Cross-Training Competitions

Just five years ago, we only had three or four adventure races from which to choose. This meant that we had to turn to other sports to sharpen our competitive edge. Today, with all the adventure races to choose from, other cross-training competitions could easily be overlooked. These competitive events can support our adventure racing habit and offer a valuable fix for adventure racing junkies, so let's take a look at where we can turn for those "other" races.

R.O.G.A.I.N.E.: Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance is essentially an orienteering competition on steroids. These team events typically last twelve to twenty-four hours and are on foot. The route finding elements coupled with the ultra-endurance and team component make them our favorites for adventure race cross training.

Ultra-distance Trail Running or Mountain Biking: the multitude of these ultra-endurance events comes in a variety of lengths. Trail running starts at fifty-kilometers and can go beyond twenty-four hours to multi-day stage races. Ultra-distance mountain biking has somewhat less variety and numbers, but you can still find plenty of one hundred mile and twenty-four hour events. These events are great for focusing your training in one discipline. One thing to keep in mind though, is not to overdue it. One hundred-mile trail runs can trash your legs if your training base is insufficient.

Duathlon/Triathlon: has seen a significant exodus of its racers to adventure racing. This is rather logical. Multi-sport athletes are accustomed to long training hours in multiple disciplines. The Ironman has been widely held as the ultimate standard of endurance. Duathlon and Triathlon has evolved to an off-road environment, which enhances its adventure race cross-training benefits. Moreover events such as the Minnesota Border-to-Border add longer distances, the team aspect and ultra-distance canoeing to the mix. So do not hesitate to include select duathlons/triathlons in your training schedule to fire your competitive spirit.

Winter Races: Just because snow is on the ground, doesn't mean we have to hibernate. Snowshoe races are among the fastest growing winter activities. We have also seen a proliferation of multi-sport winter competitions that include snowshoeing, cross-country, downhill and/or skate-skiing, and snow-biking. MountainQuest is producing the first ever Winter Adventure Race (W.A.R.) in Colorado, and you can expect to see more of these types of races.

You will want to keep several things in mind as you add such events to your training/racing schedule:

  • These cross-training events should enhance your adventure racing goals. Remember you are an adventure racer first. If competing in the above events causes injury or compromises your training in other adventure racing disciplines then rethink your training program.
  • Ensure that you have sufficient recovery between these events and your adventure races.
  • Use these events to gain confidence in your ability to perform in a single discipline for long periods of time. By using competitive events, you will probably have a higher intensity than if you simply do long training runs or rides.
  • These events are usually less expensive than adventure races so your value is maximized. R.O.G.A.I.N.E.'s are generally $30.00 or less per person for a twenty-four hour event.
  • Do not focus so much on your results in these events as on the lessons you learn during the races. The more knowledge you can gain and then apply to adventure racing, the better.
  • You can find some of these events on ARzone's events section, www.us.orienteering.org, www.adventuresports.com, UltraRunning Magazine, Trail Running Magazine and Mountain Biker Magazine.

These are some ideas that you can integrate into your training schedule as you prepare for your adventure racing season. Train smart, race hard and enjoy!

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