Cameco Cowboy Tough

An AR Shoot Out in Wyoming at Cowboy Tough

Robert Howard / 12.07.2016

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The Cameco Cowboy Tough expedition race starts on Thursday in Casper, the second city of Wyoming and this year hosts round 6 of the Adventure Racing World Series.

It’s the fourth Cowboy Tough and at 3.5 days is one of the shorter events in the AR World Series, though the pre-race information promises a minimum course distance of around 428 miles – which means it’s going to be fast, hard racing from the start gun.

The course is expected to be broken down into 19 stages, all relatively short, the longest ride is 45 miles and the longest trek just 13 miles!  Transition speed is going to be important and the course favours biking (277 miles) and paddling (98 miles) over trekking (53 miles).

In the past the race format had enforced Dark Zones at end of day transitions, so for the leaders at least it was more like a stage race format with overnight sleeps.  However, this year race organisers Rev3 Adventure are changing up to a non-stop race with cut-off times more in line with the World Series, and ahead of their hosting of next year’s AR World Championships.

However, the rules still refer to some optional checkpoints and challenges, so strategy and tactics will still play a part, especially if the lead teams don’t go the full course distance. The race features a ropes section and this year there is a rappel and an ‘optional ascent’.  It is part of the race tradition to include a fun local challenge too – and in the past this has seen teams downing a shot of local whisky and cattle wrangling!  Wonder what they’ll do this year?

Teams will be registering tomorrow (Weds 13th) and the race will start at 6am on the 14th at the Crossroads Adventure Park with the course taking teams out into the Eastern part of the state, including the Medicine Bow National Forest and with paddling on the North Platte River. The race will close with the awards ceremony at the Ramkota Hotel on the 17th.

Unusually for an expedition race this event also features a pairs category and in the teams category there are also 3 all-male or all-female teams entered. Only the mixed teams of 4 will be racing in the ARWS category, with a prize including free entry into the World Championships in Australia in November.

In this category there are 22 teams entered, included visiting teams from Canada, Hong Kong and Sweden.  Of these the Swedish Armed Forces Team have the strongest track record and are world ranked #5 but recorded a DNF at Cowboy Tough last year, so they have unfinished business. Team Canada AR are strong too, and Yogaslackers have been close to a win in Wyoming before so they’ll all be pushing for a win against the race favourites.

Who the favourites are is open to question though.

For the past 3 years the race has been won by Team Tecnu, but at the end of last year all their team members moved over to form Team Adventure Medical Kits. This included Kyle Peter and Mari Chandler who won with Team Tecnu last time out at Cowboy Tough and are racing again this year as AMK.  

Tecnu have brought in new racers to continue their team … and now both teams are facing off in this race.  Both teams claim to be 3x defending champions at Cowboy Tough, both to have been as high as 3rd in the AR World Rankings and both to be 3x USARA National Champions … you get the idea.  It’s messy and there is going to be an intense race between these two teams!

In the Adventure Medical Kits line up Peter and Chandler are joined by Garret Bean (another former Tecnu racer), and Canadian racer James Galipeau (borrowed from Canada AR), who has raced over 20 expedition races and 3 World Championships. Peter says it’s the strongest team he’s raced with at Cowboy Tough, which is saying something given some of the racers he’s lined up with in the past.

Tecnu have always been a U.S. team, but their roster for this race doesn’t include any U.S. racers so they should be described as a visiting international team this time.  Three of the team are Canadian (Greg & Denise McHale, and Alex Provost) and they are joined by multiple World Champion Stuart Lynch of New Zealand (usually racing with Seagate).

There are other strong teams who may be in the mix for the title, but Tecnu and Adventure Medical Kits will be both be out to win … and if they don’t finish first to beat the other!

It’s going to be a showdown in Wyoming and fortunately the race is using YB Trackers so you can follow all the action on their live site starting Thursday.