by Jess Evans
January, 28 2019
Earlier this month, 361° Adventures held the Frigid race at General Butler State Resort Park. The course had challenging terrain for seasoned racers, but also the perfect trail system to allow new racers to test their navigational skills. Everyone who attempted it was successful. During the winter months, the woods are open, which allows for easy visual sight of the landscape from ridge tops to re-entrants. This is the ideal setting for new and old racers to practice reading the terrain, seeing the features, and translating them from the topographic map to the ground.
During the race I saw only smiles the entire 4 hours. There were teams of all ages and skill levels. Some knew exactly where they were going and what they were doing. Others were taking the trails at a slower pace and consulting the map more often. I think several factors made this race so much fun for everyone out there 1) everyone was challenged on some level; 2) it was a perfect day to be outside in the woods (sunny and 50 degrees), 3) teams were friendly and helpful to each other; and 4) there were plenty of fun stories to share with each other after the race was over. Everyone made new friends and became reacquainted with old ones.
Through my years of racing, I have found that adventure racers have a special camaraderie. The race is never about getting from point A to point B the fastest. Each race is about the journey. While there may be 100 people out on the course, everyone has a different experience depending on their route choice. Every team has a story to tell that is unlike any other story from any other team. Adventure racing is truly a “choose your own adventure” kind of sport with the best kind of adventurers.
