Only four months after opening registration, the Untamed New England Adventure Race is sold out with its final spot going to a team from Quebec, Canada.

This is the third straight sellout for the expedition adventure race that has established itself as THE destination adventure race in the Eastern US if not all of North America.

“There are teams from all corners of the continent: California, Alberta (Canada), Florida, and all points between,” stated Clay Abney, Marketing Director for Untamed New England. “The race continues to attract international teams from as far away as Ecuador, Sweden and Denmark.”

With over four months to go until the racing begins, this marks the fastest the race has ever reached capacity.

The record setting sellout can be attributed to 3 main reasons, explained Race Director Grant Killian: “It’s a testimony to our ability as an organization to deliver an authentic adventure race with emphasis on a real back-country experience; we’ve been organizing great races since 2004 and word has spread about the Untamed New England Adventure Race. It’s also validation by our racers who can’t wait to explore the wilds of our course in Maine, based from Northern Outdoors Lodge. Finally, it’s a statement that the sport of adventure racing is vibrant and capturing the hearts of endurance athletes who are bold enough to give it a try.”

Forty-five of the teams racing in Untamed New England are listed at www.UntamedNE.com/Teams.aspx — but the full race roster will not be announced until March, as a few teams are finishing payments and formalities surrounding their registration.

Teams still interested in participating can join the waiting list, and there are still teams looking to add a teammate or two. Visit www.UntamedNE.com for more information.

About Untamed New England Adventure Race
Untamed New England is a 4-day expedition adventure race that is a qualifier for the Adventure Racing World Championship. The race includes mountain biking, canoe and kayak paddling, trail running, off-trail trekking, orienteering and fixed ropes. The 2012 edition will take place in the Maine wilderness. www.untamedne.com

With airline baggage fees on the majority of the airlines here to stay, more travelers are opting to seek out options that allow them to maximize their capacity with a carry-on. Well, here it is…the bag you have all been waiting for!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw another piece of adventure travel piece of luggage had arrived at our headquarters. All doubt went out the window when I pulled the Gregory Alpaca 22″ Roller out of the box. I received the ‘sunset red’ (it also comes in black) version and anyone that has ever traveled with me knows that I am a big proponent of luggage that stands out for ease of locating on the belt and for describing to airline personnel in the event luggage is misplaced or delayed.

I recently traversed the concrete jungle of Manhattan with this bag in tow. The 4″ oversized wheels and the wide retractable handle made it a fluid travel experience a I made my way from Grand Central Station to Rockefeller Center and beyond.

When flying on smaller commuter jets, it is not unusual to have to check your bag plane side. Many times, I have had to walk out on the tarmac leaving my bag to the elements until loaded. With the bag’s abrasion and water resistant TPU fabric, you won’t have to worry about your contents getting wet or damaged in transit.

The bag’s interior lid contains a large mesh, zippered pocket to help with the inferior organization. The same pocket contains a strap for attaching your keys while you are traveling. The top of the bag also contains a small zippered pocket for travel documents, medications, or liquids needed for quick retrieval when passing through airline security.

The interior is spacious enough for 3-5 days worth of clothing. The temps in New York for my visit were in the low teens and there was more than enough room for my apparel, toiletries, large winter coat, boots and my MacBook Pro and iPad.

I have tested more than 15 bags in the last several years and this bag has quickly become a favorite after only one use.

The bag also comes in a 28″ version (MSRP: $399) to complete the set.

MSRP: 22″ – $349

By Jill Peloquin

This is a review of Ahnu Women’s Montara, mine are ruby wine in color. First, these boots are extremely attractive – I love their look on the trail and off. Dare I say, they are crazy cute. I’ve done maybe 15 miles on muddy trails and double that around town walking the dog and pushing the stroller. These boots are extremely comfortable, warm and I’ve never left a walk or hike with wet socks or blisters. I live in New England, so I know how easy it is to get both of those. I really like the level of rigidity of the sole of this boot and their relative light weight. Together, these characteristics make it easy to hike nimbly on rocky trails and then run errands around town without having to change shoes. They have honestly become my go to boot/shoe for the winter season.

