The Official Home of
The Mongrels
A Texas Adventure Racing Team
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Adventure Racing: The Sport |
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Overview: The only generally accepted limit to the definition of Adventure Racing, is that it is a sport where you compete in multiple disciplines, generally over longer distances than in most other sports Disciplines: In most instances, races will include a combination of hiking/running, mountain biking, kayaking and navigation ... but especially in longer expedition length (multiple days) race disciplines often include horse back riding, advanced ropes sections and anything else the race directors can come up with Team: One generally accepted standard is also that it is a team sport, usually in coed teams of four (coed defined as meaning at least one person of the opposite gender, regardless of whether you are male or female) ... however, most races will have multiple scoring divisions (all male, all female, 2, 3, or 4 person etc.) and for racers with proven race resumes, it has also become acceptable to race solo Navigation: Navigation is a general component that is usually part of every race in one form or another, but many race promoters arrange races that are completed on marked trails with none or little navigation required ... these are especially great if you are just curious for an introduction to the sport ... the REI Texas State Championship Adventure Race Series is a great example of such races here in Texas Of course, Navigation adds a dimension of mental challenge that in our opinion is truly what makes Adventure Racing exciting, so if you are interested in the sport ... learn how to navigate sooner rather than later Race Length: Currently, most races are categorized into three race lengths, sprint (less than 6 hours), one day (12 - 24 hours) and expedition (multiple days) Each race length has it's advantages and disadvantages and not necessarily as obvious as you might think Sprint races, even though they are a great introduction to the sport, can be extremely physically challenging because they are raced at such a fast pace One day races, are obviously significantly more challenging in terms of preparation and overall endurance, but because the pace drops substantially, they can be quite manageable to complete for a novice racer Expedition length races are a whole different ball game altogether and honestly not something The Mongrels have a lot of experience with ... but as a general rule, sleep becomes one of your major obstacles and women often perform better compared to their male counter parts the further into a race they get
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