Credit: Glen Delman
It’s a scary starting-line realization, but even the weakest link can be part of a winning team.
By Kristy Holland
The three-legged race might be the ultimate team endeavor. It’s simple, there’s no world-championship pressure, and it’s an education in cooperation that even a couple of kindergarteners can understand. It’s impossible to perfect a hobbled canter, so most teams end up as a heap of giggles without any regard for their lost momentum.
Let me be clear: That is not the kind of team event I signed up for. Or, at least, I didn’t think it was.
When a mountain biking buddy, Jon, told me about the 24 Hours of Leadville Mountain Bike Race and asked me to fill a slot on his team, I hesitated. If I joined, my first-ever fat-tire race would have me riding upwards of 50 miles, one-third of them in the middle of the night and all of them at an elevation above 10,000 feet. As if that wasn’t enough to scare me, Jon—an endurance junkie fresh off a 46-mile overnight epic in the Grand Canyon—introduced the rest of our team: Rebecca Rusch, the women’s record holder for Leadville’s famous 100-mile ride, and Adam Chase, trail-runner extraordinaire who’d not only raced, but won, more than 20 ultraruns. I’d recently run my first marathon; last fall I finished a 24-hour race, and I’m no slouch. But I’d been riding mountain bikes for only two summers and, by comparison, I was clearly the weakest link.
I’d never loved team sports, preferring hiking over volleyball and kayaking over crew, and my aversion stemmed in equal parts from perfectionism and insecurity. That combination has kept me from joining leagues and warming benches—as much for my own good, as for the good of the team. Right?
Jon convinced me that I was wrong. He argued that my go get ’em attitude, my sense of humor when sleep deprived, and, in this case, my availability would be assets to the foursome. “And your bike’s in good shape, too, right?” he checked. “We’re just doing it for fun. Rebecca heads to the World Championships next week, so this is just a training ride for her.” I’m not sure whether that made me feel better or worse.
Three days later, I was setting up camp, shaking hands with my professional-cyclist relay partner, and talking strategy about lap order with the boys. When the starting gun fired, Rebecca red-lined up the hill, her energy mirroring the crowd’s palpable excitement. I was terrified. I really started freaking out when I saw that she was in second place, completing the first 17.6-mile lap in an hour and twenty-six minutes.
We were in 12th place overall by the time I started my first lap, and, by then, I felt nauseous. But when I finished, we’d only dropped a few more places, and I was glowing. The course was tough, but doable, and my teammates were waiting with high-fives and congratulatory hugs as I rolled into the transition area.
We each had thirty-five miles of riding ahead of us, and, over the course of the next 24 hours, we shared war stories from the trail. We swapped secrets about riding in the dark and offered each other advice on topics as wide-ranging as work and wheelbases, family and fork tuning. I, on my fastest lap, averaged 3 mph slower than Rebecca on her most sluggish circuit, but the team cheered for me, and I for them. We whooped every time someone took off from the start and hollered as each teammate rounded the last corner toward the finish.
When I finally rolled to a stop after my final lap, I’d helped land my world-class team in second place—behind the only other team in our division. I couldn’t have been happier or more proud. The race was simple, there was no world-championship pressure, and for me, it was an education in cooperation that, as a grownup, I finally understood.
When I stopped asking myself if I would let down my friends, if I could handle it, and if I’d ruin my team’s chance to win, I opened a door to an adventure that I never expected. I—we—owned it, and embraced our different abilities and strengths. We were teammates with a comic approach to the entire ordeal, and our four-person effort ended in a kind of failure—and success—that wasn’t anything like the piles of laughter strewn along the path of a three-legged race. We were weary-eyed, dirty, each with a couple of new scratches and bruises. But we’d enjoyed a kind of forward momentum I’ll never forget.
Studies show that “free-riding” isn’t actually a problem for most teams, and, in fact, when a team’s membership has widely varying skill levels, the entire group is more productive. Also, most Americans think “being a team player” is the most important factor for getting ahead in the workplace.
