Adventure Race Tips

With more and more adventure/mud races popping up, I wanted to offer a few tips on what to expect. I would highly encourage you to try one if you have not done one before. It is an awesome day and will make for a day you won’t forget. Hope these adventure race tips will help you.

Adventure Race Tips: Physical

Dress:

• Dress like it is 15-20 degrees warmer than it actually is because once you get going that is what it will feel like. A Joe’s Dirty Broad shirt that wicks moisture is ideal if you have one 😉
• Wear some clothes you don’t care about, but also you might need something tight underneath to keep the mud from getting in hard to reach areas. You live and learn…
• Not the time to try new shoes either, not that you plan on getting your brand new kicks all muddy and dirty but still. New shoes and races are where blisters are born.

Food and Drink

• Make sure you are well hydrated starting the day before the race. You don’t want to have to wake up and chug a bunch of water to get right. Slow and steady wins the hydration race. The day of the race, make sure to drink some water before, take advantage of the water stations during the race, and then rehydrate afterwards.
• Know thy pre-race meal. Whatever you typically eat and can stomach before a workout, stick with it. This is not the time to try new foods and drinks.

Pace Yourself

• Make sure you warm up! I got too busy at the Warrior Dash in Tennessee one year hanging out with my friends, answering questions from clients, watching some guy drink and smoke in line for the race (seriously), and I neglected to warm up. Not good.
• Don’t start too fast. I combined the no warm up thing, with starting off really fast. Also not good. Your adrenaline will be going, tons of people around, and the way they start these type of races will pump you up. Run your race. Get in the back if you need to. You will end up passing knuckleheads like me who sprint at the beginning and then are sucking wind shortly after. I have more “in race tips” for you below.
• Cool down afterwards. Slogging through the mud will get your heart rate down because you can only go so fast in that. But do some walking and light stretching afterwards along with rehydrating to avoid cramping up.
• Conquering hills. Rather than striding out, try shortening up your stride and use short, quick steps to get up the hill. Make sure to pump your arms as you go up the hill as well.

Prepping

• Use the bathroom at your hotel room or somewhere near the venue if at all possible! Unless you are a fan of long lines and stanking Port O Potties, then by all means wait until you get there.
• Get there earlier than you think you need to be there. It may take awhile. Last year for the Warrior Dash in Warrior, AL it took an hour from the time I parked my Boot Camp Mobile to get to where the actual race was going on. This did include time walking, helping someone who was stuck in the mud, and waiting on the bus to pick us up for the drive over.
• Climbing things. Not too many people prepare for the climbing portion of these races, mainly because cargo nets are a little hard to come by. Three things that are very common in these types of races are:
  • Vertical cargo net
  • Wall with ropes and footholds
  • Horizontal cargo net
• It is one thing to do these on your own, it is a whole different situation when there are people making the cargo nets go all over the place and some dude is hassling you midway up a wall. Focus on the task at hand (only letting go to offer a one finger salute to Captain Adventure Race) by not looking up or down. Also, stay to the outside edges or the middle of the cargo nets (as close to the structure’s frame as possible) so you can avoid the craziest swings of the net.

• Items to bring:
• driver’s license for packet pickup, change of clothes and shoes, towels you don’t care about, garbage bag for muddy clothes, money for purchasing post-race items, water proof camera, health insurance card (you never know)

Adventure Race Tips: Mental

• Pick out an item and start counting it. You can pick out something like a white hat, red shorts, knee brace, dudes smoking and running, etc… and start keeping count.
• Think about your plans after the race. How good it will feel to cross that finish line. Or maybe you have something cool planned for later in the day. Kind of like going to your happy place.
• The invisible rope trick. Pick out someone who is ahead of you, picture that you lassoed them with a rope like Wonder Woman, and then picture they are pulling you up to where they are. Sounds crazy I know, but it works.
• Make little mini-bets with your running partner throughout the race. “I bet you can’t go a little faster.” “I bet you can’t pass that guy up there.” Breaks up the monotony.
• Or you could do things as a team. Pick out a runner who is ahead of you and decide to overtake them. I call this one the Lion vs gazelle technique because I always pick out someone who is limping a little.
• Most importantly. Do your best, be proud of yourself, and have fun!