but we knew this when we first christened this spring race back in 2005.  It is an intentional choice to spell it "SPROUTE" and pronounce it "SPROUT;" it has a nice fresh ring to it . . . thoughts of spring come to mind.  We always try to capitalize SPROUTE in our materials so it stands out more as a hybrid of Spring and Route . . . I suppose we could do something like Sp-Route but it's our race and we'll label it what we like.  I just didn't want people to think we don't use spellcheck or, worse, actually thought SPROUTE  is how we spelled the word that means "Young plant growth, such as a bud or shoot." Besides, I've never seen an adventure race that included a spelling challenge; although I have endured some pretty lame "special tests" in my day . . . most notably the potato-slice-and-toss in a swamp at the 2005 Talon AR.  But that's a subject for some other day . . . See you at the SPROUTE. Posted Mar 28 2006, 09:33 AM by gkillian with no comments

• Volunteers with Experience

  I was talking with one of the volunteers for the upcoming HRAdventure SPROUTE adventure race and he mentioned he had some race experience . . . turns out he's done some expedition racing and he sent me this link from his team's run at the Moab Expedition race put on by Gravity Play out of Colorado.  I'm particularly interested because Team HRAdventure is looking to do this race this coming October, so I'll take some time to look over his site. This particular volunteer is coming up from North Carolina which is impressive since he'll be traveling further to the race than many of the teams!  Of course, Jill's parents come down from New Hampshire to help with the events so they usually win the award for going the furthest distance to volunteer with us.  As for the furthest racers to participate . . . I'd have to check but I think Oregon is the furthest West, Florida is the furthest South, and Connecticut is the furthest North.  Time to start checking the weather report for Richmond for April 1st . . . Posted Mar 26 2006, 05:38 PM by gkillian with no comments

• An adventure race put on by ODU April 15 ?

  Don't get your hopes up too high . . . by any standard, this looks more like a fun scavenger hunt than an actual adventure race, but hey it's better than nothing: Monarch Adventure Race 2006. There's no monopoly on the term "adventure race" and anybody can weave those two words into the title of their event; we at HRAdventure are familiar with one definition of adventure racing while others are welcome to their own term.  Just don't show up to this event at ODU with your bike and boat (because it looks to be just a foot race) and you can probably leave your hydration pack at home too (because it's only a 2.5 mile course). Still, it might make for a fun morning for some folks out there.  Only 10 team spots are set aside for the public, so if you aren't connected to ODU you may already be too late for this one. Posted Mar 22 2006, 03:21 PM by gkillian with no comments

• Prepare Your Feet For the SPROUTE!

  Here is a great post from Foot Guru John Vonhof on preparing your feet for endurance events.  None of it is rocket science, but it's a concise summary of measures to take before the race, on the morning of the race, during the race, and after the race.  While targeted towards marathoners, the tips are just as relevant for adventure racers. Personally, I'm a big believer in baby powder for my feet. Posted Mar 21 2006, 08:45 AM by gkillian with no comments

