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Stepping up to a 12hr Adventure Race

Posted on July 14, 2013 by taeditor

 

Making the Step Up to a 12hr race, by Tom Davies

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So, you’ve seen an advert for a 12 hour race, but you’re worried that it’s a big step up from the 2 or 4 hour races you’ve been doing? Scared that it’s too much to take on? Read on…..

Entering your first long race is scary, that’s for sure. When James and I entered the 12 hour Dynamic DARE a few years ago, it was the longest race that either of us had done, by a long way. I think we had both done a 6-hour Questars or two, but that was about it. The thought of going non-stop for 12 hours was terrifying. As it turns out, the reality was quite different!

As nearly all adventure races are run on a “score” concept, it’s perfectly fine to do as much or as little as you want to (or can) do. There will be mandatory sections or checkpoints in every race, but it’s up to you how much extra you do in addition to these mandatory sections. Better at running than biking? Then focus on the running sections and cut the biking sections short to give you time to do this, or vice versa. Play to your strengths!

We had a great day out in the Wye Valley during that first long race. You may think it’s not going to be possible to run and bike all day without getting worn out, but the reality is that you wind the pace back considerably from the frantic sprint-race pace that you’ll be accustomed to seeing at 2 or 4-hour races. It’s ok to walk up hills! Your focus changes from going flat-out to ensuring that you last the distance. Just make sure you eat regularly in order to keep your energy up – my rule is to eat something every half an hour, whether you are hungry or not.

There are several benefits to doing longer races.

  • They are usually better value for money in terms of cost per hour of racing.
  • As said before, you get to eat like a pig with no repercussions!
  • As the race is longer, you get to head further away from civilisation into truly wild areas, often visiting some of the most beautiful parts of the country.
  • Best of all, long races often include special stages, where you’ll get to do something exciting, different or scary (or possibly all three!).

In the past I’ve abseiled off the 70m overhang at Kinsey Crag (Terrex Swift race in the Yorkshire Dales), shot arrows at archery targets (HARZ race in Germany and the DARE race in the Wye Valley), canoed down the rapids at Symonds Yat (DARE race again), jumped off a cliff into a flooded quarry (Open5 in the Lake District), and loads more.

Doing longer races also usually means that you’ll be racing as a pair or a team – the only thing I’ll say here is to make sure you race with people that you like! I’ve discovered that it’s perfectly possible for some people (mentioning no names) to talk non-stop for 12 hours. Dependant on the pain level that you are experiencing at the time, this may be a good thing or a bad thing!

Racing as a pair or team is great as you get to share the good times with your team mates, and when times are bad and you are tired and grumpy, there’s someone there to feed you, carry your pack, tow you up a hill or just provide a word of support. Alternatively, you can just blame them for getting you lost if they are the one doing the navigation at that point!

When we finished the DARE race, we thought we’d done pretty badly, as we’d had a few ups and downs, and had spent the day going so much slower than we were used to racing. When the results came out, it turns out we’d done alright, and had just about sneaked into the top 10, with which we were delighted (and surprised!). It turns out that everyone else had also had a nightmare at some point of the race as well, and my experience since then has been that if you just keep going, you’ll end up doing OK, as everyone else will be experiencing exactly the same problems as you.

In summary then, give it a go!

In the words of the Dr Pepper advert, what’s the worst that can happen?!  (Speaking of which, send us your race disaster stories. The best one wins some free stuff and gets featured in the next newsletter!)

Enter the Tri-Adventure 12hr today!

12hr Night&Day

27th/28th September 

Midnight to Midday – Pairs only (£75pp)

Test your stamina with this 12hour adventure race incorporating day and night navigation. A stunning course of 7 stages, incorporating trail running, mountain biking and night navigation – as well as some surprise stages!

Location: Mickleham, Surrey  Time: Registration opens at 10pm, event starts at midnight

Enter online today –

 

 

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4 week training plan for the new 4hr Experience

Posted on February 20, 2013 by taeditor

 

If you’re a regular to our Sprint events or a seasoned adventure racer, the Tri-Experience will need a little bit of training and a little bit of thought before the big day; here are some ideas for the next 4 weeks….

4hr Experience:  Sunday 17th March, Swinley Forest.

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T – 4 weeks

At this stage it’s a question of building up to the distance, you’re a regular at our Sprint or Trail events and do short distance training, so take it easy and build time on foot and wheels. Don’t worry so much about speed. You should be able to run for 1hr30 and bike for at least 2 hrs, try and get a couple of runs and bikes in this week, ensure you stay fed and hydrated!

