by Jess Evans
February 1, 2018

According to Adventure Race HUB, there are three adventure races in February. I have not done any of them. But I know several people who will be attending the NSF Adventures Frozen Beaver 6-hour ROGAINE in Ohio. I have not done NSF races in years, unfortunately, but I do remember them fondly. I liked this race for the same reason I like The Frigid – the woods are beautiful in the winter; it is a challenge to get yourself out there and keep yourself out for the entire cold race; it is a pleasure to see and socialize with my racing friends.

The Frozen Beaver is held at Lake Hope State Park in Ohio. You’ll find this race in the rugged foothills in western Ohio. (Side note: In February you won’t hear them, but March is an excellent time to hear the wood frogs and spring peepers in this area.) There are well groomed trails throughout the park along with lots of hilltops to climb and re-entrants to get sucked into. In past years, I have encountered snow on the ground and frozen trails, and other times, muddy trails and hillsides where you slide your way around the course. While it looks like it will not be as cold as The Frigid (a high of 15 degrees for that race in January), you might get some snow during the Frozen Beaver race and conditions can be muddy too. Good luck to the racers. Keep your eyes open, your feet squarely on the ground, and have fun!

by Jess Evans
January 30, 2018

Am I the only one that does not like cold weather training? Some of you look just plain giddy with your winter workouts on Facebook. For me, winter training takes a little extra push. I look at the temperature. I check on the wind speed and direction. I check the hourly forecast. I hem and haw around the house. Slowly I come around to the conclusion that I can’t stall any longer; I must go out into the elements. Ugh…

If it is snowing, that is usually an easier decision to go out than if it is sunny and cold. The bright big blue sky is not welcoming to me when I know it means cold temperatures and a slight breeze that goes right through me. But snow… I love running when the snow is coming down. I love to hear the snow crunch and see the trees covered in the white fluffy stuff. The woods are so quiet. It is not an oppressive silence, but a magical silence. Perhaps that is the allure for me, my imagination can take me away while I run through the newly fallen snow, but when it is just cold, nothing takes that away.

It is surprising that I can keep some level of fitness during the winter months based on my grumpy disposition towards cold weather training. I do not belong to a gym, so the only thing that keeps me going is thinking how abysmal I will be compared to my teammates if I do not get out. The fear of being a complete disappointment gets me out every time – but hey, whatever motivates. Happy Training!

Groundbreaking study reveals that Adventure Racers would rather get briar-whipped than go to brunch with significant other.

by Shawn Lemaster
October, 2017

After an extensive three year study

spanning four continents, researchers from Henderson Community College published revolutionary, and apparently universal results, regarding adventure racer’s addiction to seemingly miserable experiences.

“This is perhaps the most bizarre thing I’ve ever documented,” said lead scientist William Thomas, pointing to the fact that even after repeated experiments, the test subjects were inevitably drawn to images and experiences that the normal population would describe as painful and terrible.

Read the whole ARticle here