While there's a lot of work on the organizing front for the rest of our 2006 events, it sure is nice to have an actual race
that I'll compete in on the horizon. I've got a team together with our sights set on the
Raid the North in July; it's not the usual
Team HRAdventure suspects because they all have other things going on at that time, so I scrambled together a couple from
Richmond ASR and a forth teammate from the Charlottesville area and a new team is born just for this race:
HRAdventure / Axis Gear.
Obviously, you know where the
HRAdventure part of our team name comes from, but you may have questions about the Axis Gear part.
Axis Gear is a small Canadian company that has been around adventure racing for a long time . . . they make custom apparel and other cool AR toys -- check out
the Axis Gear sample gallery of custom jerseys for AR. The Axis Gear main office is relatively close to the area for the Raid The North, and since they've been a sponsor of our races in the past and make top notch equipment for the sport, it was a logical step to team up with them as a sponsor for this 36-hour adventure in July. We'll be sporting some very nice custom jerseys from Axis Gear, so look for us to be the best dressed on the course. That may be all that we'll be best at, however, as I know nothing about that region and I understand the navigation can be brutal to those unfamiliar with the terrain. 1:50,000 scale maps are not all that detailed, either, and since outside maps aren't permitted at this race we'll have our hands full with the nav and unfamiliar terrain. Our goal isn't to go win the race, but to finish the full course and end with smiles on our faces -- and maybe finish with enough energy to eat some ice cream at the finish line.
We've got some fun team training lined up, including an overnighter next week in the Shenandoahs, and we're sorting out support crew, food strategies, etc. For me, it's such a nice change of pace from organizing and haggling over permits and race sponsors -- it reminds me why I got started doing this stuff in the first place. I think 2007 could feature more racing and less organizing for me.
So, stay tuned for more on our team preparations and, in the meantime, I encourage you to check out the
Axis Gear products and support a small business that loves adventure racing and -gasp- their products are all made in North America!