Local athletes plunge into racing's big new adventure

They're sports that, individually, attract millions of athletes each year.

But put hiking, canoeing, biking, running and rock-climbing together and it's a new kind of adventure.

Its name alone -- "adventure racing" -- gave Amanda Starman an idea of what to expect.

"It's so intense to move quickly from one event to the next, you just have to get into a mental zone and get through it," said Starman, 21. "But once you get done, there's no feeling like it."

Based on the results so far, she and her teammates have found a good mental zone.

Starman and Jeff Engebretson, both seniors at Southeast Missouri State University, teamed with Dr. Ed Leoni to finish 10th out of 42 teams in an adventure race in Rockford, Ill., in late September. Three other Southeast students -- J.D. Tanner, Nicole Thiele and Dax Tobin -- formed another team that finished 18th.

It was the best finish in two events for both teams, which are working to enter more events in a team-oriented sport that goes year-round.

"I've always liked challenges and I'm an athletic person in general," said Starman, a walk-on with the Southeast track team. "You have to be a competitive athlete to participate in these. If you're not, you won't do well."

She and her teammates have seen what happens to those who aren't.

"I was completely drained after that first race," said Engebretson, who also has competed with the Southeast cross country and track teams. "A few people showed signs of dehydration. It was a challenge."

Nationally, adventure racing has grown enough that regional clubs -- eight in Missouri -- coordinate trips to some of the hundreds of events in the United States each year, most of them sanctioned by the U.S. Adventure Racing Association. Some expedition-style events can last as long as 10 days and hundreds of miles. Web sites geared toward the sport's rising popularity sell racing-themed equipment and memorabilia. Schools offer weeklong courses on becoming the ultimate adventure racer.

"Adventure racing is sort of a new wave of racing," Engebretson said. "It'll just keep growing and growing."

Much of the challenge is in the anticipation itself. Even after a team has registered for an event, the members aren't told of the course or the events until the day of competition.

The course at Rockford was a 4.7-mile run, a short canoe course, another 4-mile run, a 12-mile cycling race, a hike on which athletes use only a map and compass, another 5-mile run and a 15-mile cycling race.

Events can stretch for more than 100 miles and include other challenges like rock-climbing, swimming or horseback riding and are the decision of the event coordinators. Since the event is a continuous race, competitors have little time for rest between stages.

Starman, Engebretson and Leoni finished the Rockford course in six hours, beating the required time limits set for each individual event. Several teams were eliminated because all their team members did not meet mandatory times or reach the required dozen or more check points along the route. Some didn't finish at all.

"There are challenges built in all through it," Leoni said. "At the start of the race you're given a passport that may have listed 35 checkpoints. If you finish without every one of those checked, you're disqualified. If they're not perfect, you just wasted six hours of your life."

"I'm used to finishing marathons in three hours, so this is quite a challenge."

Staying hydrated, teammates say, is a key. The same goes for communication, since teammates could be required to carry a canoe 500 yards or more as they race from the end of one stage to start another. Since the opportunity to practice certain events is limited, being prepared physically and mentally for anything is the norm.

"They'll tell you the big events so you can have the right gear, because we'll provide some things like our own bikes or life jackets," Engebretson said. "But mountain biking and paddling are always tough. It's hard to practice those events here."

Nationally, adventure racing has grown enough that regional clubs -- eight in Missouri -- coordinate trips to some of the hundreds of events in the United States each year, most of them sanctioned by the U.S Adventure Racing Association. Some expedition-style events can last as long as 10 days and hundreds of miles. Web sites geared toward the sport's rising popularity sell racing-themed equipment and memorabilia. Schools offer week-long courses on becoming the ultimate adventure racer.

"Adventure racing is sort of a new wave of racing," Engebretson said. "It'll just keep growing and growing."

jhall@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 174