I’m not sure how these would fare for me on a trail gaining or losing a lot of elevation, where the strain would be placed more squarely on my ankle. The boots end just underneath my ankles, which makes them extremely easy to navigate terrain easily, but I’m not feeling the strong ankle support that I might need for a more aggressive expedition. I think for such hiking, I’d aim for a more traditional over the ankle boot. Also, these boots tend to narrow a bit toward the toe, it’s still comfortable for me, but I do notice the difference compared to some of my other shoes. However, the Montaras just made the cut to be part of my skimpy weight allowance to travel with me to an Antarctic oceanographic research cruise…so that should tell you how much I love these kicks.

I also found these boots to fit true to size.

MSRP: $150

By Grant Killian

This shoe beat my expectations of a Lowa trail runner. Lowa is a name I associate more with alpine treks and hiking, but I think this is a solid trail running shoe for when the weather is bad. Shallow puddles were no match for the shoe; I barely noticed a temperature difference when going through a couple icy puddles one morning.

This is a comfy shoe. I mean, it feels like warm plush slippers when I slide my feet into them. This can be both good and bad. For long hikes on cold days or those quick early morning runs when the temps are below freezing, this shoe rises to the occasion and is a pleasure to have on my feet . . . but I found my feet overheating in them on runs of 1 hour or more and for warmer days, these shoes would be best left at home. For a Goretex shoe, however, I think this conservation and build-up of heat is to be expected; the idea is they should keep your feet warm and dry, and this shoe delivers.

The shoe is well-constructed and sturdy enough for rock hopping and scrambling. The traction is reliable on a variety of surfaces. The only real gripe I have with the shoe is the shoe laces are prone to coming untied. For every 90 minute run I went on, the shoe laces would become untied at least once per shoe. Seriously! I know it’s easily fixed by putting different laces on or double tying them. I wish that all shoes I review had just a lacing downside as the main con.

The shoe’s fit was spot on. I typically wear an 11 in trail running shoes and this shoe was no different.

MSRP: $145

Ty Stevens

In the words of Todd Branham, Swank 65 race director ”it’s the most laid back, serious MTB race in the Southeast”. Well, I guess so, if you consider 40 miles of gnarly downhills, fast twisty single track, long steep climbs and sheer rock drops, all within the backdrop of epically scenic Pisgah National Forest, a fun way to spend a day. I sure did.

Todd founded Blue Ridge Adventures in 1998 as a bicycle guide and race promotion company. His company now comprises of 3 premiere and highly respected mountain bike races in Western North Carolina. As well, his company represents the Carolina Youth Mountain Bike League, or CYMBL, a series of low cost races for kids held throughout the Summer. Each event is coupled with an educational clinic to teach kids about nutrition, trail etiquette, bike maintenance, and stretching.

Swank 65, considered by its participants to be a truly authentic mountain bike race experience, has been bringing riders to tears and to Western North Carolina for 13 years. This race dishes up some of the best and most iconic riding Pisgah has to offer. Riders can expect mixed terrain single track sections, multiple creek crossings, lengthy fire road climbs and unpredictable downhills – some technical, some sudden with rock gardens and ledges, some flowy and FAST. It’s not uncommon to expect a good deal of hike and bike at certain times through the race. And you will get dirty.

“The key to being successful at Swank is the ability to flow” says Todd, “the course is designed to flow, if you’re not flowing, you’re not having a good day out there”.

Whether you are flowing or not, it’s you against the elements in effort to pedal your way through and earn a spot amidst the Pisgah mountain biking gods and godesses, so to speak. In the end, the reward; cold brew, fresh off the grill burgers, some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Western North Carolina.. and of course, serious bragging rights. I’d consider Swank, or any of Blue Ridge Adventure’s hair raising mountain bike races, a right of passage of sorts.
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The Evolution of the Mountain Hardwear Transition Vest

First, the good news:
For a mere 6 oz (7oz for the guys), this vest is worth its weight in gold. Made with Gore-tex Windstopper fabric, it successfully blocks winter’s harsh nip, while it’s DWR coating shakes off light rain, snow, & sleet to let you run further or bike longer. With a stretchy back and sidepanels, this vest moves as you do and allows excess heat and moisture to escape as you heat up. Even with a long sleeve baselayer underneath, the Transition Vest never feels bulky, thanks in part to flat-lock construction throughout. A single side pocket is handy to stash some bars (or even a pair of lightweight gloves). A big bonus is the reflective patches on the front shoulders & lower back, to help you stay visible as the sun quickly fades.

