Explore
The 2004 Women’s
Adventure Race
Another Fun-Filled Year
By Tam Thompson
Remember how it felt
when you were a kid and you rode through the heat of summer
on your bike, stopping occasionally to cool off in a creek
or pool? Or how about the days when you’d play all
day long just to finish it off with a mad dash to the ice
cream truck? And do you remember how fun it was when you
weren’t concerned about your weight, your training
or how competitive you could be — you were just out
to have a good time?
Well, if you’re
a woman, you can recapture that free-wheeling, fun feeling
on September 5 right here in Austin! The wildly popular
Women’s Adventure Race (WAR), a team-based event that
combines running, walking, riding and splashing over a course
easy enough for beginners, but challenging enough for more
experienced racers, is back for its third year. And due
to growing enthusiasm it has become a series this year as
well. In addition to the Austin event, there is an additional
Halloween-themed race in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on October
31.
So why is the WAR
generating such tremendous buzz?
Well, one reason
is that people like Ann Berry keep coming back for more.
Berry, a clean-cut, hard-working employee at IBM, says that
getting sweaty and dirty is one of the things that makes
her feel really healthy and alive. Last year, her team “Adventure
Partners,” suited up, grabbed their gear and took
the WAR head-on.
Participating with
friend Trish Porter, Berry says the funniest part of last
year’s race was, “Trying to find the tennis
ball at the beginning. It was chaotic and fun at the same
time, tossing that ball back and forth. Skiing on those
boards, in one of the special tests, was a riot, too,”
she says.
Berry and Porter
had so much fun participating and relishing in the female
comeraderie that is a trademark of the WAR, they say they
will definitely be making an appearance again this year.
They also would be lying if they said the complimentary
goodies weren’t a draw, too. “The schwag and
food were absolutely amazing last year,” Berry attests.
(Schwag is a term for the freebies that are handed out and
included in a race packet.)
Berry also says
that preparing for the event has its benefits. “[For
last year’s WAR] we trained together at least twice
a week: running, mountain biking and paddling on Town Lake.
We each trained on our own, as well, since we’re always
preparing for something, whether it’s a 10K, a triathlon
or an adventure race. We love to train — it’s
fun!”
The WAR is also
a growing favorite among Austin women because of the causes
it benefits: the battles against breast cancer and domestic
violence. In fact, 25 percent of all entry fees from the
Austin race will be donated to the Young Survival Coalition
(an organization that benefits women with breast cancer
under the age of 40) and SafePlace (a domestic violence
shelter).
According to Susan
Shaw, senior director of development at SafePlace in Austin,
“we are extremely grateful that the Women's Adventure
Race selected the agency as a beneficiary. The Race is an
awesome event, focused on empowering women of all ages.
Considering SafePlace's dedication to ending domestic violence
and sexual assault, both issues that disproportionately
affect women, we are honored to be part of a race that specifically
highlights women's camaraderie, capability and strength.”
Yet another reason
for the WAR’s growing number of fans is it’s
inclusion of beginners in an entry-level adventure race.
Race director Jason Mittman even admits, “Anyone who
can ride a bike at all can do it! It’s deliberately
designed to be doable by anyone, even non-athletes, yet
challenging for the more advanced competitors.”
What makes it an
entry-level adventure race? For one, it doesn’t go
on all day and all night. Mittman continues, “For
the beginners, it may take up to five hours, but we’ll
have a ton of volunteers out on the course to help them
out. If you get a flat and can’t fix it, there’ll
be ‘bike angels’ out there to help you. The
more advanced competitors will finish the race in about
two hours,” he says.
Another beginner-friendly
feature is that there’s no navigation skills needed
— stressing about a map and compass is one less thing
to worry about. As with any adventure race, part of the
adventure lies in not knowing the exact distances involved.
However, since racers do need an approximate range for training
purposes, there are ranges given.
Mittman says, “Expect
the trail running or walking leg to be about two to four
miles. The mountain biking will be six to nine miles. Then
there’s the water leg, which will be awesome; we’re
having a ‘Cook up Your Own Floatie’ contest,
where people bring their own homemade float and splash it
down the quarter-mile-long water leg. And, of course, there
will be mystery events, also known as special tests. It’s
a team race, not a relay; two-woman teams will run, ride
and splash through the course side-by-side.”
This year’s
race will be a little different from the 2003 WAR, mostly
because Mittman spent months listening to feedback from
racers, volunteers and spectators after last year’s
race. For one thing, there were some complaints about bottlenecks
on the narrow, rock-strewn mountain biking course. Also,
many racers felt the Muleshoe Bend biking course was too
difficult for beginners.
“A couple
of times during the race I felt like dying,” says
Tedi Elliott of Team Tawanda. “I must’ve used
every muscle in my body. Even my neck and face muscles were
sore from grimacing and having this look of ‘I’m
terrified’ on my face. I was so glad to get off that
bike and into the water!”
Elliott participated
in the 2003 race with her daughter, Katie, and finished
it despite some initial doubts. In the hour before the race
began, 440 women on 190 teams — half of them new to
adventure racing — huddled together in nervous clumps,
the Elliotts among them.
“[This year] we’re trying to go into it with
a positive attitude,” says Katie, a college art major.
“We just kind of want to see where we are in our fitness
and have fun.”
Elliott, a massage
therapist, was a bit more concerned. “It’ll
probably kick my butt, but I think we’ll finish. It
should be a doable race for us.”
