I have been a life long adventurer and outdoor enthusiast for as long as I can remember, so when I got bit by the AR bug two years ago it was no surprise. How did I stumble upon this amazingly addictive sport? Well, here is my story in brief.
In 2007 I transferred to Towson University. I was looking to meet some new people so I became involved in the new cycling club at Towson. Still itching for change I joined the Safety Patrol Team at Liberty Mountain in December. In late January, a Towson student walked into one of our bike club meetings. He introduced himself and explained that he was an Adventure Racer who needed a female race partner for the Sprint Collegiate Adventure Racing National Championships in Texas that May. Adventure racing what was that? I certainly wanted to find out so I volunteered. We spent all spring training and I immersed myself in bricks, lifting, and preparing for the race, and in May we flew to Texas to race.
We landed in Texas on Friday afternoon and put our bikes together at Lance’s Bike Shop incase anything was damaged from the flight. Then we were off again to go pick up our race packets and check in. That night we stuffed ourselves on pasta at a local restaurant and hit the pillow early to get a good night sleep.
The morning came rather quickly and we pulled in early to set up our transition area and refine the nuances of our race strategy. The race began and we were off. The run went rather quickly and we transitioned to the bike. The mountain bike course was a blast tight single track not too technical and a few rolling hills (as much as you can have in Texas). We flew through the transition area again and onto the road to the paddle.
The paddle went fast until we came to the end where we pulled the inflatable kayak up onto a muddy embankment and then carefully up a 20 foot ladder. Once we reached the top we started trucking and a mile later crossed the finish line with boat, paddles and all.
We had no idea we had won until someone told us. We were so elated from our race already this was just the icing on the cake. And so this, so called one time endeavor, snuck up and bit me hard. This was the day I was officially bit by the AR bug and I have been addicted ever since. I have learned that sometimes those planned one time life experiences change your life in ways you never expected. It is important to live in the moment and know that life’s plans always have the potential to change.
Lawrence K. Fish once said “Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.”
Venture On ~ Alisa
In 2007 I transferred to Towson University. I was looking to meet some new people so I became involved in the new cycling club at Towson. Still itching for change I joined the Safety Patrol Team at Liberty Mountain in December. In late January, a Towson student walked into one of our bike club meetings. He introduced himself and explained that he was an Adventure Racer who needed a female race partner for the Sprint Collegiate Adventure Racing National Championships in Texas that May. Adventure racing what was that? I certainly wanted to find out so I volunteered. We spent all spring training and I immersed myself in bricks, lifting, and preparing for the race, and in May we flew to Texas to race.
We landed in Texas on Friday afternoon and put our bikes together at Lance’s Bike Shop incase anything was damaged from the flight. Then we were off again to go pick up our race packets and check in. That night we stuffed ourselves on pasta at a local restaurant and hit the pillow early to get a good night sleep.
The morning came rather quickly and we pulled in early to set up our transition area and refine the nuances of our race strategy. The race began and we were off. The run went rather quickly and we transitioned to the bike. The mountain bike course was a blast tight single track not too technical and a few rolling hills (as much as you can have in Texas). We flew through the transition area again and onto the road to the paddle.
The paddle went fast until we came to the end where we pulled the inflatable kayak up onto a muddy embankment and then carefully up a 20 foot ladder. Once we reached the top we started trucking and a mile later crossed the finish line with boat, paddles and all.
We had no idea we had won until someone told us. We were so elated from our race already this was just the icing on the cake. And so this, so called one time endeavor, snuck up and bit me hard. This was the day I was officially bit by the AR bug and I have been addicted ever since. I have learned that sometimes those planned one time life experiences change your life in ways you never expected. It is important to live in the moment and know that life’s plans always have the potential to change.
Lawrence K. Fish once said “Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.”
Venture On ~ Alisa
