Cowboy Tough Adventure Race

Cowboy Tough Race to Test Teams in Wyoming

Rob Howard and Randy Ericksen / 18.07.2013

This morning the Cameco and the City of Casper Cowboy Tough Expedition Race starts and 30 teams will set off at 9am at Curt Gowdy State Park, Wyoming. Among them are several top U.S. teams who have competed at international events, including  DART Nuun, GearJunkie/Yogaslackers and Tecnu Adventure Racing who are all competing in the 4 person category.  This has 14 entries with the remainder in the pairs category.

The race has a flexible format to allow the elite teams to race non-stop over 4 days, while giving those with less experience the opportunity to stop each night in a Dark Zone transition area.  Each day’s stage will last between 16 and 24 hours, with teams having to reach the mandatory checkpoints in the prescribed time to avoid being short coursed, but there will optional rogaine style checkpoints on each stage as well which the organisers promise will be demanding enough to ensure the elite teams can race non-stop.

The total distance is expected be between 290 and 390 miles and teams will be in remote and mountainous country and over 5000 feet for much of the time. Teams have been advised to take a satphone for their safety and told to watch for rattlesnakes. (There are lots this year after a mild winter.)

Adventure race reporter Randy Ericksen will be posting daily news reports and photos to us and the race plan for the teams is as follows;

Day 1 - The race begins with orienteering to checkpoints in Curt Gowdy, followed by rock climbing in Vedauwoo and a bike ride through Laramie to Medicine Bow, where the racers have their first overnight check-in. 

5-15 miles trekking 

20-30 miles single-track biking 

50-60 miles road biking 

20-30 miles fire road biking 

Ropes section 

Total distance = 95-135 miles 

Day 2 - Next, they hike to Seminoe Reservoir, canoe its 18-mile length, then hike to an orienteering course at the Miracle Mile, the stretch of the North Platte River between Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs. 

20-30 miles fire road biking 

30-40 miles trekking 

20-30 miles flat-water paddle 

Total distance = 70-90 miles 

Day 3 - On day three, the racers bike to Martin's Cove, where dozens of Mormon handcart pioneers perished in an 1856 blizzard. Racers will have the option of pulling handcarts for 5 miles and collecting checkpoints before biking into Alcova for the night. 

20-30 miles fire road biking 

20-60 miles road biking 

20-30 miles trekking 

Total distance = 80-120 miles 

Day 4 - The last day brings a bike and hike followed by a canoe trip down the North Platte. Racers finish with a brief slosh down the North Platte River on river-boards and jog through Casper. 

20 miles road biking 

5 miles trekking 

20 miles paddling 

1 mile of whitewater riverboarding

Total distance = 46 miles 

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