T – 3 weeks

This is your last week to get over any niggles without reducing your training too much. Listen to your body as you run or ride, take breaks to stretch or massage any sore points, if you need a guide chat to Gil from FIT Concepts. Repeat the same level of exercise as week 4. Probably worth giving your bike a once over or taking it in for a service. Make sure you have the tools and know-how to fix a puncture and a broken chain; it could be a long walk on race day if not.

T – 2 weeks

You know the distance and duration of the race. You’ve built up to a few long rides and a few long runs. You’re fit and you’ve got your gear together. It’s time to look at your nutrition and hydration? It’s important to try new products before race day, you want to race with what you know and what your body feels good with.

T – 1 week

Start to taper your training. No long sessions, keep it all under an hour and the runs either gentle, or even shorter than that. Make sure you’re still stretching and massaging to keep everything supple. Pack early. Be prepared.

Race day

You’re ready for it. The distance, duration, nutrition and fitness are all wrapped up. Good luck, go fast and enjoy it!

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4hr Experience – £40.00 online

Sunday 17th March

Test your stamina with this off road adventure. Navigate trails and hills on foot and bike collecting as many check points as you can in 4 hours. A perfect step up from the Sprint event. You can enter as a solo or a pair!

Location: March event in Swinley forest (Collingwood College, Mitcham Road, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4AP)

Time: Registration opens at 08:30am, event starts at 10am

Enter online today  

Top prizes up for grabs, a great community EXPO with fantastic offers from our sponsors Sweatshop and Accelerade and plenty of team spirit!

 Join our Tri-Adventure! 

 

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Tri-Adventure launch the new 4hr Experience for 2013!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by taeditor

By James Brown

The all new 4hr Tri-Adventure Experience is here, kicking off on Sunday the 17th March the new additional to the hugely popular Tri-Adventure event calendar is promising to be a sell out hit!

Tri-Adventure team member James Brown gives us his top 5 tips for tackling the new 4hr Experience.

Top tips for the 4hr Experience adventure race

You may be an experienced racer or new to AR having done one or more 2hr sprint events. You might have already entered a 4, 5; 6hr race or your mouse maybe hovering over the enter button online but you can’t quite do it.  If you are not sure if longer than two hours is for you my advice is simply do try it. Enter now!

The Experience is a 4hr off road adventure. Navigate trails and hills on foot and bike collecting as many check points as you can in 4 hours. A perfect step up from our 2hr Sprint event. You can enter as a solo or a pair!

Here are Jame’s top 5 tips..

1. Assess your conditioning

2. Make a flexible plan

3. Running training

4. Eat

5. Arrive early

 

1. Assess

This is something to think about the day before the race.  Ask yourself honestly, How far can I run (simply running that is, not navigating at the same time) without slowing down significantly? 15km? 25km?  Get a figure set in your head, you will need this for planning.  Don’t be conservative, remember the distraction of the navigation and adrenalin of the race can often mean you can run further than seems possible in your training.

2. Make a flexible plan

How far you can expect to travel in 4hrs is very dependent on the terrain, particularly when biking.  Plan a route for the entire bike loop but noting opportunities to cut it short with minimum CP loss.  Work out the ‘points per minute’ of the bike loop assuming you use the remaining time after deducting your run loop from the total time (total points / 120 minutes).  You should be able to estimate the run more accurately than the bike.  Based on your assessment if you know you will slow down after say 100 minutes of running then look at the map and calculate the best way to use 100 mins of running at your pace.  Unless you are Mo Farrah I doubt that will be enough time to get all the controls, so design a loop that has the most controls (and therefore points) in that time.  An important part of your plan should be to have ‘options’ to extend of shorten your run loop depending on how far ahead or behind your plan you become during.  Usually extending your run helps get more ‘points per minute’ out of your run, but of course taking time away from the bike.

To this end maximising points will be based on judging the right balance between the two disciplines to achieve the best overall points per minute. And don’t be late, you’ll need time with your map which is given at registration to strategise!

3. Training = running

Although you might find the run on a 2hr sprint a doddle and the biking a world of cramp I would still emphasize running in your training. I prioritise it as I find a lack of conditioning on the bike only a minor factor during the race. An exception to this is if you are already doing 2 hour+ off road runs with relative ease and consider yourself weak at biking.