And now the not-so-good news (which actually turns out to be pretty awesome):
While you may be able to find this vest on sale at various online outfitters, it is officially not part of the Mountain Hardwear lineup this season. (I received this to test just as spring turned into a steamy summer here in the SE, so I’ve been saving this one). Instead of using traditional Gore materials, Mountain Hardwear has recently launched an innovative new waterproof/breathable technology called Dry.Q. — which means exciting new outerwear is now gracing the product shelves.

As expected, Dry.Q is highly windproof, waterproof, and breathable. But unlike previous similar materials, Dry.Q Elite’s “instant on technology” starts working the moment you put it on. It is air-permeable, meaning it allows air and moisture to escape outward. Translation: you’ll stay dry and warm from the get-go.

With 3 levels of sports-specific functionality — Elite, Active, and Core — the Dry.Q collection is certain to find success in many wardrobes this winter. I stopped by my local outfitter, Rock/Creek, to check out Dry.Q in person. All I can say is WOW, this stuff feels amazing: super-ultralight and moves with your body like a second skin. Perhaps we’ll be able to report back on this soon!

Read more about Dry.Q here.

See the Dry.Q Elite collection here.

Not everybody has the luxury of an endless summer, but thanks to Chaco’s ever expanding line of outdoor footwear we can step into other seasons in comfort. For many years, winter would roll around and I would be in some kind of footwear purgatory, unable to give up my trusty pair of Chacos I’d see it through to the bitter end, disregarding the sometimes fashion faux paus of wearing socks with sandals and tell myself that with a thicker pair of wool socks I can get by a bit longer. No longer do I have to feel bad about losing my Chaco tan line, because there is a new generations of Chacos.

The Chaco ToeCoops are similar to clogs with some performance enhancements – a rear strap combined with an adjustable instep strap keep your foot in proper placement no matter what activity you are engaged in. Featuring a PU LUVSEAT™ platform for precise biomechanic sustainability and a waterproof unlined leather upper gives a rugged yet respectable appearance all coming together to make ToeCoops ideal year round footwear whether you’re running your dog along the trails behind your house or working at the office. Not to mention the Vibram® Gunnison outsole for the reliable traction and performance you’ve grown to love and trust about Chaco footwear.

The cult of Chaco wearers is growing – they call themselves Chaconians and they are everywhere. They could be your neighbor or teachers at your nearby school. They could be a river guide or the woman throwing a frisbee to her dog in the park. There is a certain inevitable kinship that exists between Chaco wearers, an understanding that they have at last found the secret to being comfortable on your feet. Check out the Chacosphere to find out more and see a video of a fellow Chaconian about the ToeCoop.

The APEX Race, (Alpine Expedition Adventure Race) returns to Berner Oberland for the second edition of “the most beautiful adventure race in the world”.

The beautiful Swiss Alpine region of Berner Oberland will once again host the Swiss World Series Adventure Race, the APEX Race. Host venue will be the town of Interlaken, known as the “Adventure Capital of Europe”, situated beautifully at the foot of the Alps and right in between the Lakes of Brienz and Thun.

Dates for the 2012 edition have moved forward a couple of weeks and are set for June 5th – 10th, which will again ensure adventurous experiences from different seasonal conditions.

The race in 2011 was set up to be one of the most beautiful and scenic races in the world and afterwards many teams would also regard it as one of the toughest and most challenging.

30 teams representing 17 different nations took part in the event and all greatly contributed to the positive, and friendly atmosphere that also came to characterize the event. Continue Reading

GearJunkie.com, a top publication on outdoors adventure, is proud to announce a partnership with Minnesota-based Team WEDALI. Beginning in January, the champion squad will be renamed ‘Team GearJunkie/WEDALI’ for the 2012 adventure racing season.

