What an Adventure!

Start of the race. My partner,Brad, is in the nice pink shorts.

Hello again to one and all. I hope life is treating you all well. Let's jump right in...

 

So yesterday was a big day for me. It was the second annual Backroads Adventure Race here in Decorah. What it consisted of was a 5 mile canoe section followed by a 13 mile road/gravel bike ride, and concluded with a 3 mile trail run. It is a mini triathlon in essence, but with a little different attitude, you could say. It was really a blast. There were somewhere around 100 participants, which was more than last year, so that was fantastic. There were three divisions in which people could participate: solo, duo, or relay of three. My buddy Brad and I decided to team up again after having a successful race last year. This year felt even better. The bike ride was a little longer, but both of us really love cycling, so that was in our favor. Each member of the team of two does the whole race as if competing individually (except canoeing, which was done with a teammate) and the two times are averaged. We are still waiting for the official results, but when Brad checked the times, he found out that he had the fastest overall time, so congratulations to him. It appeared I ranked around 6th, so I am very pleased with that. We are crossing our fingers hoping that those two times put us first as a team, but we shall wait and see. 

 

I tend to be a pretty competitive guy, but this race really released me from it. Brad and I decided to wear some pretty interesting outfits in an attempt to lighten the mood of the competition, and it ended up helping out a lot. It seems as though when less emphasis is put on winning, and more is put on trying to just have fun, one performs better and enjoys it more. At least that was our experience, take it as you will.

 

Hopefully the same type of event will happen next year, and I assume it will based on the success of this year. My next race is in a couple of weeks. It is the annual Night Shift mountain bike race here in Decorah. It, too, is a fantastic time. It consists of racing on the mountain bike trails in the dark with headlights. So we will have to see how that turns out.

 

Anyway, I wish the best to all of you out there. Feel free to leave me any comments you have have. I always love hearing from you all. Take it easy.

 

Peace,

Collin