Alli Northcott
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Alli Northcott races on The North Face Adventure Racing Team and will be sending us her blog and race reports. Here's her take on what Adventure Racing is all about!
What is adventure racing?
I get asked this all the time, even by those who I run and ride with regulary, suspiciously eyed by the adventurous amongst them and challenged by the real athletes wearing lycra I always get asked “ so like a triathlon then?” The answer is yes and no I suppose. A triathlete to me conjures up an image of racing snake performance on road - this is definitely not me! I'm a plodder, OK I can move reasonably on my feet and on my bike, but I am in no way a elite athlete.
Lucky enough though, plodding with an ability to keep going for hours on end is what an adventure racer needs to be able to do, the other similarity to triathlon I suppose is the multi-sport element but that's where it ends. Take all those activities you enjoy doing; riding off road, on-road, throw in a few technical sections, trek uphill downhill through forests and countryside, run a bit, add in a couple of rope sections, maybe some kayaking, add a bit of competition and the requirement to navigate yourself and your team from A to B and there you have it - Adventure Racing.
There are all types and lengths of events, from 2 hour sprints, 8 hour, 12 hour and 24 hour races to 6-10day expedition type events based in some of the worlds most fantastic wildernesses. There are plenty of short weekend events based in the UK to get you hooked and the people taking part are the most friendly, supportive and helpful folk I've ever met, check out adventure racing in the UK and come have a go, we definitely need more girlies in the sport! You can enter as a solo or with one or two mates, so there is really no excuse for at least not giving a go, if you need any advice I can probably point you in the right direction (well except in forest where much to my own and my team-mates amusement I still get lost!).
The North Face Team
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So why the blog?...
Well I've managed to get myself on a team, the North Face team, which comprises of me (the girlie) and three guys who are very strong individual racers. Last year we had a pretty good season, 2nd in the British AR championships in Scotland (The Wilderness), 10th in the World AR championships held in Sweden and placing in the top three in all events we entered in 2006, my first dabble into the world of AR and particularly expedition AR was certainly a pretty intense and amazing experience!
This year I know what I've let myself in for and the season ahead looks pretty exciting. Training has started for the next big event; The World Championships 2007 which are to be held in Scotland this May. I look forward to sending a regular blog to SheCycles.com so you guys can follow, invite me to join training rides and hopefully join in some of the events.
See you out there! Alli
Rae
