While we're on the subject of adventure racing, there is another great event taking place this weekend in Colorado that really puts a great spin on the sport. It's called the Adventure TEAM Challenge, and on the surface it appears like many other AR events. It is a 3-day long race, held along the Colorado River, not far from Eagle, Colorado, that features teams competing in the usual disciplines of trekking, biking, and paddling. As in all good adventure races, navigation will play a role as well, as the athletes work their way through wilderness backcountry, passing through various checkpoints along the way.
But where this race diverges from others is in the area of the make-up of the teams. While most AR events consist of three or four person teams, quite often coed, the Adventure TEAM Challenge requires teams to have five members. Now that, in and of itself, isn't such a radical thing, but the rules also say that two of those team members must be disabled in some way, with at least one of those athletes being a wheel chair user or paraplegic. Obviously, this changes the dynamic of the teams greatly and really requires a higher level of cooperation amongst the athletes, who will have to work together even more closely if they hope to win.
I love the message that this race sends in that it is 1) inclusive to all athletes, even those who are disabled and 2) that you don't have to stop leading an adventurous life just because you suffer a physical impairment of some kind. I think it is fantastic that a race like this one exists and I want to wish everyone the best of luck in the TEAM Challenge this weekend. You are an inspiration to the rest of us!
Thanks to Clyde for sharing information about the Adventure TEAM Challenge. Very much appreciated.