Courtesy of Muddy Buddy
The Weakest Link
Team events are super-fun and offer challenges—and motivations—you’d never encounter on your own. Here’s a round-up of events, a few first-timer friendly, some funky, and some full-on, where you can bring your friends.
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series
Bike, run, balance, climb, and end with a sopping 60-foot slog in a mud pit. Between April and December, this 18-race series sends more than 38,000 participants—most in costume-bedecked teams of two—through a five-obstacle course spread out over nearly seven miles. Teammates alternate off-road running and cycling between acute balance or team-building efforts before they finish with wide, muddy smiles. muddy-buddy.competitor.com
24 Hour Races
Many hands—or wheels, in this case—make for light work. Twenty-four hour mountain bike events carry an intimidating mystique, but the reality of riding relay laps, cheering your teammates out of the starting gate, and reminiscing about midnight miles is pure, plain fun. The more folks on your team, the fewer miles you’ll be expected to ride, so find a group of like-minded friends, grab a bike, and saddle up for an unexpectedly good time at a “hard-core” event.
Merrell Oyster Racing Series
Surprise! With as many as 10 checkpoints, a six-hour time limit, and a list of possible surprise events that includes bowling, eating, shopping, and—no joke—“scootering,” this race will keep you guessing all day. The goal: have fun as possible, raise money for local charities, and enjoy the challenge of corralling up to 6 team members on an unexpected adventure through your city. This series includes two off-road and a handful of sprint “Shooter” events, too. oysterracingseries.com
June
3
Cork & Run Relay; Indianapolis, IN; corknrun.com
Optic Nerve 24 Hours of ERock; Castle Rock, CO; elephantrockride.com
4
The Longest Day; New Paltz, NY; nyara.org A point-to-point format,
Renegade Playground Challenge; Loudon, NH; renegadeplayground.com
Rock Dallas Adventure Race; Dallas, TX; terrafirmaracing.com
10
Ragnar Relay Chicago; Madison, WI; ragnarrelay.com
11
SOAR Highlands Adventure Race; Highlands, NC; soarhighlands.org
Big Bear 2×12 Mountain Bike Race; Bruceton Mills, WV; grannygear.com
24 Hours of Pats Peak Mountain Bike Race; Henniker, NH; patspeak.com
18
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Atlanta, GA; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
Run, Row, Rock & Roll Adventure Race; Fairbury, NE; angrycowadventures.com
Green Mountain Relay; Jeffersonville, VT; greenmountainrelay.com
Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back; Logan, UT; ragnarrelay.com
Muir South Kettle Classic; Mukwonago, WI; wemseries.com
Boggs 24 Hour Mountain Bike Ultra; Cobb, CA; globalbiorhythmevents.com
19
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Buffalo, NY; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
24
Odyssey Endorphin Fix; Oak Hill, WV; oarevents.com
25
Merrell Oyster Urban Adventure & Oyster Shooter; Pittsburgh, PA; oysterracingseries.com
Merrell Oyster Off Road; Bend, OR; oysterracingseries.com
Tough Mudder Colorado; Beaver Creek, CO; toughmudder.com
Plot, Pedal, Paddle Adventure Race; Dixon, IL; dragonazadventureracing.blogspot.com
26
Tough Mudder Colorado; Beaver Creek, CO; toughmudder.com
July
2
12th Man Adventure Race; Navasota, TX; terrafirmaracing.com
Thunderdown in the Underdown; Gleason, WI; thunderdown12.blogspot.com
9
Adventure Extreme Adventure Race; Summit, CO; gravityplay.com
10
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Detroit, MI; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
