The AR World Championships - Costa Rica
A Meditation
Adam Rose / 09.12.2013
I'm tired. I don't know about you, but it has been a long week. Thule is on the verge of winning, Seagate has retired, and I want to lie down. No, my feet aren't infected, my legs aren't in agony, my arms aren't encrusted with mosquito bites, but I feel like I've been through the grinder.
Adventure racing is a curious beast. Every sport has its passionate followers, the enthusiasts and even disciples who will go to extraordinary lengths to watch events unfold, but ours brings out the weirdos. Well, not actually that crazy, but watch the reactions when you tell people how it works on the hard end, and you'll get That Look. The faintly amused, but also slightly alarmed, slight nodding of the head. They smile to humour you, but also have no comprehension about what you're describing. Better to agree and move on.
We sit for hours, glued to a screen, watching those little dots track across vast, featureless wastelands. We press Refresh every few seconds, convinced something serious is about to happen, but hours can pass before the blip obliges.
Why? What is it that pulls one out of bed in the early hours to press that button again and again, when sanity would have one stay under the warm covers, not dopey-eyed and mumbling to a machine.
It is because We are With Them. On that rough, rutted road, hauling the bikes up an insanely steep hill; through the quagmire and frustration of the mangrove bog; over the mountain peak in the cold, the rain; watching the sun break through the clouds to send warmth into weary bones. We've watched our friends struggle through the pain, and shared in the elation and joy of a battle hard fought and won. We have carried packs for our brothers and sisters, towed them when muscles flagged, and been borne along by their generosity and spirit when our own efforts have waned.
We are Team, out there, and at home.
Am I going all gooey right now? You betcha. We stumble into this sport for all sorts of reasons, and if the conditions are right, we are humbled. The amazing scenery, the soundless beauty of the moment, the cameraderie on the trail, they do not shout our greatness, whether we are world champions or bringing up the rear.
Instead, it is a privilege to be an adventure racer. It is a privilege to have lucked into this sport that very few will ever know. It is a wonder what our bodies can endure if we accept there are no limits. I, for one, am grateful.
Spread the passion.
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