4. Eat

Main difference of a 4 hour race over a sprint (2hr) is longer run, yes the biking is often longer by at least the same proportion but it is the run that has more physical impact on you.  This is mainly because running burns more calories per hr, but also because refuelling (eating) is delayed unless you can digest whilst running.

I estimate my burn rate at 700 per hour for running, 3-400 biking; Compared to sprint you need to eat more. In two hours I usually have 80g of carbs = 240 cals, in 4hours I’ll take in approx 750 calories. Whatever foods and powders you prefer make sure you are refuelling before you feel empty or hungry. I might go for: Two gels running and then protein shake, banana, malt loaf, cereal bar, choc bar during bike. Like many people I have trouble eating on the run, I can only digest liquids and gels happily so the gobbling starts in earnest after getting on the bike.

5. Arrive early 

Good news, small (navigation) mistakes are less of a problem in 4hr than 2hr race. More emphasis is on route choice as there will be more distance between each cp, so certainly do plan your routes carefully. Not only is there going to be twice as much ground to cover, there is going to be more route choices and less certainty of how well you are doing part way round. You need to carry more water and food so make sure you are fully set up before the maps are released to make the most of available time to plan with your map before the race starts.

 4 hr – Experience – £40 online

Test your stamina with this off road adventure. Navigate trails and hills on foot and bike collecting as many check points as you can in 4 hours. A perfect step up from the Sprint event. You can enter as a solo or a pair!

Dates:  17 March, 21 July and 17 November 2013

Come and join the adventure!

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Olympic canoeist ‘Campbell Walsh’ wins the final Tri-Adventure Sprint of the 2012 season

Posted on January 21, 2013 by taeditor

 

Tri-Adventure were delighted to have Campbell Walsh in attendance as a regular at the 2012 Sprint series, finishing the year on a high -winning the last Sprint of the season!.  Campbell who has an impressive track record in the canoe slalom area (World Cup Champion, European Champion, twice a World Championship bronze medalist and an Olympic silver medalist) shows that the transition from other outdoor sports to the adventure racing circuit is a logical, fun and addictive move…

Campbell tells us about his adventure racing experiences and assures us he’ll be back for more in 2013 below..

You won our last event (well done!), tell us about your 2012 season and how you worked up to this win?

As a full-time canoe slalom athlete, 2012 was all about focusing on the London Olympic Games. Unfortunately things didn’t turn out as I would have preferred, when I failed to qualify for Team GB (I was 2nd at the GB trials, and it is only 1-spot per nation at the Olympics in my event) It was a shame, as I was actually in great shape following a good block of winter training, but I didn’t get it together on that one weekend of trials racing.

I still represented GB at all the other major international canoe slalom events of the summer – European Champs and 5 x World Cup events (where 3 entries per nation are allowed). I then made the decision to retire from the sport following a long and successful paddling career of 13 years on the GB team.

Whilst deciding what my future career might be, I now have time to pursue some of the other sports I enjoy, particularly mountain biking, orienteering and other navigation based events. Adventure racing ticks the box perfectly. I got out on my bike more and I entered a lot of running based events in the autumn – orienteering events, a fell race, the OMM.  Plus, of course, all 3 of the Tri-Adventure events. As my experience in the strategy and navigation built up, and I got more miles in my legs, I think I got faster. Ending with a win in the final Tri-Adventure event.

What do you like about Tri-Adventure events?

I enjoy all sorts of bike/run navigation events. It’s the strategy and route choice element that makes them most appealing to me – a combination of a physical and mental test. The Tri-Adventure races personally suit me well because at 2hours they are quite short compared to other events on the calendar. Coming from having spent all my life training for a 90-100 second, upper body biased, canoe slalom races, effectively using my legs for even 2 hours is a challenge for me. I also like the nice friendly atmosphere and slick organisation – I wouldn’t keep coming back otherwise!

We’re running a 4hr Experience race next year, would you give this a go?

Definitely. I recently did the 5 hour Open5 race on the South Downs, and managed to get through that ok!

Would you encourage others to get involved in AR?

Absolutely. I’m always trying to spread the word and encourage people to enter.

If like Campbell you want to experience the thrill of adventure racing with Tri-Adventure visit www.triadventure.co.uk where you’ll find lots of advice and tips for newcomers to the sport along with event calendars, our fantastic adventure racing Academy sure to offer something to suit everyone.