Cascade Cream Pull 100-mile Mountain Bike Race; Westfir, OR; cascadecreampuff.com
15
Equinox Traverse; Hidden Valley, PA; americanadventuresports.com/traverse.htm
16
Levis Trow 100 Mile Epic; Hatfield, WI; lt100.org
Breckenridge 100 Mountain Bike Race; Breckenridge, CO; warriorscycling.com
22
Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage; Blaine, WA; ragnarrelay.com
23
Merrell Oyster Shooter; Seattle, WA; oysterracingseries.com
Tough Mudder Wisconsin; Merrimac, WI; toughmudder.com
Odyssey One Day & Sprint Adventure Race; New Castle, VA; oarevents.com
The Hardcore 24; Naples, NY; thehardcore24.com
12 Hours of Humboldt Mountain Bike Race; Arcata, CA; teambigfoot.net
24
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; New York, NY; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
Tough Mudder Wisconsin; Merrimac, WI; toughmudder.com
30
Kirtsa Griesacker Memorial Adventure Race; Hamburg, PA; goalsara.org
Lake Tahoe 36-hour Adventure Race; Lake Tahoe, CA; bigblueadventure.com
Sheltowee Extreme 3; Morehead, KY; sheltoweeextreme.com
31
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Chicago, IL; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
August
6
Kwik Fill Kinzua Country Tango Adventure Race; Warren, PA; kinzuacountrytango.com
12
Wild West Relay; Fort Collins, CO; wildwestrelay.com
13
24 Hours of Great Glen Mountain Bike Race; Pinkham Notch, NH; grannygear.com
14
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Boulder, CO; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
19
Ragnar Relay Great River; Winoa, MN; ragnarrelay.com
20
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Vancouver, B.C., Canada; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
Merrell Oyster Urban Adventure & Shooter; Portland, OR; oysterracingseries.com
21
Gore-Tex TransRockies Run; Buena Vista, CO; transrockies.com
24 Hours in the Sage; Gunnison, CO; 24hoursinthesage.wordpress.com
26
OfficeMax Hood to Coast Relay; Mt. Hood, OR; hoodtocoast.com
27
Merrell Oyster Urban Adventure & Shooter; Denver, CO; oysterracingseries.com
The Shag 12 Hour Adventure Race; North Jersey Highlands, NJ; nyara.org
Thunder Rolls Adventure Race; Oregon, IL; thethunderrolls.org
Salsa Two-Four 24-Hour Mountain Bike Race; Hastings, MN; salsacycles.com
24 Hours of Kirkwood Mountain Bike Race; Kirkwood, CA; teambigfoot.net
28
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Minneapolis, MN; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
September
3
24 Hour Champion Challenge Mountain Bike Race; Seven Springs Resort, PA; masuperseries.com
4
24 Hours of Leadville Mountain Bike Race; Leadville, CO; leadvilletrail100.com
9
The Blue Ridge Relay; Asheville, NC; blueridgerelay.com
10
Adventure Extreme Adventure Race; Glenwood Springs, CO; gravityplay.com
Terra Firma Women’s Race; Cedar Park, TX; terrafirmaracing.com
24 Hours of Adrenalin; Idyllwild, CA; 24hoursofadrenalin.com
16
Ragnar Relay Napa Valley; San Francisco, CA; ragnarrelay.com
17
Tough Mudder Norcal; Squaw Valley, CA; toughmudder.com
The Big Mountain Adventure; Woodland Park, CO: bigmountainar.com
Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race & Sprint; Incline Village, NV; bigblueadventure.com
24 Hours of Hanson Hills Mountain Bike Race; Grayling, MI; funpromotions.com
12 Hours of Bradbury Mountain; Freeport, ME; cascobayevents.com
18
Columbia Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series; Portland, OR; muddy-buddy.competitor.com
Tough Mudder Norcal; Squaw Valley, CA; toughmudder.com
23
Ragnar Relay Washington D.C.; Cumberland, MD; ragnarrelay.com
24
Merrell Oyster Urban Adventure; San Francisco, CA; oysterracingseries.com
