Race Report #1 NYARA (New York Adventure Racing Association) The Longest Day 12 Hour Adventure Race.
Location: Schawangunks, NY
This was my first adventure race in over a year and early in the season, racing with some old and new teammates. It is always a bit of an unknown starting with new teammates luckily they turned out to be the best!
The race started with a 3:00 am wake up to a bike drop, and then loading onto buses for an undisclosed race start. The buses were rolling and suddenly stopped and we were instructed one person from each team had to get off the bus at this location, and then the next two were dropped off handed the maps and told to wait for their other team member.
The race started in freezing cold temperatures, and very muddy wet day. We traversed the first section with only one or two little navigation snafus … we blame them on the early morning! The race consisted of a total of 6 different sections with our gear being transported from spot to spot, but also a twist all of the checkpoints were not mandatory and worth different points, the team with the highest points and fastest time wins… meaning you have no idea if the team next to you is winning or not!
We knew we were flying in most of the race and that we had to be in contention but there is just no way to tell… The key for this race would be racing your guts out and trusting your navigation. The race consisted of Trekking, Mountain Biking, River Paddle, Back to the bike for a grueling 5000 feet of climbing, and then trekking high in the Catskill Mountains.
In the end our team finished an amazing 2nd Place in the C0-Ed ELITE division just behind the defending National Champions. Not bad for our first race, and it qualified us to race at the USARA National Championships.
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