Visit www.triadventure.co.uk today for more information!

Find us on Facebook/Triadventure & Twitter/@Tri_adventure

Next events 17 February and 17 March

 

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Inject some sporting adventure into your relationship this Valentines with Tri-Adventure

Posted on January 21, 2013 by taeditor

 

Daniel and Helen Murphy are married and are one of an increasing number of couples taking part in the Tri-Adventure Sprint adventure races.  Have recently attended our Tri-Adventure Academy and it’s safe to say they both have the adventure racing bug, we wanted to hear about couples taking up adventurous activities together, let’s hear what they had to say….

How do you find adventure racing as a couple?

“We enjoy taking on the challenge together, and although there are sometimes frictions during a race, we are always glad to have completed it in each other’s company. We used to race together in kayak races (in a K2) and I have always been the more serious (AKA stressed) competitor with Helen taking a more relaxed approach which helps balance things out when situations don’t go to plan (like getting a little lost). One hurdle to overcome is the imbalance in fitness/strength levels between us – which is probably quite typical of a male/female team – and we are considering the use of towing devices in some future events to help with this, along with more training and descent practice for Helen.

Does adventure racing competitiveness spill over into home life?

Usually the spill over is limited to no housework being done because we are both too exhausted from training or racing! Sometimes if the house is a real mess, we can use the compass to work out how to get from one room to the next, though the competition would be limited to climbing over Helen’s clothes piles (OK, so only joking about the messy house – well, sort of). I think we save our competitiveness for race day!

Would you recommend other couples to get into AR and why?

Would thoroughly recommend it for fitness and fun (OK, less fun when the temperature is below zero), and a great way to spend time with the one you love outside of the normal home life. A word of caution is that it can take some time to develop a “racing relationship” so be prepared for some quite drives home, and maybe some less quite times during the race.

Sprint Adventure Race – £25.00

(Enter all three and save £10)

Enjoy a fast paced thrill through the stunning countryside including the three elements of adventure racing, trail running, mountain biking and basic navigation – over a 2hr course.  A perfect first step into adventure racing for newcomers and for the experienced alike to kick off the new season.

 

Sundays: 20th January, 17th February, and 17th March

Collingwood College, Camberley, Surrey

February Sprint offer – Bring a friend to experience the Tri-Adventure Sprint for 50% discount!

(Just drop me an email!)

If you fancy taking up a new hobby as a couple, something fun which can also improve your fitness and bring you closer as a couple then sign up today!

Join our adventure at www.triadventure.co.uk and ‘like’ us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/triadventure).

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Tri-Adventure January 2013 Race Report.

Posted on January 21, 2013 by taeditor

Tri-Adventure Race report:

Location: Swinley Forest, Camberley, Surrey

Events: Trail & Sprint

Date: Sunday 19th January

The morning of Tri-Adventure’s first Trail and Sprint of the 2013 season dawned with spectacular beauty, a glistening blanket of crisp white snow decorated the already beautiful Swinley Forest.

After much feedback the decision was made to move the first event of the season forward to January (to kick-start the January fitness drive), record numbers signed up and our dedicated adventure racers battled through snow and ice to make the event!

The snow, whilst beautiful, does create some challenging conditions for both the run and the bike – this coupled with the infamously difficult to navigate maze of pathways in Swinley Forest made this event one to remember…

The brave competitors were rewarded for braving the cold conditions with free tea, coffee and biscuits whilst they strategized with their maps.  Dave Rollins (GB orienteering coach) and the friendly Tri-Adventure team were on hand to offer advice and strategy tips to the many first timers who’d come along.  Given the snowy conditions a race briefing with heavy emphasis on health and safety issues was given, ensuring racers had tips on how to run and bike safely in the snow, had extra clothing and had their mobile phones.  Gil Cramer from ‘Fit Concepts’ kindly ran a pre-event warm up session, getting everyone stretched and limbered up.

The claxon sounded at 10am, the mass start on foot all headed off into the snow, soon disappearing from site and into their adventure.  As usual not everyone took the same route, groups took different routes into the forest, some striving to hit the farthest checkpoints on the 12kn run and others being slightly more cautious and off to the nearest.  One thing was for sure, careful footing and good navigational skills would be needed, the normally easy to see bridalways and ruts in the ground were covered in 3inches of snow!