For the past year, captained by veteran racer Justin Bakken, WEDALI dominated the domestic AR scene, including a first-place finish in the 2011 Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship. In 2010, WEDALI was also crowned the nation’s No. 1 team, winning the United States Adventure Racing National Championship event by beating the best teams in the country in a tough 24-hour race.

“WEDALI has been a top team in the United States for years,” said Stephen Regenold, editor and founder of GearJunkie.com. “We are psyched to sponsor this world-class squad and have WEDALI on the ‘Team GJ’ roster.”

GearJunkie/WEDALI joins GearJunkie/YogaSlackers underneath the publication’s “Team GearJunkie” umbrella. Each squad will have its own roster (and potentially even race against each other in events next year!) but the squads will remain distinct on the GearJunkie Team micro-site at www.GearJunkie.com/Team.

“WEDALI is thrilled to be joining forces with our friends at GearJunkie,” said Justin Bakken, who co-founded WEDALI in 2003 and now serves as captain. “We appreciate GJ’s enthusiasm for adventure racing and the commitment to bringing our sport to the masses.” Continue Reading

This is pretty much the mattress you want.

A sleeping system with a three inch thick air mattress, a half inch Isotonic Memory Foam insert and plush microfiber cover / durable nylon bottom – you might just find yourself sneaking outdoors to get a good night’s rest (or even rolling out the DreamTime next to your actual bed). A few years back I spent a few nights on the older model DreamTime and was convinced that I needed this in my life – and that was before they added the memory foam technology. Developed by NASA in the mid 60′s, memory foam was initially designed to increase the safety of aircraft seating and was released to public domain in the 80′s when the technology was absorbed by mattress companies and found application in the medical fields. For patients forced lie immobile for extended periods of time, the memory foam drastically reduced pressure sores. The DreamTime’s combination of contour hugging memory foam and air mattress offer a perfect balance comfort, warmth, and durability. This means less time counting sheeps and more time dreaming.

In many ways, your sleeping pad probably sees the most use out of all your outdoor gear – and plays a key role in your outdoor endeavors. Without a good night’s rest, even liquid sleep (coffee) can’t always encourage a cheerful outlook – even in the great outdoors. Obviously with a rolled up dimension 25″ x 11″ and a weight of just under 7 pounds, this is not your go to mattress for backpacking trips, but that doesn’t rule out loads of other situations perfect for a bit of luxury.

Most recently, I rigged up my little Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell for a tour of California’s best mountain biking spots – and was able to afford enough space in the truckbed to fit my bike and gear as well as my DreamTime mattress. When visiting friends, I escaped the need to surf their lumpy couch; when in random out of the way spots, I knew at the end of a long day of riding, I had a comfy bed waiting for me. At 24 hours of Halloween bike race, I pedaled with a four person singlespeed team with laps lasting about an hour I had to make the most of my rest time – particularly throughout the night hours when my whole body ached. Pretty much every time I hopped in the back of the camper I experienced a moment of bliss, experiencing the decadence of the DreamTime – though the cold night and comfort of the mattress didn’t exactly encourage me to get out and gear up for another lap.

Definitely ideal mattress for supported adventure races, bike races, music festivals, etc. but even nice to have around when your friends or in-laws crash at your house. And far easier to setup and stash away than your typical air mattress, not to mention far more comfortable. Two DreamTime’s can be attached together with included straps for couples. The outer microfiber sleeve can be removed and is machine washable.

The Insulation rating of R 9.0 basically means you can sleep directly on snow if you were so inclined. I have the 25″ width large version, but would probably opt for the 30″ extra large model as I spend the majority of my nights on the mattress. The price is quite steep for such decadence, but a worthwhile investment when you consider the importance of a good night’s sleep.

The first annual Winter Teva® Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer (WTMG) will award $60,000 in cash prizes to the top pro and amateurs competing in a dozen human-powered adventure sport competitions. This on-snow version of the decade-old summer Teva Mountain Games will be held February 10 – 12, 2012, in Vail, Colorado.

“In partnership with Teva, Eddie Bauer and Vail, we’ve built upon the success and great reputation of the summer Teva Mountain Games with a complimentary event that celebrates winter adventure sports, music and the mountain lifestyle,” says Mike Imhof of the Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the event.