Talking with the Elliotts, it became apparent that Team
Tawanda’s weakness was probably going to be lack of
training.
When asked about
their preparation, Katie hesitated, then confided, “Well,
we thought about it really hard. We’ve been training
a lot up here,” pointing to her head, “and mom
just bought a bike yesterday.”
To address concerns
of women like Elliott, Mittman and his volunteers are cutting
and building new trails specifically designed for beginners,
that also provide sufficient challenge for experienced mountain
bikers. The new trails are considerably wider, so there
shouldn’t be any bottlenecks.
And to assuage those
who were troubled by last year’s somewhat distant
venue at Muleshoe Bend Park, this year the event is much
closer to town (Travis County Expo Center), which will allow
racers, volunteers and spectators to sleep later.
“We’ve
moved the date to Labor Day weekend, too,” Mittman
says, “so racers can relax on the day after the race.
All this work we’re putting in, cutting trails and
putting out attractive flagging everywhere, is a lot of
work. Making the course beginner-friendly and doable for
the not-so-fit, yet still competitive and challenging for
the serious athlete was hard, but I think we’ve done
it. We’ve made it a fun thing for women of all fitness
levels.”
For those who remember
last year’s event, the inner tubes of 2003 are no
more, to be replaced this year with homemade floaties. Racers
will have the unique opportunity to design and assemble
their own floatie (one per team or one for each team member)
and bring them to the race. Prizes will be given for most
creative floaties. Too busy to make one? No problem —
just bring an air mattress or an inner tube. Bear in mind,
however, that you’ll have to carry it from the transition
area to the water, so make sure it’s not too heavy.
The rules concerning
the water leg are going to require a healthy does of creativity,
too: the watercraft cannot resemble any traditional watercraft
and if paddles are used, they must be homemade. For example,
a Styrofoam creation and flattened milk cartons duct-taped
to a broom handle are legal, whereas a Dagger kayak paddled
with an ergonomic Werner paddle is not to code.
Last year, there
were two- and three-woman team divisions, and some people
had problems finding teammates for the latter. To make it
easier to hook up, this year’s divisions have been
streamlined into two-woman teams only. There will still
be special divisions for Masters (women older than 40) and
cancer survivors, however.
And what about those
special tests, or mystery events? Mittman laughs, “As
with any adventure race, we’ll keep those secret until
racers come upon them in the race. What I WILL say is that
racers will pick up something about the size and weight
of a small loaf of bread during the run. They’ll need
to have the ability to carry that thing for the whole race.”
Bungee cords on backpacks, anyone?
In last year’s
race, the special test included activities like having to
find a tennis ball with a number on it (among hundreds of
other tennis balls), holding ropes while walking in step
on two parallel boards and solving written puzzles while
breathing heavily from exertion.
There’s something for everyone at this race, and that
doesn’t just apply to the racers. “We’ve
made the course very spectator- and family-friendly,”
Mittman says. “There are several spots where you can
watch the bike leg and you’ll be able to view almost
all of the special test, which will be hysterical to watch.
There’ll be lots of kids activities, too, like a special
mini-race for kids, a Home Depot kids club where they can
build projects, and a Mix 94.7 moonwalk. All the kids’
stuff is free, too!”
Mittman is beginning
to get a reputation for really pampering the women in his
races. Last year, all the racers and volunteers were treated
to a catered, prepared-on-the-spot lunch from Carrabba’s,
which included chicken marsala, salad and vegetarian lasagna.
This year, Mittman promises all that and more. “Each
racer gets a gift certificate from Avant Salon and Spa for
$40,” he reports, “along with a really cool
shirt, a water bottle and lots of coupons.”
Why has Mittman,
a man, been investing so much time, energy and toil into
this race designed for women? “Because it means a
lot to me,” he says. “For one thing, the Young
Survival Coalition is very important to me. My best friend’s
wife had breast cancer. She’s had a double mastectomy.
I want to raise awareness that there’s an organization
like this out there for women under forty with breast cancer.
I also want to help out by raising money for it.”
Then there’s
the competitive heart that beats within Mittman. As a top
mountain biker and adventure racer in his own right, he
wants to share his motivation and inspire others.
“I want every
woman to realize that they CAN get out there, they CAN do
it and they CAN have fun and get physically fit without
killing themselves. Fitness doesn’t have to be work
— it should be fun,” he says.
Then Mittman pauses,
reflects and adds, “Last year, I loved seeing the
sheer joy of accomplishment that radiates on women’s
faces as they cross the finish line. It made me feel on
top of the world for putting on something like this.”
There may still
be a few slots available for the race on September 5, so
check online at www.womensrace.com
and register if there is still room. If the race is full,
come out anyway — watch, volunteer and help cheer
on hundreds of teams of strong, capable women! You’ll
have a terrific time and are guaranteed to leave feeling
adventurous!
Race Facts:
Web site: www.womensrace.com
Austin Race: 8 a.m., Sunday, September 5, Travis
County Expo Center
Dallas/Ft. Worth Race: 9 a.m., Sunday, October 31,
Amon Carter YMCA Camp in River Oaks
What does the race entail?
• About two to four miles of trail running or walking
• About six to nine miles of very easy mountain biking
• More than a dozen special tests
• A water leg of about 1¼4 mile that racers
bring homemade floaties to paddle
• A fundraiser for causes that fight breast cancer
and domestic violence
