by Jess Evans
February 18, 2019
As I sit here on this grey February day, I start to day dream about my upcoming race season. January and February had a few adventure races, but March is the real season opener in my mind. Just to prove the point, the ARC calendar shows that a whopping 14 races will take place in March.
But back to my musing… March will definitely be the season opener for me, because I am doing the Stagecoach 400 with my trusty teammate, Shawn. While it is not an adventure race, it is a multi-day race with a tinsy bit of navigation. We hope to knock it out in 4 days or less. This means planning gear and food, as well as resupply stops, to the minute detail. To be honest, planning for a multi-day race is part of the fun. I find that bike packing events like this are spectacular for seeing the countryside and pushing my endurance level to its limits. I am also looking forward to the warm weather. Weather forecasters are predicting low temps around 0 degrees this week for me, so day dreaming of warm southern California is a no-brainer.
The other big race I am planning for in 2019 is the Raid International Gaspesie with Only Mostly Lost in September. It is a 4 day staged race with navigation, biking, trekking, ropes, paddling, swimming, and any other adventure leg they can throw in. This will take place in Quebec, a part of Canada I have never seen. I am looking forward to seeing it from the adventure racing perspective… out in the wild, adventuring. This race will be a blast, no doubt.
I will do smaller races in 2019, but the two I mentioned above are the races I am spending my winter days training for and dreaming about. I can definitely say I have caught the multi-day/expedition race bug. Spending days out in nature with my awesome teammates is a true pleasure that I cannot see me giving up anytime soon.
