Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Pushing the Boundaries - has AR taken over Tri'?
Gerard Fusil once wrote that adventure racing would be the new sport for the new millennium. In a quest for the ultimate sporting 'high' or adrenalin rush, human beings now push themselves even further to the brink of their endurance and pain tolerance - continually redifining their comfort zone and capacity for suffering. To be able to merely survive an adventure race, the demands placed upon an athlete to develop his skills and abilities cannot be overstated.
The beauty of the sport is that it forces one to be the total athlete. One who is not only capable of long bouts of physical exertion in multiple sports, but to be technically proficient in sport-specific safety procedures, wilderness and outdoor survival, navigation, logistics & equipment maintenance and repair, health & hygiene - all within the framework of a team environment.
Use to be: The Ironman is the greatest test of human endurance. Now: The Ironman is the greatest test of human endurance over a single day. Why the additional four words at the end of the corrected moniker? The reason is simple: Humans can endure more, much more - and adventure racing is that proving ground for that premise.
The adventure race realm has no set playing regulations. It is not defined by timed game periods, demarcated playing areas, or set team format. There is no accommodation for 'fair' or 'equitable' competition conduct, only that the participants' safety must take top priority at all times. Dark zones, mandatory emergency and safety equipment, proving of skills and safety awareness, watchful organizers who keep tabs on and react timely to ever-changing terrain & weather conditions. All these stand balanced on the fine line between redefining the limits of human endeavour in a competitive enironment, and disaster. Adventure racers live - and occasionally die, despite the best of precautions and provisions - by these safety margins. Much like the well-known paratrooper slogan, the adventure racer's defining motto could well be "The world is my playing field".
In comparison, triathlon seems a mite too bland. "Too urbanized" a friend of mine once remarked. It stands to reason that the Xterra movement over the last few years has gained a following. As an off-road version of triathlon, it affords participants a taste of the outdoors within the framework of individual competition.
But, the question that continues to gnaw is this: Are people getting bored of triathlon? Elite level competition will always be there, whether it be marathoning, triathlon, and now adventure racing. But the masses, the masses that fuel the industry of sport - what of their shifting preferences? Will they see it in themselves to hit the adventure trail? Twenty years ago, triathlon was considered 'more fun' than running. Can we now see a similar perception when the comparison of AR to tri' is made?
The beauty of the sport is that it forces one to be the total athlete. One who is not only capable of long bouts of physical exertion in multiple sports, but to be technically proficient in sport-specific safety procedures, wilderness and outdoor survival, navigation, logistics & equipment maintenance and repair, health & hygiene - all within the framework of a team environment.
Use to be: The Ironman is the greatest test of human endurance. Now: The Ironman is the greatest test of human endurance over a single day. Why the additional four words at the end of the corrected moniker? The reason is simple: Humans can endure more, much more - and adventure racing is that proving ground for that premise.
The adventure race realm has no set playing regulations. It is not defined by timed game periods, demarcated playing areas, or set team format. There is no accommodation for 'fair' or 'equitable' competition conduct, only that the participants' safety must take top priority at all times. Dark zones, mandatory emergency and safety equipment, proving of skills and safety awareness, watchful organizers who keep tabs on and react timely to ever-changing terrain & weather conditions. All these stand balanced on the fine line between redefining the limits of human endeavour in a competitive enironment, and disaster. Adventure racers live - and occasionally die, despite the best of precautions and provisions - by these safety margins. Much like the well-known paratrooper slogan, the adventure racer's defining motto could well be "The world is my playing field".
In comparison, triathlon seems a mite too bland. "Too urbanized" a friend of mine once remarked. It stands to reason that the Xterra movement over the last few years has gained a following. As an off-road version of triathlon, it affords participants a taste of the outdoors within the framework of individual competition.
But, the question that continues to gnaw is this: Are people getting bored of triathlon? Elite level competition will always be there, whether it be marathoning, triathlon, and now adventure racing. But the masses, the masses that fuel the industry of sport - what of their shifting preferences? Will they see it in themselves to hit the adventure trail? Twenty years ago, triathlon was considered 'more fun' than running. Can we now see a similar perception when the comparison of AR to tri' is made?
