I got word from Pike that the
Sproute Adventure Race is sold out. 60 teams or more, from what I'm told, and at least 1/3 of them are made up of entirely new adventure racers. That's right . . .
fresh meat! It's always cool to see new faces drinking the AR kool-aid. Of course, if there are 20 totally new teams I can predict the following (based on a few years of careful analysis):
- - 2 of 20 will realize they are in over their heads and may not come close to finishing the course. This may be the first and last "adventure race" these folks do.
- - 5 of 20 will have a pretty good time and end the day
with smiles on their faces and mud on their gear. Not everyone on these 5 teams will be stoked about the sport once the day is done, however, as these 5 teams could fall victim to the "bad team dynamics" scenario, the "I'm not a good mountain biker/paddler/runner" scenario, or any other number of things. Out of the people on these 5 teams, like a phoenix from the ashes, I've seen great race teams rise up to take on future events; these 5 teams are a lot like the free agent pool in professional football (or like the crop of freshmen females at my college during the first few weeks of school). Some experienced teams will be hoping for a bumper crop of dispossessed adventure racers after the Sproute on March 3.
- - 13 of the 20 will have a really really good time and be hooked. This doesn't mean they drop what they're doing and start adventure racing every week, but it does mean they enjoyed the experience enough to keep their eyes out for future races and -- possibly -- consider moving onto a 12 hour race etc.
This is mostly just idle ramblings, but there is some truth to it. Each year, I see the same pattern play out. Of course, this year will be different for me personally as Pike are at the helm of the HRAdventure ship; my involvement with Sproute has been neglible, testing the course a few months ago and that's about it (my focus has been on other things, and I'll have big news to share about that later). I'm certain the sold out field of Sproute racers are in for a great start to the 2007 adventure racing season in Hampton Roads!