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16 the markham economist sun sports saturday july 8 2006 the real is adventure racing your next big challenge by laura rowe do you like to go mountain biking or how about kayaking or canoeing white water rafting rapelling or even trekking if you participate in some or all of these outdoor recreational activities theres a sport that could whet your appetite and even become addictive considered one of the fastest growing sports in the world in recent years adventure racing has captivated the attention of thrill seekers and thrill watchers defined as a nonstop multiday multi- sport and team sport with at least one female participant adventure racing in many ways can be compared to an expedition with a stop watch as each raceis a pointtopoint journey thegoal of the competition istobe the first team to get all members across the finish line together the course takes competitors through remote wilderness where they must travel without outside assistance each team must use strategy to determine the best route equipment food and pace to help them win unlike participation in most sports adven ture racing is unique because no one can be subbed if they are having a bad game there are no referees making for a level playing field if your equipment fails you musjt soldier on if someone is sick or injured there are no timeouts allowed all situations planned or unplanned expected or unexpected must be dealt with by the team individuals cannot quit without disqualify ing the entire team all problems must be solved by the team out on the course without help personalities and character are pushed to the edge by lack of sleep dehydration hunger physical and mental discomfort to be successful each member of the team must fill a defined role none being more important than the others for overall team success these roles are navigator the team leader and route 4 v 11111 finder responsible for keeping the team going in the correct direction motivator the team cheerleader respon sible for keeping spirits up and the dream alive monitor the team mother hen responsi ble for making sure people are eating drinking and feeling healthy and pace setter the team workhorse respon sible for keeping the team focused on the task and end goal in a race each person must respect and support the roles of their teammates for every one to be successful the team is only as fast as its slowestweak est member so it is everyones job to help when they are strong and to accept help when they are weak to achieve greatness the team must get the most out of each person physically and men tally they must pick up slack where needed and meet each team member at his or her needs an adventure racing team is an idealized microcosm of real life everyone is working toward the same goal and utilizing their own strengths while the team compensates for individual weaknesses there is no positional leadership but lead ership is based on trust commitment to excel lence and a selfless attitude this may all sound deep and intimidating and to a certain extent it is however what adventure racing is really about is having fun in the outdoors with your friends and pushing yourself mentally and physically further than you thought you could go so now you have a bit of an idea what adventure racing is about and what it takes to have a good team maybe you need to know what tools of the trade you will require the following list is by no means all inclu sive you can find out more about these races at wwwraidthenorthcom or wwwsleepmon- stersca or wwwcanadianaracom markham resident and chiropractor laura rowe 34 has been involved in adventure racing for the past six years she recently took part in the national championships in timmins and helped her team spirit earn a fifth place finish in a 22- team field with entries hailing from across canada among other events shes competed in include the sixday eco-chal- lenge north american championships in saultste marie onl in 2003 and the sixday great patagonia endurance race this year in chile and argentina when rowe isnt involved in adven ture racing she also runs in road races including the boston marathon in 2005 competes in triathlons plays volleyball ultimate frisbee and hikes along the bmce trail laura rowe has sought adventures rowing and hiking in northern ontario as well as the great patagonia endurance race across chile and argentina so you want to race here are some of the items you will need to get your start in adventure racing shoes youll need a good pair of trail shoes do not confuse these with hiking boots trail shoes can be trail running shoes or ones specifically designed for adventure racing bike a mountain bike would be the best bet for you preferably get one with at least a front suspension and dont for get your helmet boats canoes or kayaks are provided by racing officials but you will need your own lifejacket and paddle the most ideal is the four or fivepiece breakdown kayak paddle ropes youll need these for any climbing sections also remember to get a harness beaners full length gloves and some sort of rappelling device and pack your equipment pack should be light and waterproof you should include a head lamp and a bright bike light for those dark nights here for opinions thoughts on being canadian on canada day the fanciful naive notion by social engineers like former prime minister pierre trudeau and the leftlib pseudointellectuals who supported him is that a nation can somehow be forged by weaving together a patchwork quilt of different races and cultures from around yorkregion com it clicks home the world the thinking was that all these new canadians would happily coexist and build a brave new canada distinct and unique in the world trudeau a vicious ideologue despised the notion of the us melting pot no surprise since he hated americans believing instead that statesanctioned and funded multiculturalism would be superior to any system in the world for the rest of the story go to blogs on yorkregioncom n i read john slykhuis in the right in our blogs section