The following is an example of how an Untamed adventure race works and will give
you an idea for what to expect;
where appropriate, we've used the example of our Untamed Virginia 2007
race as a way to share some specifics and give you an idea
for what Untamed New England may be like.
This is what you can expect from the moment you decide to register for the
event on through to the end of the race:
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Once you've determined you have your team to race with,
you complete our online
registration process that concludes with submission of your
payment information (secure credit card transaction).
- You will get an email confirming your registration transaction,
and a few days after that you will get an email detailing
specifics about race waivers, the online team portal (where
you can change teammates, update your web biography, etc),
and lodging information relevant to the race.
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Starting in February 2008, each team captain will get an emailed
Captain Communication with details about the race including course
commentary etc. There will be 2 or possibly 3 Captain Communications
leading up to the event. Here is an example of the first Captain
Communication that went out for our 2007 Untamed Virginia event:
www.UntamedVA.com/forms/communication1.htm -- Note: this was
for our 2007 Virginia race and the specifics in the Communication
do not apply for New England or anything in 2008!
-
In May 2008, the Captain Communication will include the location for the race
check-in, host hotel, driving directions, and a detailed timeline
leading up to the race. This will be sufficient information for
everyone to get to the race check-in the morning before the race.
- The morning of the race, once your team has
completed the check-in and skills testing,
you will get your official race instruction booklet
and race maps. In the case of the
2007 Untamed Virginia race, the packet looked roughly like this:
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The contents of the packet for Untamed Virginia 2007 included a 22 page instruction booklet,
2 1:30k scale topographic maps, 2 1:24k scale topographic maps, and 2 supplemental trail
maps. The topographic maps were colour, UTM gridded, and tyvek -- so very water resistant.
The supplemental trail maps were on plain paper, and the instruction booklet was printed
on plain paper.
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Inside the instruction booklet, you will find the following:
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Basic emergency procedures
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Information about the race area
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Course overview (order of disciplines, transition areas, etc)
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Any relevant off-limit regions/roads for the event
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Cut-off information and alternate courses
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Course details including checkpoint locations and specific guidelines for each portion
of the race.
The following shows a sample from the Untamed Virginia 2007 race booklet:
View the first page from the sample booklet as a PDF;
view the second page from the sample booklet as a PDF.
- With much anticipation, the race will start at noon on Thursday June 12th.
Once the race begins, you will rely on the information in your instruction booklet as you
traverse the course. You will travel by bike, on foot, in canoe, and negotiate rope courses
as you move from checkpoint to checkpoint. There are no official aid stations
along the course; your team must remain
self-sufficient for the duration of the event and complete the course under your own power
(so hitch-hiking for example, is grounds for disqualification!). Your team
must also remain together for the duration of the event, as this is not a relay.
We expect teams will filter or purify water from
water sources along the course; teams may find an open convenience store
and stock up by purchasing supplies; teams will have access to
their gear bins in designated transition areas and
we're certain that the bins will be a welcome source of food, clothing, and other gear.
Many teams will sleep at least once during the course of the race, some teams may choose
to bypass sleep entirely.
We've seen teams join forces to achieve the goal of finishing a race,
working cooperatively to find elusive checkpoints, fix a broken bicycle, or to
carry the gear of a struggling teammate.
In our experience, less than half of the teams that start the race
will finish the full course. Finishing the full course is a great accomplishment
and, for many, completing the full course is more significant than "winning" or "losing" the race.
Some teams will be placed on "alternate courses" as they arrive
late to specified checkpoints; this works to keep slower teams from being out for 90 hours on the
60-hour course and, hopefully, ensures that everyone will finish their course before sunrise
on Sunday, June 15 2008. Some teams will voluntarily place themselves on an "alternate course"
due to mental or physical fatigue. Some teams will withdraw from the race entirely, although we hope
it won't be due to a serious injury.
Sometime the afternoon or early evening of Saturday, June 14th the first team
will cross the Untamed New England finish line and be crowned the winner. Other teams will
follow and the steady flow of teams may continue on into the early hours of Sunday June 15th.
Regardless, we'll welcome finishers with food and drink (good beer, too) and conclude the event
the next morning at a brunch and awards ceremony.
Finishers of an Untamed Adventure race
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