Transition onto the bike showed how tough and cold the course was, expert navigator Dave Rollins said, “racers left it very late to transition onto the bike, sensibly planning to do the majority of the race on foot which is a little more predictable than the bike in snowy conditions. Every layer of clothing was thrown on before they headed off on the bike, the already cold conditions would be magnified by the wind chill so extra layers are essential.” Racers later spoke about the difficulty of surface transitions on the bike, going from wet tarmac to deep snow and often not knowing what’s under tyre – you could transition between three different surfaces within five minutes each needing different technique. A physically and mentally draining ride for sure!

A few racers made it back a little early, most on the two-hour time limit; nobody was keen to stay out in the cold for longer than needed. As racers finished there was a common theme, grins like Cheshire cats and lots of “that was so fun”, “loved it – snow was so beautiful”, it had been hard but also exhilaratingly!

The warm welcoming hall of Tri-Adventure HQ was a welcome haven for the finishers, hot showers, body massage and hot drinks with cake were waiting for all as they crossed the finish line. The warmth and refreshments were enjoyed as everybody dibbed in and all awaited the prize giving…

Sprint Winners:

Male:

1st Stephen Dadswell

2nd Isaac Griffiths

3rd JamesBrown

Female:

1st Carol Yarrow

2nd Carys Holloway

3rd Julie Jefferies

Trail Winners:

Male: Zbynek Simcik

Female: Georgina Little

Our next Trail and Sprint will be on the 17th February in Swinley Forest, for more information visit www.triadventure.co.uk/next-race

Join our Tri-Adventure! For more information and to book visit www.triadventure.co.uk and find as at Facebook/Triadventure and Twitter – @Tri-adventure

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Tri-Adventure 4 -week Sprint training plan

Posted on December 11, 2012 by taeditor

 

The first Sprint of 2014 is happening on Sunday19th January in Tilford, Surrey!  To help you prepare we’ve got a 6-week training plan to get you in great shape for the race – if you’ve not yet entered visit www.triadventure.co.uk/nextrace and sign up today!

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Week 1:  Speed and Race Preparation.

–          Trail run.  10 minute warm up. 7 sets of 2 minutes at max heart rate (170+).  30 second recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Mountain/ road/ spinning bike or turbo. 10 minute warm up and 5 sets of 3 minutes at heart rate of 160 to 170. 1 minute interval recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Orienteering trail or urban run & Mountain Bike Orienteering.  Grab a map, mark up a series of checkpoints, navigate to as many of the checkpoints as you can in 90 minutes on foot and bike.  This can be done on the trails or in a city, in the day or at night with a head torch.  Focus on going as fast as you can without getting lost.

–          Recovery run or mountain bike.  Gently run and/ or bike for 40 minutes, with plenty of stretching, warming up and down.

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Week 2:  Speed and Race Preparation

–          Trail run.  10 minute warm up. 8 sets of 2 minutes at max heart rate (170+).  30 second recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Mountain/ road/ spinning bike or turbo. 10 minute warm up and 6 sets of 3 minutes at heart rate of 160 to 170. 1 minute interval recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Orienteering trail or urban run & Mountain Bike Orienteering.  Grab a map, mark up a series of checkpoints, navigate to as many of the checkpoints as you can in 100 minutes on foot and bike.  This can be done on the trails or in a city, in the day or at night with a head torch.  Focus on going as fast as you can without getting lost.

–          Recovery run or mountain bike.  Gently run and/ or bike for 40 minutes, with plenty of stretching, warming up and down.

Week 3: Speed and Race Preparation

–          Trail run.  10 minute warm up. 9 sets of 2 minutes at max heart rate (170+).  30 second recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Mountain/ road/ spinning bike or turbo. 10 minute warm up and 7 sets of 3 minutes at heart rate of 160 to 170. 1 minute interval recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Orienteering trail or urban run & Mountain Bike Orienteering.  Grab a map, mark up a series of checkpoints, navigate to as many of the checkpoints as you can in 110 minutes on foot and bike.  This can be done on the trails or in a city, in the day or at night with a head torch.  Focus on going as fast as you can without getting lost.

–          Recovery run or mountain bike.  Gently run and/ or bike for 40 minutes, with plenty of stretching, warming up and down.

Week 4: Speed and Race Preparation

–          Trail run.  10 minute warm up. 10 sets of 2 minutes at max heart rate (170+).  30 second recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Mountain/ road/ spinning bike or turbo. 10 minute warm up and 8 sets of 3 minutes at heart rate of 160 to 170. 1 minute interval recovery between each set.  10 minute warm down.