On-snow bike events include the Teva Dual Slalom Bike, Teva On-Snow Bike Crit and on Saturday evening, the Teva Best Trick presented by Thule, boasting a $10,000 prize purse. In this unique event, freeride mountain bikers huck themselves off a massive snow feature, scoring points for big air, trick difficulty and distinctive style. Making this a dual-action event, the Teva Best Trick Bike competition will be run simultaneously with the Thule Telemark Big Air presented by Chipotle at Golden Peak.

The Eddie Bauer Ski Mountaineering (skimo) competition, an extreme uphill and downhill tour of Vail Mountain, boasts a $5,000 prize purse, the largest ever presented at a U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association-sanctioned race. “Keeping in line with Vail’s reputation as a world-renowned ski destination, we designed a challenging course with the kind of distance, vertical, ski terrain and prize money that rival the prestigious European skimo races,” says Pete Swenson, director of the U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association and Specialist for the Mountain Games. Continue Reading

On Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, Montrail athlete Dakota Jones set a new record for the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run, also known as the Double Crossing. Jones ran from the South Rim to the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on the North and South Kaibab Trails in 6 hours, 53 minutes and 38 seconds, breaking the old record by six minutes. This was the second time Jones completed the 42.5-mile run with 10,500 vertical feet of climbing – he first ran it two years ago in 8 hours and 40 minutes.

For more about Dakota, check out his blog.

Couple gets engaged while racing in world’s biggest adventure race

Sixty kilometres is a long way to mull over a question that will change your life forever, especially when you’ve had to swim and kayak before hopping on a mountain bike nursing an engagement ring that’s at the heart of that burning question.

So how nervous must Michael Cain, 30, have been as he tackled the Anaconda Adventure Race knowing that he had to keep the ring safe and sound (and his mouth shut) until the final 2.5km beach run, where he planned to propose to his girlfriend, Shannon Trend, 26, also racing?

The couple was competing for the second time in the Augusta, Western Australia event, as mixed team ‘ Sporty and Aqua Ted’. Michael had planned the surprise knee-bend for six months: longer than he trained for the event itself.

“It will remain one of the most memorable days of my life,” said Michael after finishing the world’s largest adventure race with a smile (she, of course, said yes).

“The day turned out even better than planned: not only did she say yes when I proposed on the beach, we also improved our finishing time over last year by 18 minutes!” Continue Reading

We have been juggling the idea of a team ranking for a few years and have finally decided to pull the trigger. Our panel has based our inaugural rankings based on an informed opinion of team’s performances at key races in the US (and a few international ones where relevant). This will be a monthly addition to the site so race hard and perhaps you will see your team’s name on the list (if not already) moving forward.

AR Power Rankings:

1. Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic—Strong showing at both CPT and USARA Championships (2nd at both), winners at Gold Rush, 12th at the AR World Championships in Tasmania (top North American team there), strong showing at APEX Switzerland race, 6th at RTNX — Kyle Peter is poised to be the first big AR star of a new generation of athletes, in our humble opinion
2. Dart-Nuun-SportMulti—1st American team at APEX in the Swiss Alps, 3rd overall at Gold Rush and 3d overall at RTNX — Tecnu beat them head-to-head at Gold Rush in Sept and that’s good enough for us to place them under Tecnu
3. Wedali—Won the CPT Nationals race, 3rd at USARA Nats (behind hybrid of Tecnu/SOG teams); 9th at RTNX; overall body of work for 2011 too impressive to bump them out of our top 3
4. Team Bones—3rd at Expedition Idaho (1st American team), 16th at the AR World Championships (2nd American team) has them in our 4th spot. They rarely race the shorter events, but for the big epic races you can count on Team Bones powering through the course
5. GearJunkie/YogaSlackers—Despite a 6th place finish at CPT, they took 2nd at Gold Rush, 4th at Exped Idaho (2nd American team), and 5th at RTNX (2nd American team). Perhaps the best performance by this team was their 2nd place finish this year at what may be the hardest race on the planet, the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. The longer and tougher the race, the more money I’d put on these guys. I have no problem slotting them in at #5.
6. Team SOG—They won USARA Nationals and took 2nd (on a hybrid team) at CPT Nationals — so maybe they should be ranked higher, but their inconsistency in race personnel made us uncomfortable placing them above this 5th spot. Their 6th place finishing Expedition Idaho team, for example, was vastly different than their USARA Nationals team. Still, 6th place on this list is pretty darn good!
7. Odyssey Adventure Racing/ ImONPoint.org—They won the USARA Nationals Masters division (finished 4th overall) and took 3rd at CPT Nationals. No expedition race results of note for this bunch in 2011 (although Mark Lattanzi has had a great race at the World Championships in Tasmania on the “Dancing Pandas” team) Continue Reading

