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Choosing Your First Race

Ivan Park / 17.02.2010

Stepping out of your door to set off to your first race could be one of the hardest steps you take in adventure racing. If you chose a race well suited to your aims and expectations you could find yourself hooked. Chose poorly and that first race might not be the great day out you were expecting, and your first race could be your last!

At a first race it's natural to be a little nervous and to wonder what you've let yourself in for, but if you've done a little research there will be less nerves and it will be more enjoyable.

It’s better to set out to enjoy the day and see what you can achieve, rather than setting off with any expectation of where you will finish in the ranking. Putting having fun and pushing your own limits above competing with others will take you a long way in adventure racing … and you'll find if you achieve the first two the last one will take care of itself!

So, what do you need to think about when choosing your first race?

Location
The chances are you may have heard about a race close to where you live, and thought, "I'll have a go at that." There are some advantages to this; you may have friends who have done the race before and can ask about their experiences, you may know the area (though relying on what you thought you knew could lead you astray) and getting to the race is not too much of a time commitment. Plus if it's around the corner there is less likelihood of finding excuses not to go!

Much depends on where you live of course. If you are in the South of Ireland there are opportunities with Carlingford Lough Endurance Challenge in Co. Louth for 3 person teams which is now going into it’s 10th year, Total Experience Adventure Race in Wicklow for 4 person teams with a Sport or Experts option, The Beast of Ballyhoura, a 36hr event for 4 person teams which also has shorter options in the form of the Blackrock Challenge and Ballyhoura Blitz for solos and pairs, which all run in Co. Limrick and the National Adventure Marathon which is a ten stage race for 4 person teams over a weekend in Co. Kerry – plenty of choice there!

For city dwellers there are the Rat Races which in the past 2 years have been held in Galway & Belfast (at time of writing it was unclear if they would run in Ireland for 2010), in the North of Ireland the Cooley Raid now going into it’s third year has grown to a 24hr+ race for 4 person teams or pairs and also has it’s little brother the Cucuhuliann Challenge which is an 8hr race for 4 person teams or pairs held in the Cooleys & Mournes, the Kilbroney Challenge which runs in the Mournes for pairs and the Causeway Coast Adventure Race series which started 4 years ago and run in a number of places in the North for teams of 2.
The alternative approach to doing a local race is to find a race held in a place you'd really like to go to and make a weekend of it. (Some races have camping options but in most cases you'll have to make your own arrangements.)
All in all, Ireland is well served for races and there is plenty of choice but you will have noticed that all the above events are for teams and all will require at least one of your team to have a basic idea of navigating, in some of the events the navigating will be straight forward while others (which tend to be the longer events) will have more orienteering sections in them.
Adventure races are fast growing in Ireland but if you can’t get a team together or you are just looking for something which you can do solo with the added bonus of a marked route then you should look at some of the multisport events which are out there. These events are based around running, which can be off road, cycling which is usually on roads and a short kayak or swim section, prefect if you’re coming from a triathlon background. The West of Ireland has been leading the way with the Gaelforce event in Mayo, which has grown to be one of the largest of it’s kind in Europe, last year they had 2500 competitors. Other events following in their footsteps during 2009 were Diamond Quest Ireland and Achill Roar both very successful events and back for 2010. Also in the line up for 2010 are the Conamara Adventure Challenge which is the smaller brother of the Gaelforce event, the Wicklow Adventure Race, West Wicklow Roar and 70 Wild Miles. We’ve also got a new Coast to Coast event which is planned for solo’s or pairs but you’ll also need a support crew for this event coming our way.
How Long?

Before entering it's natural (and sensible) to ask; "How long is this race?" That might seem like a simple question … but in adventure racing there is no simple answer!

To begin with you have to understand that AR is an endurance sport … and that a short or 'sprint' adventure race is considered to be 3 – 5 hours! (Even one-day races are considered 'short' when compared to 24 hour and multi-day races.) Don't be intimidated by this as courses are designed to let you go at your own pace or do as much of the route as you can in the time available. Look on the race as a day out and think what great value-for-money the entry fee is!

Many of the adventure races have short route options while the multisport events you’ll be in for the full distance, Diamond Quest Ireland & 70 Wild Miles offer the option of a relay, some will have some score orienteering, where you aim to get as many checkpoints as possible within a certain time limit, this also determines the race 'length'.

Other races such as the Kilbroney Challenge & CLEC follow a fixed route but even then there is no fixed distance given as each course is unique and is often only finalised a few days beforehand depending on local circumstances, access, weather and ground conditions. This kind of race usually allows for short cuts or the option to miss some challenges out if you need to.

There are hybrid races too, like the Rat Races, where parts of the weekend are on fixed routes and others require navigation, some races even vary in format from one event to the next! Like the CCAR events which usually change from one event to the next.

The best advice is to carefully check the race websites for format details (you'd be surprised how many novices turn up with no idea what to expect) and to think in terms of the time you will be out competing. In general the shorter 'beginner friendly' races (like the CCAR events) will take from 3 to 5 hours.

Fitness

Another difficult question to answer is, "How fit do I need to be?" Again there is no simple answer, but in general if you are fit enough to run/jog and ride (not race) a mountain bike for a few hours and enjoy it, then you are more than capable of having a go at an adventure race.

Adventure racing can sometimes be portrayed in the media as a sport for 'superfit' and elite athletes taking on the 'ultimate challenge' but nothing could be more misleading. This may be true of the world's top teams in international races (they achieve some amazing things and should be an inspiration to a novice racer), but shorter races are designed to be achievable for any fit person and flexible enough to complete at your own level.

In navigational races with a fixed time limit you can choose which checkpoints to visit and how to spend your time. You don't have to go to that checkpoint up a big hill, and you can stop and rest if you want – cafes near a course sometimes do good business from sweaty, lycra-clad customers!

The chances are that you will be more bike-fit than run-fit or vice-versa. This is true of almost every novice racer and is part of the challenge