• Shamrock Expo Lousy Training, But Good Experience

  Our booth this past weekend at the Shamrock Marathon Expo was very interesting; I think we did a good job of spreading the word about Virginia Beach Adventure Fest as well as catching up with friends and making some new ones.  We'll be wiser when we set up our next booth! A few of my observations, in no particular order: I have a knack for spotting ultra runners; some things you can just sense and this is something I had a perfect record on this weekend.  I got turned on to a Virginia-centric ultra site that I'll be sure to stay tuned to. Concrete floors stink to stand on for any length of time.  We should have brought some yoga mats or something to put down to give our legs a break. Pam and Mike, my teammates with Team HRAdventure, are much better salesmen than I am.  Maybe I don't drink enough coffee, but those two are very very eager to bring people into the booth and give them a good talking to.  Mike kind of gets this crazed look in his eyes!  My style was much more laid back, letting interested people approach us instead of corralling every marathoner into an AR intro.  That being said, I think Pam and Mike were very effective and I wish I could sustain that level of extroversion -- as it is, I'm very much an introvert (might surprise some of you) and I can turn on the extroversion when I need to, but my extroversion energy runs thin after a little while.  The orienteering challenge that we ran from the booth was fun, but not as many people did it as we would've liked.  I think it was a lot to expect from people picking up marathon race packets etc.  I'm glad we did it and I would do it again, but we'll know next time not to print so many coloured maps!  Congrats to those who did complete the challenge and we've already notified the raffle winners. We should've ran video of past races (there is a video from the first TASC out there!) or Eco-Challenge or PrimalQuest . . . it might have drawn more interest in our booth area and I know it would've kept those of us at the booth entertained during the slow periods. People who do our races are generally nice people.  There were some who had raced an HRAdventure event and stopped by just to say hello.  That was really cool.  It's tough at our events to have much of a conversation with people because of the volume of teams and the schedule; it was nice to catch up with some friends and hear some positive feedback for the 2005 TT etc.  It's also nice to take a break from explaining what "Trekking" means -- it's a foreign concept to most marathoners.  We've considered organizing an HRAdventure party with participants and sponsors, but we haven't found the time to organize one more event on top of a full race schedule; such a party would be a good way to catch up with the people we spend hours and hours racing around. Finally, I think I can say unequivocally, a sunny day spent in a giant concrete auditorium is a sure fire way NOT to train for adventure racing.  Yes, we did some good public outreach for the sport, for VBAdventureFest, for HRAdventure, and for Encompass, but I'd take a clear day on the trails and/or water over another convention booth any time! Posted Mar 20 2006, 12:48 PM by gkillian with 3 comment(s)

• Adventure Sports Mag on the Rebound

  Looks like my earlier post about the next big adventure racing magazine was a bit off and that the successor to adventure sports magazine might just be . . . adventure sports magazine. The ASM homepage now reads: "Adventure Sports Magazine is transitioning to new ownership. ASM will be re-launched soon under new management. All subscriptions will be honored so please stay tuned for the best adventure magazine yet!" Posted Mar 15 2006, 01:42 PM by gkillian with no comments

• Singletrack in Virginia Beach & Chesapeake

  For Hampton Roads mountain bikers tired of the long drive to the Peninsula just to get some quality singletrack in, brace for some good news.  The dedicated volunteers with the EVMA have revitalized the Ipswitch trail system in Chesapeake and it sounds like they've got support from  local bike shops like BikeBeat and, most importantly, the city leadership. They've put in some bridges and over 3 miles of singletrack at the moment, with their sites on more in the months to come.  They've run a few night rides out there on Thursday evenings and, I think, they're continuing the evening rides into the Spring. For details and directions to Ipswitch, contact the BikeBeat near to the Ipswitch trails: (757-424-6151) and ask for Rick or Carlos.  You can also email ride.ipswich@yahoo.com with questions or to get on the update list. Next time I'm south of the James River I should throw my bike on the roof and stop by the trail! Posted Mar 15 2006, 08:45 AM by gkillian with no comments

• Listening Skills

  I agree with Adam in his Reading the Tea Leaves post.  Your body is always talking, but are we always listenting?  It's another good reason to train the same way you race so that you get used to the subtle and not-so-subtle signals your body is giving you. Posted Mar 13 2006, 12:15 PM by gkillian with no comments

• Win a free HRAdventure race this Friday and Saturday . . .

  You may already know that HRAdventure is teaming up with the City of Virginia Beach and Encompass-Adventure to establish an annual adventure festival in November called VBAdventureFest.  I'll have tons to say about this in the months to come, particularly as we add other adventurous events both for young and old . . . but for now our next VBAdventureFest item is to run a booth at the Shamrock expo and registration pick-up this coming Friday and Saturday.  Racers and organizers from Team HRAdventure, myself included, will be at the booth along with the navigation-nuts from Encompass.  I suspect our booth will be one of the more lively -- maybe we'll mix shots of Hammer Gel for people or something fun? One fun thing going on at our booth is a small, free, and very basic orienteering challenge that we're offering and we have prizes lined up from the good folks at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and some other area establishments.  To be eligible for the prize drawing, just complete the orienteering challenge.  That's it.  One of the prizes is a free race entry for a future HRAdventure event! So, if you're running the Shamrock and/or in the neighborhood, stop by and talk all things adventurous with us. Posted Mar 13 2006, 11:05 AM by gkillian with no comments

• HRAdventure Series Adventure Race #2 . . .

