My First Adventure Race

On Sunday I competed in my first adventure race, the Oyster, with Tim & Carri. I was a little nervous after reading the pre-race materials and the equipment checklist, which included things like:

• Race will include 8-10 challenges
• Be prepared to cover about 40-50 miles
• Race will last approximately 8 hours
• Extreme emphasis on having lots of changes of clothes/shoes
• Rollerblades/skates

Once the race started, though, it was a complete blast. I really like the change of pace from a traditional road or triathlon race, where really you can just go into auto-pilot mode. These races really mean that you have to THINK. Read the challenge, figure out what the clues mean, pick your route, and use some strategy. Tim will have the full race report, but here are my highlights:

• first "what have I gotten myself into" moment (and there were many): the very first challenge that was 6.5 miles of running
  
• dumbest moment: calling Wiley about an address/clue only to learn that it was right next to the transition area
  
• clumbsiest moment: managing to find the ONLY pothole on 5th street and stepping in it while running resulting in a twisted ankle and pavement face plant
  
• fastest moment: biking to Barton Springs to get a clue from the bottom of the pool & realizing I was only the 2nd person who had arrived
  
• grossest moment: having to wade through Shoal Creek for about 200 yds.
  
• most unexpected moment: nearly colliding with Audrey (Panther's wife) while rollerblading through Whole Foods during one of the challenges
  
• hilliest moment: biking up to Mt. Bonnell from 9th & Lamar
  
• most satisfying moment: placing 3rd, team winning $100 cash, $10 Whole Foods and $90 REI gift cards for the team.
  
• funnest moment: really the entire day - it was great to race with Tim & Carri. They are great sports and make everything fun.