Daunting leap into the unknown rewarded by adrenaline rush Events

IMAGINE preparing for an exam not knowing what the subject is going to be, or even where you are going to be sitting it. How do you decide what homework to do when you haven't a clue what it is you are studying for?

The sporting equivalent of such a scenario is the adventure race. They tend to be long and multi-disciplined, with the route a tightly guarded secret until the eve of the race. Even then, the organisers usually throw in one or two surprises, just to catch out those who may be deluded into thinking they are prepared.

But that is the point.

Nobody can fully prepare, and therefore nobody, no matter how experienced, can feel entirely confident.

The founding principles of adventure racing are that they are long, tough, multi-disciplined and unpredictable. Yet as the sport grows, so does the number and range of events.

The pioneers of the sport recognise that for it to realise its potential there needs to be more events that are suitable for those who want to try it, but find it daunting, which is pretty much everyone who has never done an adventure race.

Last year's Rat Race, however, was a good example of a "manageable" event, starting on a Saturday night, continuing all day Sunday and being held in a city - Edinburgh. As a consequence, lots of first-timers took part. And many were converted.

One such participant was Kirsty Maguire. She says she had thought about entering an adventure race for at least 12 months prior to last year's event. She perused adventure race websites, considered events, then dismissed the idea. "The prospect of actually doing an adventure race was very daunting, " says the 27year old, who lives in Edinburgh.

"I looked up information on the adventure races I came across but there is only so much information there - that's the whole point. So it was a big unknown and it took me about a year to pluck up the courage to enter one." Maguire says what terrified her most about the Rat Race was running. "I had two main worries: the distance and the running. None of my team were runners. My background was sailing, climbing and kayaking, and my team-mates were climbers.

"We were very nervous. With your first adventure race you have to accept you're doing it for experience. It's always going to look daunting. But as you do more, you realise everyone feels under- prepared." When the race started, though, Maguire says the nerves quickly evaporated and were replaced by something else: a sense of fun. Adventure race courses are designed with fun in mind - which should be added to the list of founding principles - and Maguire feels this element is underplayed.

Still, there is the question of how to prepare; and of how to select an appropriate event in which to make an adventure racing debut. Then again, you can think about it too much, reckons Maguire. If there is a trick, she adds, it's to try and "be reasonable at everything rather than expert at something". The disciplines likely to feature are running, mountain biking, trekking, road cycling, climbing and kayaking - so some running, cycling and kayaking fitness, allied with basic climbing competence, is likely to carry you a long way.

There is another aspect, however. Adventure races are team events - and that adds a completely unexpected dimension, says Maguire.

"You're at different levels of ability and fitness but it's so important to be supportive and to talk to each other and listen to each other, " she says. "It's really interesting because you realise people don't always do that - or they're not always very good at doing it. Also, in some cases getting people to admit they need assistance can also be tricky.

"For Rat Race, the three of us had trained a lot together but we had never done anything where we were actually under pressure - and that was totally different."

Since her first Rat Race - which is held in Edinburgh again this year on July 16 and 17 - Maguire has gone on to do more. Two weekends ago she and her team won the women's category at the Bristol Rat Race; next weekend she competes in the Hebridean Challenge; and in August she's planning to do her toughest adventure race yet, the expedition-length Wilderness Arc.

She urges other people not to hesitate - like she did - but to acquire the minimal skills and a decent level of fitness and go for it. "There's only one way to find out if you can do it, and if you'll enjoy adventure racing, " she says, "because there's nothing else like it."

For more information visit www. ratraceadventure. com

Copyright 2005 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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