  . . . is now accepting applications at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1298728  The 2006 Tidewater Traverse will be a challenging and intense 12-hours of adventure racing in Eastern Virginia's forests, rivers, and everything in between.  This might be my favorite race we put on and if you're looking for a race demanding physically and mentally, then this is the race for you!  The event sold out last year in about a month so don't wait too long to get in. The TT 2006 Presenting Sponsors are Gary Fisher and BikeBeat.  Blue Ridge Mountain Sports is the 2006 HRAdventure Race Series Title Sponsor. The race is also part of the National Trails Day celebration. Right now, the HRAdventure website hasn't been updated with the to register for the race, but it will in the next coming days -- I just haven't had time . . . Posted Mar 09 2006, 09:50 AM by gkillian with 3 comment(s)

• Successor to Adventure Sports Magazine

  The demise of Adventure Sports Magazine has left a void in the hearts of many adventure racers; I'm often asked things like, "what ever happened to ASM?"   It's been a few months since ASM stopped publishing and I think we're seeing the emergence of a succssor to the throne.  Navigation Games, at www.NavigationGames.com, has published two free issues online in preparation for their physical publication in future months.  They're just testing the waters with these trial issues, but it's really encouraging.  Check out the March issue; it's full of great content geared to those of us who love adventure racing (such as a bit on declination, rogaineing, and look at an Eco-Challenge long gone).  In my opinion, the content is better than most of what Adventure Sports Magazine published; let's hope they keep it up!  It also looks like they're appealing to a good core of advertisers, too, which is really the heart of most long term publications. As for the title Navigation Games, I just can't get over the awkward sound of it.  It makes me think of children playing at recess.  If they do eventually publish and go "big time" in filling the ASM void, I'm hoping they go with a different magazine title.  I'll even get the ball rolling with some other name ideas such as "Horizons" or "Azimuth" and they could even tack an "Adventures" onto the end of the name to clarify . . . Azimuth Adventures has a nice ring to it.  Maybe something even more dynamic like Dynamo (here's how Dynamo applies to orienteering).  Maybe they should have a "name our mag" contest as a promotion? Anyway, check out their great March issue and we'll see what the future holds for Navigation Games.  Kudos to Sierra Adventure Sports for giving it a shot! Posted Mar 08 2006, 01:17 PM by gkillian with 1 comment(s)

• My Compass

  This is the latest compass I've been racing with.  I like the quick response on the needle and the integrated UTM scales on the baseplate.  It has a small, but nice, removable straight edge which can come in handy on a course.  Another nice touch is the "no thought needed" declination adjustments -- just turn the compass over and dial in your East or West declination.  It's rare that I really need to cosider declination, I generally navigate by terrain and "rough compass" instead, but having the East and West gauge on the backside of the compass saves brain cycles when I do need to use declination. I've been tempted to work with a thumb compass for land nav but I haven't invested the time or the $$$ in giving it a whirl.  Posted Mar 08 2006, 08:31 AM by gkillian with no comments

• North Pole Expedition

  A friend of my family is planning the Prince of Monaco's expedition to the North Pole in April; not a bad gig if you ask me!  Even though journeying through Russia's northern reaches and into the arctic sounds cold and harsh, I think it'd be a lot of fun provided you were well-prepared.   Probably a bit like the race we did last month in North Georgia . . . but if you're traveling with royalty you probably don't have to scrounge for gear and I doubt they close the race course on you (but I don't question Odyssey's decision to close the course at that Georgia race, don't get me wrong). The goal of the trip is to perpetuate Monaco's tradition of arctic investigation and to contribute to the the body of knowledge and public awareness around climate change in the Arctic due to pollution.  I'll have to remember to check it out in early April and keep tabs on their progress. Posted Mar 07 2006, 01:52 PM by gkillian with no comments