Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

Military muscle: To train with a purpose, try adventure racing

Q. I’m looking for something outside the box as a fitness training goal. Any ideas?

A. Adventure racing may fit the bill. It’s a team-oriented competitive event that combines two or more disciplines, most commonly mountain biking, running/trekking and paddling. You can’t get a better total-body workout than that.

Races can be completed within a few hours, take a single day or night, or stretch out over multiple days — and they take place in environments as different as the city of Mobile, Ala., and the Badlands of South Dakota.

Registration fees are as low as $75 per team, with most from $200 to $600 per team.

Events near you

The United States Adventure Racing Association (www.usara.com) lists events all over the country, including many offered by military organizations or close to military installations:

• The Wilderness Challenge, sponsored by Navy Mid-Atlantic Morale, Welfare and Recreation, is Oct. 8-10. The Gauley River region of West Virginia will host up to 60 active-duty co-ed teams competing in mountain running, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, mountain hiking and “duckie” kayaking over two days. For details, visit www.wildernesschallenge.net or call 757-887-7256.

• The BEAR (Beach Extreme Adventure Race) is held Labor Day weekend in the Jacksonville, Fla., area. Although not military-sponsored, this two-race event (five hours and 10 hours) is well attended by military teams from the area. Visit www.performancemultisports.com/BEARinfo.htm for more information.

• The Southeast has a number of excellent events on tap for 2010. In January, the MWR crew at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla., hosts a great race in a state park north of the city. In February, the Marine Corps ROTC at Auburn, Ala., sponsors Amphibious Warrior. Winning the elite division there qualifies you to compete at the national championships.

Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Fla., holds an adventure race in February or March, which is followed by the race I design and direct, the Mosquito Bite at Naval Air Station Pensacola Fla., and then the first-ever adventure race at Fort Rucker, Ala. Both events are tentatively scheduled for March or April.

Check with the appropriate MWR office for the latest information. If your base MWR office doesn’t offer adventure racing, ask them to look into it.

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Bob Thomas is a retired naval flight officer and the director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. Got a question about your workout? Send it to OFFduty@militarytimes.com.