Adventure Racing Worldwide Network
'Cause Life is an Adventure!
Why We Are Addicted to Adventure Racing
Ahhhhh, the million dollar question. What makes Adventure Racers so rabid about a sport in which there are so many variables that it boggles the mind and soul? That’s probably what a lot of trail runners who are considering crossing over into AR would like to know before they leap. So I’m here to help. I made the jump from Triathlon to Adventure Racing in the mid 90s because I was intrigued by a sport that relied less on negative splits and ripped abs than on wits, skill, teamwork, and the human spirit. My first race was the Raid Gauloises in 1994, and although we finished dead last, I was hooked for life. Adventure Racing is like a rubics cube of athleticism, human synergy, adversity management skills and sheer guts. If you’re missing one of those essential elements, you’re sunk. But when you have a team that has that special ability to rearrange the puzzle in just right way, it’s a magical experience beyond description. The beauty of Adventure Racing is that at the end of the race, you know you’ve accomplished so much more than merely conquering a difficult course and testing your personal limits--you’ve actually proven yourself in life’s most important adventure: being a great
human being. Adventure Racing allows us to bring out the hero, the warrior, the healer, the leader, the genius, and the compassionate friend in each of us. In a successful Adventure Racing endeavor we are our very best, most enlightened selves, and we can see that reflected in the eyes of our teammates. This is the reason we all sign up for the world’s most painful but life-affirming races again and again. Yes, the places we go and the things we see in this sport are often truly inspiring, which is much of the reason we all plunk down that first big entry fee. But somewhere “out there”, as the challenge becomes too overwhelming for one tiny speck of a human being on the vast face of the earth and we allow ourselves to experience the comfort and strength of silently sharing one heart and one mind with three other human beings, we are both transformed and transcendent. Definitely worth the price of admission, don’t you think?
by Robyn Benicasa @ Adventure World Magazine
human being. Adventure Racing allows us to bring out the hero, the warrior, the healer, the leader, the genius, and the compassionate friend in each of us. In a successful Adventure Racing endeavor we are our very best, most enlightened selves, and we can see that reflected in the eyes of our teammates. This is the reason we all sign up for the world’s most painful but life-affirming races again and again. Yes, the places we go and the things we see in this sport are often truly inspiring, which is much of the reason we all plunk down that first big entry fee. But somewhere “out there”, as the challenge becomes too overwhelming for one tiny speck of a human being on the vast face of the earth and we allow ourselves to experience the comfort and strength of silently sharing one heart and one mind with three other human beings, we are both transformed and transcendent. Definitely worth the price of admission, don’t you think?
by Robyn Benicasa @ Adventure World Magazine
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