I’d like to take a moment and say thank you to each of our sponsors in 2006. Without their sponsorship, your swag bags would have been lighter and the prize bag smaller. Our sponsors were very gracious this year and we want to take a moment to highlight the companies that helped us in 2006. We choose sponsors that produce/deliver products that we use ourselves or that we think would be of interest to those who participate in our events. We hope you enjoyed the goodies provided by our sponsors. Please think of them when you are making your next racing related purchases.

Tecnu Extreme: Tec Labs (makers of Tecnu Extreme and other products) sent us a nice sampling of a number of their products which were given away at both A24 and UOG. I used their Rash Relief after one scouting trip and I have to say it did the trick. I’ll be buying some to go along with me on future course scouting trips.

Hammer Nutrition: Hammer Nutrition makes a ton of products for endurance athletes and provided samples and prizes for both the A24 and UOG. I’ve sworn by e-caps for a number of years.

Potable Aqua: Potable Aqua provided water purification tablets for each team as part of a mini gear sponsorship for the A24. We had a few tablet packs left over so we gave them as prizes for the UOG. When we ran out of store bought water during the VERY hot UOG, we used some left over Potable Aqua tablets to purify some more water for the racers. No one could taste the difference between the purified and store bought water. Stash a packet of these in the bottom of your pack, and if you get lost or run out of water you will be thankful you had them.

SnowPack: SnowPack provided a number of their reusable ice packs as prizes for the A24. Though it appears their website is down, I can tell you the product got a number of good reviews around the internet. The texture of the gel was made to mimic snow, and provide a way to get the “ice” in those hard to ice places.

Terrapin Beer: Terrapin Beer provided refreshments at the end of the A24. I’ve been a fan of their beers for a number of years and I even got Patrick hooked on several of the beers from their Monster Beer Tour (more on Terrapin in an upcoming post). Do yourself a favor and go out and buy any of their beers, you WILL enjoy them. Also know that your purchases will be supporting some great people too!

Zanfel: Zanfel provided some prizes for both A24 and UOG. Cathi and I have used Zanfel after placing checkpoints in Poison Ivy infested areas the past two years. I think the most either of us got after using Zanfel was maybe one or two bumps with zero itching.

SportShield: 2toms, maker of SportShield, provided samples and prizes for both of their products to both A24 and UOG. SportShield is a roll on liquid that applies a coating to the skin which greatly minimizes friction. BlisterShield is a powder that helps to reduce heat build up and blister formation. What is great about these products is that they come in a one time use package (larger sizes are available) which you can easily carry with you.

Road ID: Road ID makes a number of personal identification tags for the athlete. Road ID has always been great about supporting events with Road ID gift certificates; including A24. If you ever need a Road ID, you will be very thankful that you had one.

Burt’s Bees: Burt’s Bees filled the A24 goodie bags with a number of products made from natural ingredients. I’m a big fan of their beeswax lip balm. As a matter of fact, I think I need to put some on right now.

Mytopo: Mytopo printed all the maps for our events this year. They make it affordable for us to give you great maps. You can print out your own custom map at their website too.

Maranatha: Maranatha provided samples and prizes for both A24 and UOG this year. Their natural peanut butter is quite good and I’m looking to buy some of their Cashew butter. Cashew butter and jelly sandwich never sounded so good.

Paceline Products Butt’r: Paceline Products provided samples and prizes for A24 this year. Anyone who has ridden a long ride without Butt’r can tell you what a great product it is. Any ride over 2-3 hours shouldn’t be done without Butt’r.

Maxxis: Maxxis provided some goodies for the A24 swag bag this year. Maxxis produces a tire for any bike or condition you can shake a bike pump at. They are good at supporting local events and athletes; they even sponsor a cycling team.

There you have it, a recap of our 2006 sponsors. Thank you all!

In light of the recent accidents involving James Kim, Danelle Ballengee, the climbers on Mount Hood, and a pair of missing climbers in China, I thought it would be a good idea to share some tips about going out into the wilderness. It’s easy to think that we will be fine when we go out to play in the woods; I know I’m guilty of that. But the fact remains that sometimes accidents happen and we should be prepared if an accident strikes.

1) Let people know where and when you are going and when you will return. In the event of an accident, the sooner you are noticed missing the better your chances of survival.
2) Choose your equipment/food wisely.
3) If you can carry a communications device, do so.
4) If you deviate from your original plan, let someone know if possible.
5) Notify the local land managers if required to do so. Sometimes you are asked to fill out a log or other notification methods of your trip.

For those that are still missing, lets hope you are found safe.

Please add any more tips you have in the comments.

Danelle Ballengee, one of the top female adventure racers in the world, is currently recovering from a nasty accident in Moab, Utah after spending three days out in the backcountry. While going for a run, she slipped on ice and fell nearly 60 feet and broke her pelvis. Her dog, Taz, eventually led rescuers to her location. Danelle is a former member of Team Nike and a current member of Team Spyder. You can read the full article, with video, here. Send good vibes her way for a speedy recovery!

Update: This story has more details about her accident and rescue.

Update2: There’s a great article about the rescue here and a video with her and Taz on the Today Show here. The video is best viewed in IE.

Update: Primal Quest has officially announced the race is on hold. You can read more information here

It looks like Primal Quest will go the way of the RAID; no event in 2007. I have no inside knowledge to the status of the event, but it’s almost 2007 and an event the size of PQ needed to announce the race a few months ago at the latest. What does the history of expedition adventure racing look like over the last ten years? Let’s take a look at some of the larger World events and those in North America.

Eco Challenge; Extinct
Appalachian Extreme; RD’s retired
USA Supreme Adventure Race; Extinct
Raid Gauloises; Retooled as the Raid World Championship
Raid World Championship; Retooled as a multi-day sports festival
Beast of the East; Event canceled in 2006 and not planned for 2007
Primal Quest; MIA for 2007
Southern Traverse; Retooled as a 24hr race in 2006. No word if it will be an expedition race again
Raid the North Extreme; Not held in 2006. Looks like it will be back in 2007
Expedition Mata Atlantica (EMA); Extinct. The RD got very sick after Eco Fiji and the event was never held again.
Elf Authentique Adventure; A Gerald Fusil project that was held in 1999 and 2000. At the time it was the longest adventure race ever.
Mild Seven Outdoor Quest; Extinct

It seems like expedition racing is going the way of the dodo. Though, it’s not to say there are no successful expedition races. You have smaller expedition races, 3-6 days in length, seemingly taking the void left by the 7-10 day races. Races such as the MIX and the Xstream Expedition are lower in cost and length and have been getting pretty good participation. So why is there an apparent lull in expedition racing? I have a feeling it’s mostly about money. The time and effort involved in organizing an expedition race is enormous, while the monetary gains are just not worth the effort. Why else would Mark Burnett drop the Eco Challenge? Because Survivor was half the work and triple the pay (not exact numbers but you get the point). With a few exceptions, I think the day of the large scale expedition races might be behind us. The expedition races that thrive will be those that keep the cost down but provide a good value for the money. Expedition races will always been around; after all something has to serve as the token carrot hanging on the back of the pack in front of you.