I’m totes head over heels for wacky races. Sure, I like a good road race as much as the next lady, but having been a road runner (not the meep meep kind) for several years now, I want something different. Biking across a peninsula? Sure. Finding flags in the woods? I’d love to. A challenge to eat cherry pie with no hands? Yes, please!
I think it started with trail races. I’ve always liked hiking, but I haven’t had much time to hike in recent years. If I could double-up on running by also spending time in the woods, I figured that was a pretty sweet deal.
After doing a couple shorter trail runs, I was hooked. Then the adventure races started.
Now, I’m not really one for running a 5k and getting showered with colors, but I’m not judging if that’s your thing. When I talk about adventure races, I’m referring to a race that is a lot of running and biking, but with the addition of silly challenges and checkpoints for points. They are WAY fun. You get to brush up on your map-reading skills (thanks, dad!), get off the road, and have a ton of fun getting some boss exercise.
That said, I did my second big adventure race this last weekend. I’ve done a few shorter ones, but the Michigan Adventure Races that I’ve run are from 3–6 hours long, and you participate as part of a team to complete challenges. You also traipse around the woods or beach or country roads (or the city, but I haven’t done that one!) and stop at checkpoints to raise your score. Then you have to get back to the start before your time is up or else you start losing points. It’s basically like an endurance athlete’s version of a Nickelodeon game show. And it’s super fun!
Anyway, if you’re in the market for an adventure race. Check out the Michigan Adventure Race site. They’ve got a few variations and some different locations in the region. They all have something unique to offer and I suspect they are all awesome.