UpNorthica

Are you burning for outdoor adventures, but gosh, just don’t feel like outrunning avalanches or BASE jumping from 300-foot cliffs? If you love hiking, paddling and portaging and think it would be even more fun with an added competitive edge, then it’s time you tried Adventure Racing.

Wild Adventure Race is one of several Minnesota organizers that provide a chance to discover, then test your physical and mental limits. Most races have elements of orienteering, paddling, biking and climbing. Think a  BWCA trip, compressed into a half-day. and with bikes. Fun? Affordable? Yes to both, but what has impressed me more in my 3 years of racing is how approachable they are, even for schlubs like me.

As with marathons, many racers are there mainly to compete with themselves and enjoy the outdoors. And though my team, Sex Panther by Odeon, hasn’t exactly placed well historically, we’ve succeeded more than once in surprising ourselves with what we were physically capable of. You get a fantastic workout, great memories and with luck, a few scars to brag about. And damned if you don’t come out of it feeling like a particularly Radical and Extreme human being.

There’s still time to register for the Spring 12 Hour and 2-3 Hour races in Red Wing, on May 10th (Hint: Beginners will want to go for the 2-3 Hour.) For seasoned racers, a Fall 24 Hour race will take place up north, close to Giant’s Ridge. Race Director Dan Williams tells me that last year, they bused all the teams to a non-designated location in the course, dropped them off with instructions to ‘head north’ for their first checkpoint and so began the race. Hmm, maybe I’ll opt to be just an Extreme Volunteer for that one and hand out the freebie water bottles.