It was action and upsets aplenty at today’s Anaconda Adventure Race National Series held at Augusta, in Western Australia, with the Kiwi contingent taking its first ever win in the Trans Tasman Trophy, an annual grudge adventure match-up between New Zealand and Australia.

The Kiwis conquered the reigning Australian team by 30 minutes and 17 seconds, the Trans Tasman winner decided by the cumulative times of each of the three individual racers representing their countries.

World Multisport Champion Richard Ussher won outright to give his team a healthy early showing, crossing the line in 3 hours 55 minutes and 5 seconds. The win also returns Ussher to being the overall leader of the Anaconda Adventure Race National Series with only one round remaining.

West Australian elite athlete, Sean O’Neill came home second to restore some adventure racing pride for the Aussies with a time of 4 hours and 37 seconds.

Third place was snatched by a New Zealander, however Braden Currie was not a member of the Kiwi team racing for Trans Tasman honours. His first place in the previous Anaconda Adventure Race outing at the Gold Coast in September came too late for selection.

Rounding out the dominance of the New Zealanders were Trevor Voyce in fourth and Fleur Lattimore, who won the overall female category in her first ever Anaconda Adventure Race in a time of 4 hours 43 minutes and 31 seconds.
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Check out this cool video of Team DART-nuun-SportMulti from the folks at 1iOpen Productions. Though the video spotlights the team, it is a great promo for the sport of adventure racing. If you are not enticed and engaged by this clip…you may be on the wrong site! Enjoy!

Team DART-Nuun-SportMulti: Ultra Endurance Racing from 1iOpen Productions on Vimeo.

By Cyril Jay-Rayon

After completing an expedition length adventure race, you find yourself reliving parts of the race for weeks following such an intense experience. The journey you go through is so profound that memories percolate at random times after returning to normal life. You might be engaged in such a mundane activity as grocery shopping when a vivid memory pops into your mind. Sometimes you don’t know why the memory surfaces while other times you see the connection. The simple sight of an eggplant might trigger the memory of the purple bruise on your teammate’s leg after an unwelcome crash or the hallucination you had one night that eggplants were hanging from trees (I’ve had stranger hallucinations). The vivid memories that inhabit your mind bring back all sorts of emotions and feelings you experienced during the race. Joy, awe, satisfaction, exhilaration, camaraderie, disappointment, frustration, and pain are only some of the sensations that weave themselves into a tapestry of emotional ebbs and flows. During these long races on little sleep, it is not uncommon to experience emotional extremes in a matter of just a few hours.

The Gold Rush Mother Lode World Championship Qualifier was no exception in the sense that it brought about strong emotions. What was different though, for me, is that after the first day, only three emotions permeated my world and these were at the less enjoyable end of the spectrum, misery, frustration, and disappointment. I felt miserable because halfway through the race, I could no longer take full breaths, my throat was on fire, and coughing sent pain throughout my weakened body. I felt frustrated because my mind was still clear but my body produced no power, and I felt disappointment because I ruined my team’s chances of winning the race after leading it early on.
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Team “HT-18” from Helicopter Training Squadron EIGHTEEN (HT-18), from Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Fla., were named the 2011 All-Military Wilderness Challenge champions, October 8, with a winning overall time of 7:30:47. Team “Motor City Racing” from Coast Guard Medical Clinic in Detroit, Mich., came in second with a time of 7:34:08 and Team “Paradoxical Trinity” from Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., was third with a time of 7:40:17.

