This Sea to Sea adventure race recap is going to require one hell of a preface. Please stick with me. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Jason Magness on the Bend Racing Podcast. One of the topics we briefly touched upon was participant safety during adventure races. How much of the onus of safety lies on the shoulders of a race director, and how much is the responsibility of the racers themselves? There is no easy answer when it comes to adventure racing specifically. Unlike traditional endurance races that cover a marked, pre-determined course, the very nature ..read more

Our team first met Allen Wagner, race director at Broad Run Off Road, back in 2022 when we asked if we could borrow his scissors to trim a map before the start of the Palmetto Swamp Fox Adventure Race. We officially became friends with Allen the moment he and his teammate David followed us into the questionable abyss of the swamp in what still stands as the worst bushwhacking experience we've had to date (one that Geoff still hasn't forgiven us for) during the same race. And since that day, we've been wanting to make the trip up to Virginia from our current home here in South Carolina in order ..read more

The Hell Hole Swamp and I - we have a long history together. We first met in the summer of 2017. Geoff had signed up for a 66 km ultramarathon put on by Eagle Endurance that included a few loops around the Jericho Horse Trail, and some out and backs up and down Hell Hole Road. It was June, in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, and the name "Hell Hole Road" could not have been more appropriate. To say it was hot would be an understatement. I was awaiting umbilical hernia surgery at the time, and couldn't run the race myself, but I was immediately intrigued, and knew I'd come back to experience t ..read more

Last fall our friend and HSEC client Morgan asked if Geoff and I would join her and her teammate, Zach, to form a 4 person team for the Rev3Endurance 50 Hour Challenge adventure race challenge in Woodstock, Virginia. Despite living and training in flatter-than-a-pancake Myrtle Beach, and knowing this race was being held in the "you'll probably need to replace your brake pads after this" Shenandoah Valley, we enthusiastically accepted the invite. Here's a fun Heather fact: what feels like a million years ago (but in fact, was 12 years in the past) I was a proud member of Revolution3 Triathlon ..read more

There comes a time in every endurance athlete's life where they brush aside their beginner insecurities and say "fuck it, I'm going to try and win this race".* Maybe they've trained hard for this moment. Maybe they have no business making such a bold declaration, but they're just happy to not be riddled with an active case of the shingles virus. *That is, endurance athletes who participate in super duper niche sports like Adventure Racing where the competitive field is significantly smaller than say, the Boston Marathon or Western States. Who knows the reason why, but that's exactly what Geoff ..read more

Welcome, to the first of 23 (in theory) training log entries as we prepare for our very first USARA Adventure Racing National Championships. I say "in theory" because sometimes I have a lot to say...and sometimes I forget to write at all. So there may be more than 23 posts, there may be less. I might finish Squiggly Lines, I might not. (That joke is starting to get old, even I'm annoying myself at this point.) In short, I've always enjoyed documenting my training progression (or lack thereof) over the years, whether it's been for my very first triathlon, a handful of 100 milers, or even that o ..read more

That's right friends, my "favorite pack ever" already got an upgrade. Less than 6 months ago I wrote a review of the Epic XT 2.0 from UltrAspire, and how it instantly became my go-to pack for longer (12 hour and up) adventure races. I was stoked to see that an update to the pack was being released in February of 2023, and got my name on the list to be among the first shipment. Even better, I received my new Epic XT 3.0 just in time to race with it for the 2023 Sea to Sea Expedition Race. And oh boy, what an adventure we had together (you can read about it here or watch the action here). So wh ..read more

I’m hardly an adventure racing pro, but I know what I’m about, and I have a good time. In the adventure races I’ve done over the last decade, ranging from 3 hours to 72 hour events, I've learned a few things that I'm going to share with you. Here’s a quick rundown of my ideas that may increase your chances of successfully surviving your first adventure race. Your First Adventure Race: 20 Quick Tips for Success In no particular order (except for the first one)... 1. Don’t Die It only makes sense to put the most obvious tip first: try not to die.  I suppose we could include "don't get inju ..read more

There was a time, not that long ago, when I was not a team player. I had gravitated towards ultrarunning because I craved time alone in the proverbial pain cave, to both work through the endless noise in my head, and to suffer in silence by myself. Further, my obnoxiously competitive side couldn't stand the thought of someone else's actions or inactions interfering with a potential win, so a solo-sport like running just made sense. On that same note, I knew that if I did something to ruin my chance at a podium spot - which I often did - the only person who would be negatively affected was myse ..read more

Wondering what kind of shoes to wear to your first (or next) AR, and not sure where to start? We've got you covered with this detailed guide to the best shoes for adventure racing, designed to help you make sense of what you need, and how to choose the right pair. As an exercise physiologist and self proclaimed running shoe nerd, a trivial, but common, social media occurrence that pains me is seeing new adventure racers ask for shoe recommendations from complete strangers on the internet. (I swear, I am still fun to be around. Don't judge me by this one personality trait.) I hate to see it bec ..read more