ESAR.ca

RaceDayRush.com has done it again, they have successfully captured the essence of Adventure racing and ESAR all in one muddy/sandy/ bike section of the 2009 ESAR race at C.F.B. Borden. RaceDayRush has created a studio series where they gather race footage from various awesome races and create a training video which is great for when you are trying to get motivated in the off season. This race started in CFB Blackdown and headed out through the military base training grounds, a ride that is only doable when you participate in ESAR. Watch out for the tank ruts and the spent ammunition casings!

Welcome to adventure racing.  Your task is to make it to check point 1.  This is a 40 minute ride leaving from the military bases at Camp Borden.  Your mission, commencing through the paved and gravel roads, is to brave through the tough grinding sand dunes and through the tall pines to make it to CP 1.  Good luck with your mission as you participate in the Emergency Services Adventure Race

If you can’t view the embedded video here, you may have to go to the racedayrush site Click here to check it out:

Hey Frosty! Don’t put away your bike just yet! The ground is still hard and rideable!  If the summer passed you by and you just didn’t find the time to get your bike out then try getting your trusty steed out before the snow gets really deep!  Winter riding is not just a whacked out past time of adventure racers and bike couriers, it really is a fun way to blow off the winter blahs.  Here are a few tips about riding in the winter!

Winter Riding 101

Wear a good shell and dress in layers. You may start out cool, but in a couple of kilometers that snowsuit may be a little moist. If you are warm when you start, then you are probably overdressed.

Change gears often. If you are riding in snow or slush your gears will freeze up. By continually changing your gears you will prevent freeze up. A can of spray lubricant works wonders!  Remember to get the salt off by washing your bike.

Cover the vents! Most cycling equipment is made to vent the heat of summer riding. A quick fix is to cover the air vents in your helmet and shoes with tape to keep jack frost at bay.

Start out small. Winter riding can offer some great rewards and challenges, just be prepared to cut it short, due to muscle fatigue or a favourite coffee shop!

I finished a bike race last weekend and if I hadn’t run out of water I would have done sooo much better. I’ll admit my logic was flawed and I never should have tried to save weight by trying to get by with as little H₂O as possible – do you know how much that stuff weighs?? Adversity and unexpected pitfalls (not to mention poor planning) are going to happen in any race, especially adventure racing.

The best teams use methods and systems to overcome the bad things that will inevitably happen. These may include, but are not limited to : flat tires, lack of food consumption, sore knee, getting lost, broken paddles, cramping, lost fingernails, not enough water. This sounds like a great list of excuses but the reality is that every team has obstacles and difficulties that they must overcome throughout the race.  Great teams work together, plan and problem solve well.

Minimize you chances for these hazards and be ready for when they happen.

I don’t expect to run a “perfect” race anytime soon, but I now know that water weighs a kilogram a litre… the 2.2 pounds, this would have salvaged my latest race!

The Effects of Dehydration

Did you know that nearly half of all exercisers start their workouts dehydrated? Dehydration can impair performance, which can lead to injury. Here are some important points to consider.

Fatigue

On average, exercisers fatigue about 25% sooner when they don’t drink during exercise and become dehydrated.

Endurance

A 2% loss in body weight due to dehydration can cause at least a 7% reduction in endurance.

Fluid Loss

Beverages that contain caffeine such as colas, coffee, or tea stimulate fluid loss and promote dehydration.

Fluid Consumption

Exercisers who drink fluid may go 33% longer than exercisers who don’t drink anything.   (source propelwater.com )

For the race you will be required to know how to plot UTM Grid coordinates from the race instructions onto your map.  You need to know how to determine the bearing to a checkpoint and then set the bearing onto your compass.  And lastly, you should know how to interpret a topographic map.

If you unsure about your abilities in any of these skills, I would highly suggest, you take a training course on navigation, read a book on how to use a map and compass, or ask a friend who knows how to navigate to teach you.  Though you will not get hopelessly lost in this race, having the required skills will minimize the risk of traveling in the wrong direction, or navigating in circles.

Once you have learned some of these basic skills, go out and practice.   Learning how to navigate and actually doing it – in the field are quite different.    It’s like riding a bike, people can show you how to ride, but you need to actually do it, to learn it.

Do you ever feel that you picked a defective boat since it is always pulling to one side when you paddle?  Unfortunately the boat is probably not at fault.    Here are some tips to help keep your boat traveling in a straight line.

Check if everyone is centered in the boat – if your weight is to one side of the boat, it will tend to turn to that side.

Paddle symmetrically – if you are using kayak paddles make sure you pull evenly on both sides, and make sure your paddle enters the water in the same relative spot on either side of the canoe.

If you are using canoe paddles, try to balance the paddling on both sides of the boat.  If one side is pulling harder, it will cause it to turn.

Watch the waves – unless your boat is cutting a wave perpendicularly, waves will turn your boat so that it is parallel to the wave.  When waves are small you can typically overcome this force with forward momentum.  Stronger waves can really impact your direction of travel.

Choose the right boat for your team – a boat with a keel will help it track straighter; a longer boat will track better than a shorter boat.

If you are a larger team, take a bigger boat.  Taking a boat that is too small means you sit lower in the water, which amplifies any inefficiency in your paddling technique.

On Saturday January the 16th, 2010, Hark Events is hosting a year end wrap up and Season Kick off for all of the adventure racers and multi-sporters out there (if that is a word). Traditionally in Ontario a season ending party was held by Barb Campbell and Richard Ehrlich from the Treehuggers AR team. This event grew from a few people out of their home to an event that was just not sustainable for their living room, or their relationship! The event moved to Albion Hills in Bolton where the event was combined with a fun and great orienteering event referred to as the Treehugger invitational.

On Saturday January 16th, 2010, after a years hiatus, we are bringing the party back! We are going to be hosting the event at FirePower Training in Milton Ontario. Come mingle and enjoy food and drink with other like minded people as we are going to get the word out to the AR community that this is the place to be.

Bob Miller, one of Canada’s top adventure racers will be helping out and has offered to create an snowshoe orienteering event prior to the party in the nearby escarpment of the Milton Ontario. With areas like Glen Eden, Kelso, Rattlesnake, and Hilton Falls, the fun orienteering event will be for all skill levels and a way to hone your skills in a non competitive event. We want this to be worth the trip for you.

After the snowshoe romp, you can come back and use FirePower Training changerooms and shower facilities to get cleaned up for the meet and greet and the presentations by some of Canada’s top adventure racers and companies.

Party Highlights

• Snowshoe orienteering fun event
• Meet and Greet
• Food Provided
• Licenced Event
• Great Presentations
• Ontario Adventure Racing Points Series Awards (OARPS) and seasons standings
• ESAR host site will be announced
• Door prizes from great sponsors
• Gear giveaway
• Great fun with great people

Orienteering Event – More info TBA

AR wrap up Party 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday January 16th, 2010

FirePower Training 509 Main Street East, Milton Ontario Ph. 905-864-9941

The cost for the event will be $15. $20 at the door

Purchases of tickets for the event will be through PayPay and will show up as : AR Wrap up Party! through the store of the Emergency Services Adventure Race.

For all the info on this event click here

Emergency Services Adventure Race 2008 from Mark Arnold on Vimeo.