The challenge was sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Region, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department, Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown and ACE Adventure Resort, West Virginia’s largest outdoor outfitter. More than 100 military personnel representing all five branches of the armed forces competed in a series of five outdoor adventure races over two days in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and on the New and the Gauley Rivers in West Virginia.

“We wanted to finish first,” said Cmdr. John Quillinan, U.S. Navy, HT-18 Team Captain. “At the end of the first day we were up by three minutes, so we started thinking we can do this. On day two, we pushed ourselves hard to get to the finish.”

Teams participating in the Wilderness Challenge competed in an 8K mountain run, a 10-mile mountain bike race, a 15-mile forced hike through the mountains, a 14-mile whitewater raft race on the Gauley River and a 7-mile kayak race on the New River…more than 50 miles covered in two days.
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If the Shoe Fits, Wear It.

As an endurance trail runner (translate: a lot of miles on the trail!), I get asked many questions about the best shoes out there. My answer?

There are LOTS of great ones! The key is to try them on and see what works best for your foot.

One of the brands I’ve had the opportunity to test this year is Montrail. While they discontinued my trusty favorite, the HardRock, Montrail has introduced several new shoes to their lineup since, including the ever-versatile Fairhaven.

First Impressions:
The Fairhaven has a generous toebox, yet the fit was secure enough for me to confidently traverse rocky terrain. They have more cush than my previous trail running shoes; while comfortable, I’m curious to see how the support holds up after long miles on the trail.

70+ Mile Update:
In order to properly test this shoe, I indulged in runs on all kinds of terrain, from gravel roads to rocky trails to wood chip pedestrian paths… and even some paved surfaces. The Fairhaven features FluidPost, Montrail’s new pronation control technology that “provides customized support for any runner’s footstrike on any terrain” (read more here.) It’s really quite genius: extra support is there when you need it (like on those gnarly trails full of ankle-twisting rocks), but not when you don’t (good for when it takes a bit of road in order to get to the trails). Speaking of rocks, the Fairhaven sports Montrail’s trusty Gryptonite outsole for excellent traction on sketchy terrain (both wet & dry). The result is a do-it-all shoe perfect for trails with diverse footing or on new ones when you don’t quite know what lies ahead.

Conclusion:
The Fairhaven is definitely worth checking out next time you’re at your local shoe retailer. My biggest complaint is that my foot seems to be right inbetween a 9 & 9.5; however, with a thicker sock, the Fairhaven has performed well, guiding me to new sites on new trails, as well as several top 10 finishes in trail races. Winning in my book!

Want more info? See the Fairhaven in action here.

For the weight weenies: Men 11oz/310g / Women 9.4oz/265g

By John Reed

From International Adventure racers to some of the province’s top senior athletes, the City of Trail is the ultimate host.

Located on the banks of the mighty Columbia River with a history rich in exploration, mining and sport, Trail, British Columbia, in the heart of BC’s West Kootenay region is commanding attention.

Recent host of this summers’ Raid the North Extreme 2011, a six day, 500km adventure race that is part of the Adventure Race World series, and co-host of the BC Senior’s Games, which brought 1000’s of competitors and their families into the region, Trail excels in hosting National level sporting events and, in producing world class athletes.

Former NHL players and Stanley Cup winners Dallas Drake of the Detroit Red Wings, and Adam Deadmarsh of the Colorado Avalanche, along with New York Mets outfielder Jason Bay and sister Lauren (former Canadian National Softball team member, and current pitcher with National Pro softball team – the Philadelphia Force), are just a few of the sporting greats of note who have deep roots in the Greater Trail area.

The city’s tagline “Explore your Trail” is very fitting given the backdoor access to walking and hiking trails found throughout the area. Everything from riverfront Gyro Park, to access to more than 135km of beginner to expert trails keep locals and visitors outside, fit and active. And for those who really like to test their mettle, check out the internationally acclaimed, “Seven Summits” ridgeline mountain bike trail for 32km of some of the best single track riding found anywhere, in nearby Rossland.

So whether you’re thinking about your next holiday, planning a major sporting event or training for the next big race, Trail’s back door access to wilderness and riverfront is not to be missed.