–          Orienteering trail or urban run & Mountain Bike Orienteering.  Grab a map, mark up a series of checkpoints, navigate to as many of the checkpoints as you can in 2 hours on foot and bike.  This can be done on the trails or in a city, in the day or at night with a head torch.  Focus on going as fast as you can without getting lost.

–          Recovery run or mountain bike.  Gently run and/ or bike for 40 minutes, with plenty of stretching, warming up and down.

Good luck on race day!

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The Sprint and Experience run on Sunday 19th January, 8th March and 11th May in Tilford, Surrey,  Cranleigh, Surrey and Bransgore in the New Forest, for more information and to enter visit www.triadventure.co.uk/nextrace.

Join our Tri-Adventure!  For more information and to book visit www.triadventure.co.uk and find as at Facebook/Triadventure and Twitter – @Tri-adventure

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What is Adventure Racing to me?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by taeditor

 

Gil Cramer , regular Tri-Adventure adventure racer and fitness coach tells us why adventure racing makes him tick!

“If given the opportunity to escape the city and mundane life we lead during the week, a challenge against nature, would to take it?  Adventure racing to me is the opportunity to test myself against wilderness. To remind myself of the luxury’s that I have and meet people that are just as crazy and adventurous as me. AR (adventure racing) is an endurance based sport combining mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, orienteering, rock climbing & other skills.

On the mental side there are traits that will test you like determination, team work, leadership, motivational support.

There are few thinks I like more than being in the outdoor with my mates, battling mother nature and a few other crazy race teams to be the to the home and into a hot shower. .

The feeling you get after a day or two on your feet in some of the most beautiful wildlife areas around the world is indescribable and I strongly recommend getting as much of that feeling as you can

Why AR?

Orienteering: In most multi -sport you rely on arrows to show you the way and 99% of the time the fittest person wins. Not much chance for new comers to the event or people with other skill sets? AR gives everyone an almost equal grading as you get to choose your race route.

Variety: Lending on form orienteering, no two races are ever alike. No route markers apart from the checkpoints and the weather add many interesting situations to the events. It’s about being an all-round athlete, not just the fastest.

Teamwork: There is an option to race solo and to race as a team. Most longer races encourage teams to have at least one lady and one man in them to help encourage the growth of the sport for every one…We like thisJ

Multi-Sport: These events give you the opportunity to trail, mountain bikes and something in kayaks leading to some awesome outcomes. Some race organises like Tri-Adventure allow you to do just the trail run stage to build your confidence in navigation before adding in biking too.

Atmosphere: It probably isn’t the most spectator friendly sport, however adventure races are a different type of athlete. Most time people will wait at the finish to clap the last person home and stand around chatting to everyone to see how they did, what rough others took and most commonly ask how many others fell in the puddle on the bike stage.

Summing it up:

Adventure✔, Challenge✔, spending days and nights in the amazing outdoors with my best mates✔. What else do you need?

Adventure race is like a giant Easter-egg hunt, the checkpoints are the eggs and the prize, getting back in one peace with your whole team… Can’t beat it.”

Come and join our Tri-Adventure at the next events on the 20 January 2013.

www.tri-adventure.co.uk

 

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Get your diaries out!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by taeditor

The Tri-Adventure 2013 event Calendar is here!

Building on the huge success of 2012, Tri-Adventure announces their largest race calendar to date!

New for 2013 we have our Tri-Academy, a 4hr Experience Adventure race plus lots of exciting themed events, which will be announced during the year.

All the events are held in close proximity to London, catering for beginners through to elites and perfect for adventure racers, trail runners, orienteers, triathletes and mountain bikers.

Tri-Adventure 2013 Event Calendar

Academy

1.5 day introduction to adventure racing training course, run by experts in the field offering theory and practical workshops.

2012 offer just £99!

January 19/20th  *   May 18/19th  *   September 14/15th

Trail

1 hour off road run with navigation.

Jan 20th * Feb 17th * Mar 17th * May 19th * June 16th * July 21st * Sept 15th * Oct 20th * Nov 17th

Sprint

2 hour mini adventure race incorporating off road running, mountain biking and navigation.

Enter 6 of the 9 for a £25 saving!

Jan 20th * Feb 17th * Mar 17th * May 19th * June 16th * July 21st * Sept 15th * Oct 20th * Nov 17th

Experience

4 hour adventure race incorporating off road running, mountain biking and navigation. Entries Solos or Pairs!

