The
Great Adventure
by Robyn Tellefsen
There
are two types of people in the world: Those who
are on the lookout for as much chill time as possible,
and those who are constantly on the go. CB
broke a sweat keeping up with the latter -- three
22-year-old college students and high school buddies
who live life a mile a minute -- at the first
stop of the coed Balance Bar Adventure Sprints
Series in Orchard Beach, NY, in May. The series,
which tests competitors' skills in trail running,
mountain biking, and kayaking across various park
terrains, challenges team dynamics and mental
strength with its infamous "special tests."
Get CB's before and after shots for a
whole picture of this great adventure.
|
 |
| Kim
Watt, senior chemical engineering
major at the University of Pittsburgh
(Pittsburgh, PA); Justin Smith,
senior secondary education major at
Indiana University-Purdue University
(Fort Wayne, IN); and Michael
Scaringelli, senior physical
education major at Indiana University
(Bloomington, IN) |
|
Team
Name:
Mopeds Don't Mix With Fountains and Parking Lot
Gates (Named for a spring break trip where certain
members of their team drove mopeds through both
fountains and parking lot gates... don't ask!!)
Before
the Race: Spirits Are High
CB:
How did you get involved with this series? Have
you always been an adventurer?
Justin: Three years ago, I raced in the
same series with Kim in Pittsburgh, and last year,
I convinced Mike to go.
Mike: I've been an avid triathlete for
three or four years. I love competing -- I'm a
competitor at heart.
Kim: As a kid, I always played outside
until the streetlights came on. And I did lots
of research on this series when I was a senior
in high school.
CB:
How are you training?
Justin: I've been running four or five
times a week for four to six miles. I also do
off-road biking, weight training, and road cycling,
but I haven't gotten in as much as I'd like.
Mike: I don't train as hard as I should.
I do a couple of runs a week for five to eight
miles, and I bike three miles to school each way.
I was diagnosed with diabetes last November, and
exercise helps manage that by lowering my blood
sugar.
Kim: I do about an hour and a half of stuff
everyday -- I lift and run, do the elliptical
machine, play soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and I
swim. Last Sunday, I was bored and I woke up at
6 a.m., so I decided to run the marathon.
CB:
How do you juggle training and studying?
Justin: It's been tough because I'm student
teaching now. That's pretty demanding -- it's
eight to nine hours a day, and I also have a part-time
job 15-20 hours per week as a valet at a steakhouse.
It's a priority for me to stay in shape, though.
Mike: My degree isn't too demanding; I
get a lot of my work done in class.
Kim: I don't sleep a lot; I make everything
fit in.
CB:
What's your goal?
Justin: I'm not out to win these things
-- it's always my goal to have fun, do well, and
finish.
Mike: I want to make sure we finish. I
think we could finish in the top 20-30 percent.
Kim: I'd be really happy if we placed.
It's my third one, so I know the deal.
After
the Race: A Mixed Bag
CB:
So, how did it go?
Justin: It was the first race of the season,
and we had to get into the groove. I couldn't
get going on the bike, and Kim got way ahead.
The cardinal sin of adventure racing is not staying
together!
Mike: We finished 41st of 67 in the coed
division. I was happy with it, but we could have
done a little better.
Kim: Not as well as I expected -- I expected
to actually do well! The guys were about the adventure,
but I was about the sprint. It was frustrating
for me.
CB:
What was the highlight?
Justin: Crossing the finish line. Also,
the special test in the mud pit [Justin and Mike
crawled backward through the mud, dragging Kim]
is one thing I'll remember as long as I live,
even if I don't want to remember it!
Mike: The special test using two mountain
bikes and three of us!
Kim: I loved sloshing through the mud.
A guy on another team and I painted our faces
like in Braveheart.
CB:
Would you do it again?
Justin: When you're doing it, you think
"Why the heck did I sign up for this?!"
but when you reach the finish line, you think,
"Look at what we did." If I ever try
a 24-hour race, it will probably be with Mike
and Kim.
Mike: Definitely. I'm planning on doing
the same series next year, and there are a couple
more in the area this summer. I love this stuff!
Kim: The guys talked about racing again,
but I recommend training and knowing your teammates'
physical conditions before signing yourself up
as partners.
Intrigued?
Get your adventure on at www.balancebaradventure.com |
