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Posted by Grant on 29. November 2009 21:05
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We've posted the details for the 2010 Untamed New England Adventure Race. A lot is the same from the 2009 edition . . . still 3 days non-stop racing . . . still no-support crews . . . still hosted at the Balsams Grand Resort . . . still America's qualifier for the AR World Championships.
There are a few differences I will point out, based partly on feedback from you (blog readers) and other racer we keep in close contact with:
- Gear bin weight limit has been bumped up to 35 pounds, a 5 pound increase (the details on race gear bins are here)
- Teams checking-in gear bins that are at or under the specific weight -- on the first try -- get a 15 minute head start to the race
- The corrollary to the above gear bin 15-minute bonus is that we're using post office style scales (no digital scales as they are too slow for the high volume we need at the race) and making the scales available from Wednesday morning on at the host hotel. This way teams can pre-weigh their bins and arrive to race check-in as prepared as possible.
- The second corrollary to the above gear bin 15-minute bonus is that we're providing a "race plan" to teams on Weds morning (posted online and hard-copies at the host hotel). This plan will explain the order of race disciplines,
estimated duration for legs, availability schedule for your gear bins, etc. This race plan will not have
your official race maps nor spell out
specific checkpoint locations (you will get that at race check-in the morning of Aug 12th), but it will
assist you in packing your equipment before you arrive at the gear check-in on Thursday morning.
Our
goal is to save you as much time Thursday (race morning) so you can arrive prepared and ready to hand in gear bins at
your earliest convenience.
There are some other interesting tidbits on the race website, such as how we're eliminating bonus checkpoints except for a section relatively near to the finish (after a full 2 days of racing, at least). This ensures teams focus all their energy on racing the same course, beating other teams, and satisfying race cut-offs.
We have more updates coming to the Untamed New England site, but this gets the ball rolling. We have lots to say about the TV programming associated with the race next year; we have exciting sponsor developments; we must detail the prizes at stake. We will soon have a list of registered teams and -- get this -- our map showing where teams come from will need to expand to show the entire planet as we have significant interest from some "down under" teams as well as several European teams inquiring about event details.
Truly, there is no better time to race in New England than mid-August and details are really falling into place for 2010 to be the most rugged, remote, and remarkable Untamed New England yet!