Enter all 3 for a £10 saving!

 Mar 17th  *   July 21st  *  Nov 17th

 Don’t miss out on discounts for multiple event entries and early booking, visit www.triadventure.co.uk today for more information!

Find us on Facebook/Triadventure & Twitter/@Tri_adventure

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Zest girls flying the flag for females in adventure racing with Tri-Adventure

Posted on December 5, 2012 by taeditor

 

A beautiful if slightly muddy Sunday morning dawned in Cranleigh, Surrey and the last Sprint of the Tri-Adventure 2012 season was underway.  Entrants were definitely getting into the Christmas spirit with festive outfits, tinseled bikes and elaborate helmet decoration, well we had promised mulled wine and mince pies if everyone made the effort!

Emerging out of the distance we saw four new faces, or should we say four beautifully attired ‘Santaettes’.  Amanda, Katie, Caroline and Susan had read about our events in Zest magazine and decide to come along and see what adventure racing is all about.  We’re proud that our participation figures show females make up 48% of our numbers, at this rate the girls will overtake the boys!

Let’s hear from the girls and see what they thought of their Tri-Adventure:

Is this your first adventure race and what prompted you to give it a go?

Katie: I found a your feature in I Zest (I subscribe) and thought it looked fun and something different.  It is our first adventure race, 3 of us have previously run marathons and the other does triathlons. We have got a little bored with straight forward running and wanted to give something a go which involved running with a bit of a twist, the Tri-Adventure sprint seemed a perfect solution.

Caroline:It was Kate’s idea as she had seen an advert for your event in Zest and we thought “What the hell, we can’t get too lost in 2 hours”

Amanda: This was our first adventure race. We are all regular runners and always on the lookout for different events. I think Kate spotted an advert and we decided to give it a try all working together as a team.

What did you like about your first Tri-Adventure Sprint?

Katie: EVERYTHING we all though it was fantastic and have not stopped raving about it to all our running friends.  It is the thrill of finding a checkpoint and also being pleased with yourself when you actually manage to read the map correctly.

Caroline: I really enjoyed it, thought the other competitors where “Normal” and very friendly and happy to offer there tips.

Amanda: I loved it, the real challenge was the orienteering. Because I was not good at that it would be great to get better and then you could put in a lot more effort into the running and cycling. The thing I liked best was the relative freedom of choosing your own route and not having to follow everyone else. You could set your own challenge.

What did you find the most challenging about adventure racing?

Katie: For me the most challenging was the training leading up to the event on riding a mountain bike off road, which I had never done before…

Caroline: The most challenging bit was trying to run and cycle whilst map reading, then finding that you had gone past the footpath.

Was it fun dressing up and buddying up for the event with your friends – did you name your team?

Katie: We didn’t have a team name but we will do next time and dressing up was fun. Really good bonding experience I could imagine great for corporate team building.

Caroline: We like fancy dress, think we have got to that stage now where “we just don’t care “ and we like having fun and of course making our kids, and complete strangers laugh in the process

Amanda: It was great buddying up and dressing the same – we all worked together as a team well, though I’m a natural follower not the leader!! We had a sort of team name of ‘What no wifi’.

Would you recommend Tri-Adventure to your friends?

Katie: Yes and we already have done. We live in Oxted Surrey which is on the downs and we have loads of off road trails so we have even ordered maps to try to get ourselves better equipped with map reading skills.

Caroline: I would definitely recommend it to my friends, we did last night at our running club, and some seemed very interested too. Can’t wait to try another event, we know what we need to practice and why all the other competitors where really studying those maps.

Amanda: Of course I would recommend it to my friends – I did it with them! But I would recommend it to others. We don’t usually cycle do putting in the training for that made a nice change so I round recommend it to friends of mine who cycle for a change.

Sum up adventure racing with Tri-Adventure in 3 words..

Katie: Exciting, Breath-taking, Thrilling

Caroline: Time well spent (with friends)

Amanda: Muddy, Cake-earning, Teamwork!!

 

If like these girls you fancy giving adventure racing a go come along and see us at the next Tri-Adventure sprint on Sunday 20th January in Camberley, Surrey.  We’re a friendly bunch and have a great community who’ll be more than happy to offer you some advice over the free tea, coffee and biscuits!

Hope to see you there!

 

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