For more information on this great destination contact the Trail Chamber of Commerce at (250) 368 3144
or the City of Trail Parks and Recreation at (250) 368 6484.

Photo Credits:
• Trail at Night-City of Trail (Larry Doell)
• Gyro Park-City of Trail (Brian Findlow)

By Paul Cox

The first annual Kawnivore lived up to its billing

Those of us who rush to paddle our local rivers after work and every other chance we get do so, I’m guessing, because we enjoy the rhythm of the paddling motion. The sensation of propelling yourself through the water as quickly as you can by channeling your effort in the most efficient manner is energizing. The sound of the paddle jabbing the water, the blade slicing toward and away from you as you rotate in the seat and pull, and the clean swishing sound the water makes as it slides off your paddle as you lift is joy. Repeat. Repeat. It’s a good feeling … but, unfortunately, there would be very little of that during the first annual Kawnivore paddle race July 22-23. At least there wouldn’t be much of that in succession.

The temperature in Manhattan, KS, according to the digital sign at a local bank, hit 105 degrees a few hours before the start of the race. God knows what the heat index was. I was too scared to find out. Even though we’d race through the night, I knew there would be enough time for the heat to melt my will to paddle in the incredibly shallow water of the Kaw River.

Because the Missouri River has been at flood stage for so long, the faucets essentially had been turned off in those rivers that feed it. The Kaw River (the Native American name for the West-to-East ribbon of water that now is named the Kansas River) dumps into the Missouri, so paddlers knew this race would be no float trip. We were going to have to earn every one of the 94 miles.

Still, more than 124 boats had registered for the race. Paddlers lined up for the start in the Blue River maybe 100 meters from its confluence with the Kaw in Manhattan. The race would end in Lawrence, KS. The multi-person and solo female boats began at 5:30 p.m. The solo males — my group — took to the line at 5:45 p.m. and sat in our boats waiting for the 6 p.m. start. I figured those in my group would burst off the line in an all-out sprint to catch a ride on the wake offered by the fast tandems that had a 30-minute head start. I prepared to suffer. Then, as nervous energy built, I began tightening and tinkering around with my rigging, lighting, GPS, etc. Bad idea. The start was just a few minutes away when I snapped my bow light clean off! Good Lord!! I couldn’t possibly miss the start! I paddled my kayak to the shore where, thanks to the generosity of another racer who happened to be stowing a full roll of duct tape in his cockpit, I was able to tape down my light just good enough so it didn’t drag in the water. Good for now, I thought.
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By Grant Killian

So I didn’t scare you away with this previous piece and you’ve now got a big race on your calendar. It’s time to get serious about your preparations.

I’m going to use the Untamed New England Adventure Race as the model in this material, but really most any good adventure race would suffice as a goal. I’m fond of saying that if you’re not at least a little bit scared at the starting line, you need to find a different race . . . so be sure to have an event in your sights that’s a challenge.

Untamed New England features trail running/trekking, mountain biking, paddling, ropes, orienteering, packrafting, and whitewater rafting. It makes sense to tackle each of these disciplines, but I also want to touch on safety, nutrition, packing, sleep strategy, and all the other facets to expedition adventure racing. In the months to come, I will target specific steps you could take to prepare in each of these areas, and throw in some other training thoughts along the way. I’ll try to cover as much as I can!

I will assume you’re reasonably fit; by this, I mean you could go run a 1/2 marathon this weekend without injuring yourself or needing to walk — your pace isn’t a concern as much as your overall fitness level and ability to exercise continuously for at least a couple hours. I presume you’ve got a good base of endurance and aren’t a couch potato. If this sounds like an unreasonable assumption for you, you should consider volunteering at the Untamed New England race to see first-hand what’s involved. Gradually build up your exercise level over the next year or so until that 1/2 marathon threshhold is a comfortable distance.

With that lone assumption out there, let’s look at specific steps you could take this November to better prepare for the Untamed New England race next June. I’ve organized tasks into 3 groups: 1 is Non-physical, one is Physical, and a third section I’m calling the “Untamed Aspect” where I go into detail on some really Untamed New England specific material.
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