The guys from Encompass are brewing up something new for Hampton Roads . . .
read about SEAR here. It's a series of weeknight adventure "sprint" races for solos, teams, and even "lotto" racers where you get mixed up with 1 or 2 random teammates.
The courses would be short with winning times around 1.5 hours; the disciplines would be straight forward with very basic nav (or possibly none at all in some cases); the events would take place after work so your weekends remain free.
It seems to me this would provide a feeding ground for "real" adventure racing to build an audience . . . help folks train, stay motivated, and find good teammates . . . be a lot of fun!
Before you ask,
HRAdventure has never gone this route because I really OVERKILL a course by exploring all the options, testing various legs, and agonize over event details. Mix in the permitting process and insurance and
there's no way I would do it all for around 2 hours of racing. But, luckily,
there is a way that Encompass can pull it off -- or so they seem to think -- so be on the lookout for more about
Encompass's "Sprint in the Evening Adventure Races" in the weeks and months to come.
One question for you:
what would be a reasonable entrance fee for such an event? $20? $50 for all three series events? I'm curious and, I'm certain, the Encompass guys would love to hear some feedback from the community.